BMW 7 Series as a tow car, my opinion!

[runningaviator]

Disclaimer: I use a 2018 BMW 730d as my daily driver and tow car. So although biased I wanted to offer my opinion on why more people may want to consider such a car for their next towing veichle.

I decided to write this, purely because I could find no reviews on using, the now previous generation 7 series (G11/G12) as a tow car. In 2016, Practical Caravan mentioned it in a Top Dollar tow car comparison but never towed with it (Maybe top dollar new, but great value used). Shame. If they want to borrow mine for an independent test, they are welcome.

In 2021 we bought our first caravan. A new Adria Altea Avon 622DT increased MTPLM 1,800kgs (340kgs payload) . My wife and I have 2 kids (3, but 1 has moved on) and a dog. I'd never towed before and after paying the deposit realised I needed B+E. Oops! My wife had grandfather rights B+E so using the L plate loophole off we went towing with 2011 Mercedes E Class 2.2CDI Estate. This outfit towed us round the NC500 last summer, while adequate, a bit more power and better brakes would of made the experience more comfortable. So last summer I decided to buy the 7 series.

So why choose the 7? Apart from the fact I always wanted one (I did say biased) and prefer saloons over SUVs, i'll try and be objective. Used, they are an incredible amount of car for the money and from a main dealer with a BMW backed warranty you also have peace of mind. I paid £32k in Aug 2022 for my 2018 730d G11 M sport with 20k miles, £900 to fit an amazing Tow Trust detachable tow bar (invisible when removed) and £800 for roof bars and a Kamei Fosco 540 roof box. Total load space approx 1,100 litres, tow capacity 2,100kgs.

I drive approx 18k miles a year. (75 mile round trip daily commute). So an economical car solo is important (SUV's are not). I average 55mpg (60mpg on a good day) solo on a work run down the motorway and 40 round town. So a big tick there. Towing, fully loaded, car, roof box & caravan approx 4 tonnes. 24.2mpg (July trip to France from Scotland 1,500 towing miles). The car has a huge 78 litre fuel tank giving an incredible 8-900 miles solo and 350-400 towing miles between fill ups.

Towing is effortless. The 3 litre diesel and 8 speed auto is dream and with air suspension all round you really have to remind yourself you have a caravan attached. I have the optional 360 cameras, which I discovered on my first hook up (leisure battery was flat so no motor mover), that you could reverse directly under the tow ball single handed. As an outfit it is super stable not once have a felt a wobble or weave and you have all the creature comforts, with the right options (adaptive cruise, massage seats, 360 cameras, ) to make long journeys a breeze.

There are 4 wheel drive options in the X-drive available, however even living in Scotland I decided to go for rear drive only and a separate set of winter wheels as a great trade off for better fuel economy.

So there you have it. A great option used IMHO and very overlooked, but hopefully helpful for those who don't want a typical SUV for towing a big van.

 

[otherclive]

Disclaimer: I use a 2018 BMW 730d as my daily driver and tow car. So although biased I wanted to offer my opinion on why more people may want to consider such a car for their next towing veichle.

I decided to write this, purely because I could find no reviews on using, the now previous generation 7 series (G11/G12) as a tow car. In 2016, Practical Caravan mentioned it in a Top Dollar tow car comparison but never towed with it (Maybe top dollar new, but great value used). Shame. If they want to borrow mine for an independent test, they are welcome.

In 2021 we bought our first caravan. A new Adria Altea Avon 622DT increased MTPLM 1,800kgs (340kgs payload) . My wife and I have 2 kids (3, but 1 has moved on) and a dog. I'd never towed before and after paying the deposit realised I needed B+E. Oops! My wife had grandfather rights B+E so using the L plate loophole off we went towing with 2011 Mercedes E Class 2.2CDI Estate. This outfit towed us round the NC500 last summer, while adequate, a bit more power and better brakes would of made the experience more comfortable. So last summer I decided to buy the 7 series.

So why choose the 7? Apart from the fact I always wanted one (I did say biased) and prefer saloons over SUVs, i'll try and be objective. Used, they are an incredible amount of car for the money and from a main dealer with a BMW backed warranty you also have peace of mind. I paid £32k in Aug 2022 for my 2018 730d G11 M sport with 20k miles, £900 to fit an amazing Tow Trust detachable tow bar (invisible when removed) and £800 for roof bars and a Kamei Fosco 540 roof box. Total load space approx 1,100 litres, tow capacity 2,100kgs.

I drive approx 18k miles a year. (75 mile round trip daily commute). So an economical car solo is important (SUV's are not). I average 55mpg (60mpg on a good day) solo on a work run down the motorway and 40 round town. So a big tick there. Towing, fully loaded, car, roof box & caravan approx 4 tonnes. 24.2mpg (July trip to France from Scotland 1,500 towing miles). The car has a huge 78 litre fuel tank giving an incredible 8-900 miles solo and 350-400 towing miles between fill ups.

