Citroen Xsara Picasso as a tow car

[Robert_374224759]

Hi all,

We are considering buying our first caravan and we currently own a 1999 Citroen Xsara Picasso 2.0Hdi which we would use as the tow car.

The van we are looking at is a Fleetwood Countryside 500/5; MRO=1040kg and MPLM=1270kg. My car handbook states the unladen weight of the car as 1300kg, the Gross vehicle weight as 1850kg and and Gross train weight as 3150.

By my calculations this combination would be legal and not exceed the car's max train weight even with a fully laden van. It would also be within the 85% guide provided we didn't put more than 70kg of kit in the van.

Am I missing something? Does anyone have any general experience / opinion on the suitability of the Citroen as a tow car?

Any help for a total novice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Rob

 

[STEVE_5041381]

Hi Robert - I use the PICASSO 2.0 HDI as a towcar your figures look right I tow a 1100 Bailey ranger and it tows superbly thinking of trading up to 1230 kg and I have no doubt in my mind it will tow it great.

 

[STEVE_5041381]

Hi Robert - I use the PICASSO 2.0 HDI as a towcar your figures look right I tow a 1100 Bailey ranger and it tows superbly thinking of trading up to 1230 kg and I have no doubt in my mind it will tow it great.

sorry pressed the send key before i finished - the Picasso is a very capable tug and I am very pleased with mine - even the mpg

is excellent - go ahead yo wont regret it.

 

[Keith_5115722]

Hi, if you want to be certain go to http://www.whattowcar.com/. There you can compute almost any car/caravan combination

 

[Gary_5103709]

Hi, if you want to be certain go to http://www.whattowcar.com/. There you can compute almost any car/caravan combination

Hi Robert, we tow with a 2.0HDI Picasso and it is very good. We have a Bailey Ranger 510/4 MIRO-1037, MTPLM-1237(roughly) and we find it great at towing, great fuel economy--getting 44+ MPG the only trouble is that on severe hills you have to make it work. We have taken our van to Cornwall this summer and over the Mendip hills-you just have to go through the gears but you get there. I am a female driver and a sole driver as my hubby does not drive at all. Good luck Maureen and Gary

 

[cliff_5040076]

Hi Robert

I had the same vehicle as you towing a Dart 556 (mplm 1300kg ) and only towed with it twice before I part exed it for a Citroen C8.

Whilst it will tow a van of 1270 kg I found progress very slow on anything other than level roads needing constant gear changing to keep at a reasonable speed. Legally you will be OK but in my opinion the 90bhp engine just hasn't got enough power to easily pull your prospective van.

Do what I did, buy the van and try it. The picasso will tow it legally and you may be satisfied where I was not. You have the option of changing your car if you are not happy.

Best of luck

 

[John_374224970]

I currently tow a van of similar weight to yours with a 1.8 petrol Picasso. It does the job - barely - but I am currently looking for a new tow car.

You will fare much better than me with the tourquier diesel, but to be honest I don't think the Picasso is physically big and heavy enough to cope comfortably with this size van.

Don't let it stop you buying the van - your Picasso will be adequate and safe, but I think after using it a while you will be looking to trade it in for something more substantial.

 

[Pete_374225309]

Hi Rob,

We too own a Picasso HDI 2.0 also use it for towing a series 5 Pagent Vendee at about 100% match carfully loaded.

Have to agree with others it was a bit lethargic at first very flat in 3rd 4th and 5th.

We had the ecu re-mapped and now have approx 125bhp and 275lbof torque at 2000rpm.

The car is transformed,returns 33-36mpg towing and will cruise happily at or above the legal limit all day.

Also averages 46-50 mpg with wife using it for work and short runs,this vehicle has been remapped for nearly two years now with no probs whatsoever.

Hope this helps, Pete.

 

[Icemaker]

My sister tried a picasso when changing her zafira, fortunately the citroen dealer had a 2.0 hdi picasso with a tow bar and lent it to my sister for the weekend, we went from stockport to preston and found that we where having to slow right down to 40 mph on some of the motorway inclines to wait for her to catch up and her verdict was that the car was whoefully under powered to tow her van which was an avondale weighing 1200 kgs fully laden. she ended up buying a c8 with the more powerfull engine but even then had it upgraded. the picasso is a great car but it really does need more power.