hi everyone i know theres been a thread on this topic before but i am looking for a upgrade tow car we went out looking the other day and my other half likes the ford kuga i am not to sure as a tow car i have a big twin axel sterling elite searcher 1800kg fully loaded but dont think i have ever reached that limit would this car be a good match or not she usally gets her own way in the end anyway
Ford kuga 2L 163bhp
- Thread starter Plug
- Start date
What are the specifications of the car?
Gross vehicle weight
Gross Train Weight
kerb weight
Maximum towed Load
Maximum Authorised Mass
Gross vehicle weight
Gross Train Weight
kerb weight
Maximum towed Load
Maximum Authorised Mass
As the owner of a Kuga I personally wouldn't tow over 1600kg with mine, poss upto 1700kg with the 4x4 version,sorry. You would be perfectly legal( weights wise) but most only have a kerb weight of 1700 ish.
Thanks for the reply prof but i have only looked at the towing speck on google and that states 2100kg towing limit braked unit
Hello Plug,
A tow vehicle's towed weight limit is based on a series of tests the manufacturer has to perform to get its type approval for sale in the EU. The test uses an idealised trailer, and unfortunately caravans are far from ideal trailers, In fact caravans can produce significant additional loads on a tow vehicle, and to compensate it make a lot of sense to consider a caravan as being somewhat heavier than their specification suggests which points caravanners in the direction of larger tow vehicles.
You tell us you have an caravan with an MTPLM of 1800kg . That is a large caravan. The Industry advice suggests you would need a car with a kerbweight of 1800kg (100% ratio) or 2115k for an 85% match. These are very big cars!
Without knowing what the kerbweight of the Kuga you are looking at, we are not in a position to offer an informed opinion, However Brasso as an owner has suggested most Kuga only have a kerb weight of about 1700Kg, so your towing ratio is already at 106% which is pushing the limits and significantly reducing any safety margin.
I don't know whether it applies to yo, but you couldn't drive this outfit with just a Cat B Licence you need Cat BE.
A tow vehicle's towed weight limit is based on a series of tests the manufacturer has to perform to get its type approval for sale in the EU. The test uses an idealised trailer, and unfortunately caravans are far from ideal trailers, In fact caravans can produce significant additional loads on a tow vehicle, and to compensate it make a lot of sense to consider a caravan as being somewhat heavier than their specification suggests which points caravanners in the direction of larger tow vehicles.
You tell us you have an caravan with an MTPLM of 1800kg . That is a large caravan. The Industry advice suggests you would need a car with a kerbweight of 1800kg (100% ratio) or 2115k for an 85% match. These are very big cars!
Without knowing what the kerbweight of the Kuga you are looking at, we are not in a position to offer an informed opinion, However Brasso as an owner has suggested most Kuga only have a kerb weight of about 1700Kg, so your towing ratio is already at 106% which is pushing the limits and significantly reducing any safety margin.
I don't know whether it applies to yo, but you couldn't drive this outfit with just a Cat B Licence you need Cat BE.
As said above a Caravan is far removed from being an idealised trailer. It has a large dimensional configuration in relation to its weight. Susceptible to cross winds and effects of airflow around other vehicles such as coaches, transporters hgvs etc.
Just to play devil's advocate however we towed at 113 % very happily; as I've said on here before and the van didn't have atc. We always loaded the car and the tests manufacturers use are far more extensive than simply a stylised trailer. Else we wouldn't have trailer sway assist built into cars now. My gut reaction-you'd be fine but do what we did-take it steady and be prepared to change car if you have to.
Hi Roger i understand what you are saying i have been towing for 25yrs but i am still wary on towing limits i have a hyundia santa fa 2.2 on a 56 plate which is a really good tow car but its starting to cost me money now with things going wrong but i just fancy a change in a tow car
Cheers ; thanks for the lecture; anything i put on here is not advice but personal opinion based on the facts as I know them and have experience of. There is no research on the 85% rule-it is simply advice and there is plenty of that and a good starting point for a beginner-doesn't say the op is a beginner but even so we could argue that too, but it is fact that if a car is rated to tow at 2100kg that is its legal limit-at that this outfit comes well under what ford are saying it can tow and it is also fact that they don't simply tow a weight in their testing. It is also fact that if Farmers stuck to the 85% rule their ability to work would be severely hampered-most half cabs are rated to tow at 3500kg and are most bigger landys but that far exceeds kerbweight-however there is plenty on here and this is not the place to discuss it again.
My opinion is not advice but a suggestion that others have to use and use that of others too. That's what we did-when we started.
I agree with the others who say the car is not heavy enough. The towing limit is simply the total the car is capable of restarting five times on a 12% hill and is not related to safety. For safe towing you need enough weight to control the caravan and despite Jezzersb's experience anything over the kerb weight of the car is decidedly dodgy. As Otherclive says caravans are far from ideal trailers and tghe match is essential for safe towing.