Towing is effortless. The 3 litre diesel and 8 speed auto is dream and with air suspension all round you really have to remind yourself you have a caravan attached. I have the optional 360 cameras, which I discovered on my first hook up (leisure battery was flat so no motor mover), that you could reverse directly under the tow ball single handed. As an outfit it is super stable not once have a felt a wobble or weave and you have all the creature comforts, with the right options (adaptive cruise, massage seats, 360 cameras, ) to make long journeys a breeze.

There are 4 wheel drive options in the X-drive available, however even living in Scotland I decided to go for rear drive only and a separate set of winter wheels as a great trade off for better fuel economy.

So there you have it.View attachment 5329 A great option used IMHO and very overlooked, but hopefully helpful for those who don't want a typical SUV for towing a big van.

Thank you for such an interesting write up of a nice outfit. Although he doesn't tow my grandson had 3 series touring PHEV, but didn't like it when he came to use it more, so he swopped it for 5 series PHEV saloon which he really enjoys. Despite the fact he's got Vizla there's more room for the hound in the five series than there was in the 3 series Touring.

 

[ProfJohnL]

It's good to see personal experiences being expressed especially about larger tow vehicles, which could be of interest as we approach the cut off of new large ICE vehicles.

 

[Buckman]

I have previously tow a twin axle caravan with the 7 series BMW. It woudl have been a petrol version. The caravan probably exceeded the MTPLM and more than likely did not have a stabliser, but that did not bother anyone back in the eighties. Towing was effortless even back then.

 

[runningaviator]

I have previously tow a twin axle caravan with the 7 series BMW. It woudl have been a petrol version. The caravan probably exceeded the MTPLM and more than likely did not have a stabliser, but that did not bother anyone back in the eighties. Towing was effortless even back then.

My Grandad had an E32 when I was in my teens. That was my first experience of a 7 series and loved them ever since.!

 

[GaryB]

I towed our previous caravan (2018 Sprite Quattro EB twin axle) with a 2016 BMW520D. It was a brilliant tow car. Kerb weight was just under 1800kgs, towing limit 2100kgs. The automatic gearbox was one of the best I’ve had, so responsive. The only thing I didn’t like were the run flat tyres and the factory fit tow bar not having a fridge supply. I gave it back in 2019 when I took redundancy and bought my first V90, but I wouldn’t discount another BMW as a tow car.

 

[otherclive]

I towed our previous caravan (2018 Sprite Quattro EB twin axle) with a 2016 BMW520D. It was a brilliant tow car. Kerb weight was just under 1800kgs, towing limit 2100kgs. The automatic gearbox was one of the best I’ve had, so responsive. The only thing I didn’t like were the run flat tyres and the factory fit tow bar not having a fridge supply. I gave it back in 2019 when I took redundancy and bought my first V90, but I wouldn’t discount another BMW as a tow car.View attachment 5330

I noticed during our trips abroad how many continental outfits were towed with estates or saloons, SUV in a minority, unlike many British outfits that had SUV as the tow car.

 

[GaryB]

I noticed during our trips abroad how many continental outfits were towed with estates or saloons, SUV in a minority, unlike many British outfits that had SUV as the tow car.

SUV’s are just something I’ve never fancied, always preferred luxury estate cars, probably influenced by the Volvo 850 T5R’s that used to compete in the touring car championships. The only reason I had a BMW saloon was that the estate was out of my allowance band and I was too tight to put money to it to get the estate!

 

[Lutz]

I noticed during our trips abroad how many continental outfits were towed with estates or saloons, SUV in a minority, unlike many British outfits that had SUV as the tow car.

Not really surprising considering no-one on the Continent has ever heard of an 85% weight ratio recommendation. On top of that relatively few owners on the Continent use their caravans very frequently for short trips. That makes solo use of the towcar more important than its suitability for towing.

 

[Steve1962]

Excellent write on what is a fabulous car.

We have a lighter caravan (Bailey Unicorn Valencia 3) and also need the car for work so within our budget at the time (2021) we went for a Kia Sportage KX4 which so far has been a great car.
Very impressive mpg on the beemer and great spec too👍
Steve

 

[Paullus1959]

I'd never towed before and after paying the deposit realised I needed B+E. Oops! My wife had grandfather rights B+E so using the L plate loophole off we went towing with 2011 Mercedes E Class 2.2CDI Estate. towing a big van.

A really great write-up. I've had the pleasure of driving several 7 series when I was at work and they are fantastic cars. I've never towed with one though.

To pick up on the point you made about the B+E loophole. I trust you know the law has changed now and you just have to send your licence to DVLA to get B+E added to it without the need for any training or test. It is recommended you do attend a towing course but, it is a recommendation, not a requirement.

 

[Buckman]

We use to tow our trailer caravan with the BMW 5 series in the eighties and no issue maintaining a constant speed of 70mph on a freeway and 60mph on an A road. Not much change in mpg.