Does anybody out there tow a Coachman Amara 2007 530/4 ??? If so what do you tow it with and what is the performance like??
COACHMAN AMARA
- Thread starter IRIS_374301519
- Start date
Iris
Sorry to hear about your towing problems, The 530/4 is a big van for your Mazda 6. We have a 2006 500/5 and fully laden with all our bits and bobs is about 1440kgs, we had a 1.8l Toyota Avensis and towed with it last year but like you struggled on hills. You caravan has a MTPLM of around 1540kg and with a 980cm Awning etc it would be easy to get up into that figure.
We had to bite the bullet as Coachmans are a bit heavy, but we love them and had to go out and buy a 4x4. We went for the new Honda CRV 2.2 Diesel in the ES spec, we felt it suited us best, it is shorter than a Vauxhall Vectra and feels very car like to drive the 4x4 element is a bit of a gimick but should help on wet grass. Towing our van at over 1400kg we get around 31 mpg with it and it has a 2000kg towing limit the old one only had 1500kg. If you don't want a 4x4 you should be looking at some of the MPV's I'm sure you will find many great review for some different models in the Towcar section of the forum.
Sorry to hear about your towing problems, The 530/4 is a big van for your Mazda 6. We have a 2006 500/5 and fully laden with all our bits and bobs is about 1440kgs, we had a 1.8l Toyota Avensis and towed with it last year but like you struggled on hills. You caravan has a MTPLM of around 1540kg and with a 980cm Awning etc it would be easy to get up into that figure.
We had to bite the bullet as Coachmans are a bit heavy, but we love them and had to go out and buy a 4x4. We went for the new Honda CRV 2.2 Diesel in the ES spec, we felt it suited us best, it is shorter than a Vauxhall Vectra and feels very car like to drive the 4x4 element is a bit of a gimick but should help on wet grass. Towing our van at over 1400kg we get around 31 mpg with it and it has a 2000kg towing limit the old one only had 1500kg. If you don't want a 4x4 you should be looking at some of the MPV's I'm sure you will find many great review for some different models in the Towcar section of the forum.
I have a Amara 550/5, like Alexander its MIRO is about 1350kg, but loaded up is more like 1450kg (though I have never measured it).
I tow this with a Alhambra 1.9TDI, 115bhp and loads of torque, the towing limit is 2000kg, so its up to the job quite adequately. Gives good fuel economy when not towing, approx 40mpg.
So unless you are planning on towing your caravan through a ploughed field, why choose a 4x4.
OOPs I've started soimething now, watch the 4x4 club come after me on that comment.
I tow this with a Alhambra 1.9TDI, 115bhp and loads of torque, the towing limit is 2000kg, so its up to the job quite adequately. Gives good fuel economy when not towing, approx 40mpg.
So unless you are planning on towing your caravan through a ploughed field, why choose a 4x4.
OOPs I've started soimething now, watch the 4x4 club come after me on that comment.
Alexander,
I was interested in the new CRV (and almost got one) but I am a bit concerned that I do not think that you can use 6th gear when towing?? Is it in order to just use 5th for most of the time. I know that this can apply to many modern cars. I also read somewhere that the 4 wheel drive is delayed when it kicks in. Like you I am not too concerned about this, so long as the car will get me off wet grass occasionally. Have you used the 4 wheel drive yet?? If so, what do you think?
I was interested in the new CRV (and almost got one) but I am a bit concerned that I do not think that you can use 6th gear when towing?? Is it in order to just use 5th for most of the time. I know that this can apply to many modern cars. I also read somewhere that the 4 wheel drive is delayed when it kicks in. Like you I am not too concerned about this, so long as the car will get me off wet grass occasionally. Have you used the 4 wheel drive yet?? If so, what do you think?
hi there Iris, we tow a coachman wanderer twin axle 1550 MTPLM with a 130 bhp ford galaxy tows like a dream and fuel economy excellent we traded a 03 discovery for the galaxy and have never looked back.
Rod,
Judging by other posts, 6th on the CRV is marginally higher than 5th on our S-max (57mph@2000) we find that our 6th (68mph@2000) is only usable on the flat or slight descents, 5th copes with most motorway gradients but 4th is the most economical gear to tow in, even solo 5th is more economical than 6th at all speeds from 40 - 80mph, our experience is that 6 speed manual gearboxes are a total waste of time.
As far as towing the coachman is concerned, if you do a lot of towing then the likes of the new CRV offer very good mpg for a 4x4 with the traction when you need it, larger MPV's such as the Galaxy S-max Sharan or Alhambra will offer excellent on road stability and solo mpg
Judging by other posts, 6th on the CRV is marginally higher than 5th on our S-max (57mph@2000) we find that our 6th (68mph@2000) is only usable on the flat or slight descents, 5th copes with most motorway gradients but 4th is the most economical gear to tow in, even solo 5th is more economical than 6th at all speeds from 40 - 80mph, our experience is that 6 speed manual gearboxes are a total waste of time.
