I am helping a recently widowed friend find a vehicle to tow her camper. Camper is about 3500# loaded up. She wants a midsize SUV of some sort. She doesn't want a huge gas guzzling beast.

How much power/torque is enough to get the job done in Colorado? Is a V6 with around 300 ponies enough to comfortably tow in the mountains? I think the tow ratings on some of these vehicles are a bit optimistic.