If you've never had the experience of using a vehicle that is maxed out towing a load in anything other than perfect slow acceleration, slow deceleration I can understand why you're questing the recommendation of more than enough vehicle. If you had the experience most likely you wouldn't be questioning.
Small SUV's, crossovers or whatever you want to call them are compact unibody sedans with a different body shape and sometimes AWD vs. FWD. If you carry four adults and load up the back of it with gear you can feel that the engine and suspension is being taxed. If instead you pull a 3000# trailer which with a correct tongue weight will be 300# on the tongue you're going to experience the tail wagging the dog.
If you're talking about a 1000# gross weight trailer/load with a 100# tongue weight, no problem. But you did state 3000# gross weight and that is an entirely different animal.