As far as towing the coachman is concerned, if you do a lot of towing then the likes of the new CRV offer very good mpg for a 4x4 with the traction when you need it, larger MPV's such as the Galaxy S-max Sharan or Alhambra will offer excellent on road stability and solo mpg
Gary
I have read you post of the smax around four times now. And while your info is of interest, the six-speed box is by no means a waste of time.
Your xmax was not designed to pull a caravan, but to transport people.
From the stats you have given in previous posts I would suggest that your smax would benefit in sixth gear in speeds above 80mph.
My xtrail will tow in sixth gear no problem, even so if I had a seventh gear I would be happy to use it solo. After all I use all the sixteen gears on my mountain bike.
I have read you post of the smax around four times now. And while your info is of interest, the six-speed box is by no means a waste of time.
Your xmax was not designed to pull a caravan, but to transport people.
From the stats you have given in previous posts I would suggest that your smax would benefit in sixth gear in speeds above 80mph.
My xtrail will tow in sixth gear no problem, even so if I had a seventh gear I would be happy to use it solo. After all I use all the sixteen gears on my mountain bike.
Gary
The point that I was trying to establish is whether, if it not feasible to tow in top gear, whether that is 5th or 6th,and a lower gear is used for long distances, is this in anyway harming the vehicle.
The point that I was trying to establish is whether, if it not feasible to tow in top gear, whether that is 5th or 6th,and a lower gear is used for long distances, is this in anyway harming the vehicle.
Rod,
We have been towing our Amara with the CRV for a few months now, sixth gear copes well when towing, and I set our cruise control on Dual Carriageways in sixth at 60 mph to test the CRV on most trips away. At the weekend we towed from Aberdeen to St Andrews, a few times when needing to pass HGV's I just put my foot down in sixth and passed, however I tried to keep a note of my fuel economy in 4 th, 5 th and 6 th with cruise on at 60 mph I don't have the exact figures as my wife binned them, I intend to take them all again on our next trip, The long and short of it was that 4th gave the best figure over a 30 min period I was getting around 32 mpg. In 5th it was worse and 6th I remember seeing 29.8 mpg. I do though prefer to stick between 5th and 6th gears, usually using 5th to overtake.
I haven't had much chance to try the 4 wheel drive yet; I have towed a large trailer uphill over wet grass and didn't see any lights on the dash to say the 4x4 was engaged. I have spoken to a Honda Tech who was down for training before the launch and he has said that when the old CRV sent traction to the rear wheels a delay and jolt could be felt, he said that he had been told the new one should feel seamless but I'm sure there is bound to be a delay in switching.
If you are concerned about the four wheel drive on the CRV you should maybe consider the Nissan X-trail I have had experience driving one of them up to a remote radio site in heavy snow and it coped well, it is bit more thirsty than the CRV and Rav-4.
My job takes me off road most days and have had a Landrover Defender, Discovery, Ford Maverick and now a Freelander and if the choice was mine my company car would have been the X-trail over the Freelander. The vehicle I preferred for travelling long distance and the last 15min off road was the Ford Maverick with its low ratio box. For our family car we needed the 100kg noseweight and wanted a 2000kg towing capacity I gave the choice to my wife and we looked at all the MPV's and all the small SUV's and the CRV was our clear winner the only thing that lets it down is that we have just found out that we cant get 3 childs booster seats across the back seat because of the design of the rear seatbelt buckles, and the owners handbook says that children under 12 should not travel in the front because you cant switch off the passenger airbag. Seems that Honda have missed a trick with the new legislation coming into effect.
We have been towing our Amara with the CRV for a few months now, sixth gear copes well when towing, and I set our cruise control on Dual Carriageways in sixth at 60 mph to test the CRV on most trips away. At the weekend we towed from Aberdeen to St Andrews, a few times when needing to pass HGV's I just put my foot down in sixth and passed, however I tried to keep a note of my fuel economy in 4 th, 5 th and 6 th with cruise on at 60 mph I don't have the exact figures as my wife binned them, I intend to take them all again on our next trip, The long and short of it was that 4th gave the best figure over a 30 min period I was getting around 32 mpg. In 5th it was worse and 6th I remember seeing 29.8 mpg. I do though prefer to stick between 5th and 6th gears, usually using 5th to overtake.
I haven't had much chance to try the 4 wheel drive yet; I have towed a large trailer uphill over wet grass and didn't see any lights on the dash to say the 4x4 was engaged. I have spoken to a Honda Tech who was down for training before the launch and he has said that when the old CRV sent traction to the rear wheels a delay and jolt could be felt, he said that he had been told the new one should feel seamless but I'm sure there is bound to be a delay in switching.
If you are concerned about the four wheel drive on the CRV you should maybe consider the Nissan X-trail I have had experience driving one of them up to a remote radio site in heavy snow and it coped well, it is bit more thirsty than the CRV and Rav-4.
