BMW320d as tow car

[edgarina]

Planning on getting out first caravan within the next few months, the old bones just don't like the camping any more. We are looking for a light 4 birth with a fixed bed. Probably a Bailey Pagent Burgundy or similar.

Current car is a mk 3 Mondeo estate with a kerb weight of 1565. Its high milage and starting to cost so planning on a newer car soon.

I would like a BMW 320d estate (kerb 1505) due to enjoying my driving when i'm not towing and doing a fair amount of miles 15-20k so the fuel economy is attractive. Also considering the mk4 Mondeo 163 estate (kerb 1589) but would much prefer the BMW.

I have read endless forums and pages on car and caravan matches and get the 85% thing using the kerb weight and Max loaded Caravan weight. My question is aorund the apparent grey areas around this. Of course the car should weigh more than the van. My problem is using a generic kerb weight and van weight to match. In this case the 320d would be useless as a tow car as I would need to find an ultra light van with a max load of 1279. However the car will have 4 passengers when we tow, a tow bar fitted adding 50kg or so and most of the luggage would be in the car. The actual weight of the car would be significantly more than 1505.

Also with the lighter car we would not load up the van much at all except to give a good nose weight and so would not be running with the max weight but with substantially less. In this case the BMW would be an OK choice and I think towing a Van actually weighing around 1350, probably with a max documented weight of 1450 and the min documented weight around 1200, would be OK.

Due to milage and 'Spirited driving' I absolutely don't want a 4x4 or SUV of any kind. We will also not be towing lots and may even do a seasonal pitch so I am not keen to sacrifice on a car I will use every day doing quite a few miles for the odd few hours a few times a year we tow. I am not stupid and want a safe match however. I am oldish so my license is fine by the way.

So....is it reasonable to match the actual weight of the car loaded with luggage and passengers ( a strong car with very good torque etc) to the actual weight of a far from fully loaded van?

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

So....is it reasonable to match the actual weight of the car loaded with luggage and passengers ( a strong car with very good torque etc) to the actual weight of a far from fully loaded van?

In a word - NO, as you may have overloaded the axle weight of the car.

See this post from earlier today as there are lots of other things to consider.

 

[edgarina]

As campers we are used to minimising gear and what we would plan to put in the car would certainly be well inside the axle weight tolerances so i'm not sure this specific factor is a big issue, with two adults in the fromt a 2 kids in the back and gear in the boot the weight would also be evenly spread and the model has self levelling suspension which also helps.

If the BMW isnt practical then the Mondeo estate has a kerb weight of 1589 giving it an 85% match of 1350. With a 1200 unladen van with a max weight of 1450 but only loaded to under 1350, is this OK?

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

I will leave this thread to Prof John as he will give a detailed response, as he has on similar threads.

 

[JonnyG]

too much is made of this the 85% rule.! what really matters above everything else is If the towing match is legal and when you tow the car and the caravan are still loaded and not above any legal weight limits that could apply..... end of..
when i first towed i didn't even know anything about this over hyped 85% rule the only thing that worried me was the legalities ,end of... don't get too entangled in the 85% hype most important thing is how your driving.

 

[Dustydog]

Leaving the weights issue to the Prof be careful.
I do know the BMW X5 needs additional extras added to its engine water and oil and torque convertor cooling systems.
The 320 may also need similar work.

 

[bertieboy1]

Thought I remembered a previous post (can't find it - maybe my memories playing up !) where the BMW 320d wasn't designed to tow anything and couldn't be used for caravanning.
Hopefully I'm wrong,however best check old posts to be sure.

 

[Sproket]

Thought I remembered a previous post (can't find it - maybe my memories playing up !) where the BMW 320d wasn't designed to tow anything and couldn't be used for caravanning.
Hopefully I'm wrong,however best check old posts to be sure.

It was the 320ed model

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello edgarina,

Your gut feeling about the vagueness of the 'towing ratio' calculation is correct. For some of the points you have made, I don't agree with the blanket 85% guidance, but I always suggest you keep the caravan as small as possible in relation to the car, and legally Jonny G on this occasion is spot on with his comments. But towing caravans should never be undertaken without increased care and attention. Caravans are big and boxy and can and do sometimes become unstable - even those of 85% or less, so never treat it casually.

Unfortunately you do not give enough detail about the BMW you are considering (we need Make exact Model, year, type of body, engine, fuel so we can check against our sources to see if what proposed is even possible yet alone recommended.

BMW have made many different versions of the 320d, and some models are not type approved to tow, so you cannot assume you can have a towbar fitted.

You cannot modify a car to increase its towing capacity, the use of spring assisters or self leveling suspension does not increase the vehicles permitted loads., and in fact such modification on many modern cars will adversely affect the cars ESP technology and prevent it from operating when it should.

Basically if you are unhappy with the way the car settles when loaded, the first thing you should do is check if it is in fact overloaded, or if the suspension is worn or broken.