My job takes me off road most days and have had a Landrover Defender, Discovery, Ford Maverick and now a Freelander and if the choice was mine my company car would have been the X-trail over the Freelander. The vehicle I preferred for travelling long distance and the last 15min off road was the Ford Maverick with its low ratio box. For our family car we needed the 100kg noseweight and wanted a 2000kg towing capacity I gave the choice to my wife and we looked at all the MPV's and all the small SUV's and the CRV was our clear winner the only thing that lets it down is that we have just found out that we cant get 3 childs booster seats across the back seat because of the design of the rear seatbelt buckles, and the owners handbook says that children under 12 should not travel in the front because you cant switch off the passenger airbag. Seems that Honda have missed a trick with the new legislation coming into effect.
Elexander
Thanks for that. It seems that perhaps I was being over cautious re the CRV! Back to the drawing board!
Thanks for that. It seems that perhaps I was being over cautious re the CRV! Back to the drawing board!
Yes Ray you're right I have gone on a bit too much about the S-max and 6speed manuals but Alexander is not the only one to agree with me that towing in the highest gear possible is not necessarily the most economical for smaller engines, there are others that have found solo in 5th is more economical than 6th.
I cannot think of any reason that towing in a lower gear for long periods would cause any damage but using too high a gear with your foot on the floor does have the potential to reduce the life of the engine.
As far as MPV's not being designed to tow caravans, firstly I don't know of any vehicle that is specifically designed to tow caravans, secondly, MPV's are designed purely for the road and to be stable at high speed carrying relatively high loads, as such they make ideal tow cars capable of any off road that you would take a caravan over, snow chains will get me off all but the muddiest of fields but as yet I've never used them.
I cannot think of any reason that towing in a lower gear for long periods would cause any damage but using too high a gear with your foot on the floor does have the potential to reduce the life of the engine.
As far as MPV's not being designed to tow caravans, firstly I don't know of any vehicle that is specifically designed to tow caravans, secondly, MPV's are designed purely for the road and to be stable at high speed carrying relatively high loads, as such they make ideal tow cars capable of any off road that you would take a caravan over, snow chains will get me off all but the muddiest of fields but as yet I've never used them.
I've got a 2005 Amara 530/4 and tow it with a 2006 VW Touran 1.9TDi with no problems. On a dual carriageway or motorway I'll use 6th gear, but tend to stay in 5th on A roads. Very stable outfit but my MTPLM is 1465kgs, a bit less than the new ones. The performance is far better than my old 110bhp Sharan towing my now sold 1990 Eldiss Wisp 510, which was 2/3rds of the weight of the Amara. I have got a plug in power chip, which helps a lot, but without it, it still performs reasonably. We thought about a Freelander when we bought the Touran but didn't fancy 35mpg average, 5 seats and a small boot that most 4 x 4's like this suffer from. My outfit is a 88% match as the kerbweight is 1660kgs, more than the book says, as I got it weighed. Hope this helps!
We tow our coachman vip 530/4 with our alhambra, i have posted many times about how good this car is as a tow car so i wont go in to it again, i will leave it to you to make your mind up but i can find few bad post's regarding mpv's as tow cars.
incidently our alhambra tows all day long with the cruise set at 60 mph in sixth gear and returns around 35 mpg with the van on the back. never trust the computers to tell you how well your car is doing, we regularely tow to portsmouth for the ferry which is 250 miles for us, my cars computer says i am doing an average 25 mpg so with an 11 gallon tank i should be very low on fuel on arrival but we allways have around half a tank left. when i fill up it equates to around 35 mpg on paper.
incidently our alhambra tows all day long with the cruise set at 60 mph in sixth gear and returns around 35 mpg with the van on the back. never trust the computers to tell you how well your car is doing, we regularely tow to portsmouth for the ferry which is 250 miles for us, my cars computer says i am doing an average 25 mpg so with an 11 gallon tank i should be very low on fuel on arrival but we allways have around half a tank left. when i fill up it equates to around 35 mpg on paper.
Hi Alexander
Had another adventure at the weekend. Towed great outward but coming back was another story. We were on the M62 (highest motorway in Britain) and boy did we know it. The black transmissions from the engine said it all. A total white knuckle ride for me!!! Like you said far too heavy we have had to bite the bullet and have been back to the car dealership and have found a Nissan Terrano 3 litre SVE. We have just got to cut our losses - our safety is more important. Hopefully when we get the new car I can then start to relax and enjoy the Coachman and our caravan holidays once again. Thanks all for your advice and support.
Hi you two. Really glad to hear you are comfortable and confident in towing the Coachman. I am so jealous. I think I have become a really bad towing passenger!!!! Hopefully when we get our big 3 litre 4x4 I can relax and again begin to enjoy our caravan holidays. Happy caravanning.
You sure have. I dont think I have any choice other than to get a 4x4 so that I can feel confident about towing again.
Facebook
Twitter