The car should have a kerb weight that exceeds the MTPLM of the caravan and the more the better. If you are happy with he Santa Fa, I would be looking at a newer version. I do understand why the Kuga is being looked at as my daughter has one and it is a very nice car but i am afraid the caravan is simply too heavy for it.
The car should have a kerb weight that exceeds the MTPLM of the caravan and the more the better. If you are happy with he Santa Fa, I would be looking at a newer version. I do understand why the Kuga is being looked at as my daughter has one and it is a very nice car but i am afraid the caravan is simply too heavy for it.
I do agree however that a santa fe would be a much better match!(and can be had with a much longer warranty too!). Sorry Kuga owners.
I'd strongly suggest that if you have been happy with the Hyundia santa fe, look for a more recent model or one with less mileage on it.
The Industry advisory figures of 85 and 100% are just advisory and cannot be enforced. Unfortunately they have been misquoted so often, that they have assumed a mantle of greater authority. They are just arbitrary figures, and they don't represent any critical values at which step changes in outfit handling will occur. It is being short sighted to choose an outfit just based on these figures, and not considering the other and arguably more important factors that do affect legalities and handling.
I have driven countless different combinations of tow vehicles and trailers, and I can say some have been below 85% and handled poorly, and some have been above 100% and handled very pleasantly. It shows that paper calculations are not clever enough to encompass all factors. But it is very clear to me that on balance it is always better to aim for the smallest weight ratio you can.
I can't agree with Jezzer's statement "My gut reaction-you'd be fine " because unless he has actually driven your combination there are so many variables that can potentially counter that preconception.
The Industry advisory figures of 85 and 100% are just advisory and cannot be enforced. Unfortunately they have been misquoted so often, that they have assumed a mantle of greater authority. They are just arbitrary figures, and they don't represent any critical values at which step changes in outfit handling will occur. It is being short sighted to choose an outfit just based on these figures, and not considering the other and arguably more important factors that do affect legalities and handling.
I have driven countless different combinations of tow vehicles and trailers, and I can say some have been below 85% and handled poorly, and some have been above 100% and handled very pleasantly. It shows that paper calculations are not clever enough to encompass all factors. But it is very clear to me that on balance it is always better to aim for the smallest weight ratio you can.
I can't agree with Jezzer's statement "My gut reaction-you'd be fine " because unless he has actually driven your combination there are so many variables that can potentially counter that preconception.
Any differences like that are just a matter of timing.
Kia doesn't do any development since they were forced into a joint arrangement with Hyundai to prevent Kia going bust in 1997 - all the development work is done by Hyundai.
i didnt know they had gone into a joint development .. (i was going through bad time then)
For joint development read basically the same company-like BMW ,and Mini, VW and Skoda and and and! Same car slightly different clothes etc
Interestingly a very unstressed and getting wet gentleman has just set up his twin axle unicorn (circa 1780kg) towed by his Mondeo 2.0tdci -same engine as the Kuga if I am right, but with the lower towing capacity of 2000kg and a lower kerbweight. Looked very happy to me but of course couldn't advise on if this were safe or not!
Interestingly a very unstressed and getting wet gentleman has just set up his twin axle unicorn (circa 1780kg) towed by his Mondeo 2.0tdci -same engine as the Kuga if I am right, but with the lower towing capacity of 2000kg and a lower kerbweight. Looked very happy to me but of course couldn't advise on if this were safe or not!
42 years of towing I can say with conviction , not in a million years, will I tow any caravan outfit as described by Jezzer above. I accept anything is possible but this is supposed to be an intelligent Forum offering newcomers sound, but more importantly safe advice. My own TA has been towed by Sorentos and latterly a Touareg. Heavyweights yes. But never had my heart in my mouth nor a scare ever. Correct loading assumed of course.
I’d love to use a Mondeo or Kuga to tow my TA but I am certain I wouldn’t arrive at my destination fully relaxed. Whatever anyone wants to do is fine by me but please can we just consider not every newcomer is experienced enough to tow way beyond the accepted , unwritten norm.
I’d love to use a Mondeo or Kuga to tow my TA but I am certain I wouldn’t arrive at my destination fully relaxed. Whatever anyone wants to do is fine by me but please can we just consider not every newcomer is experienced enough to tow way beyond the accepted , unwritten norm.
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A cars ability to tow is not just down to the engine, other factor such as gear ratio's, how many and which wheels are driven, the load capacities , for example one version of the Mk1 Zaffira used a well tried and tested 2.0 Diesel unit used in several European GM cars. Where as many of the saloon cars had good towing limits, this particular Zaffira had an abysmally low towing capacity, yet the same engine was used!
Each model of a car has a combination of components, and whilst the same components may be found else where its the combination that is unique to each model. You cannot therefore assume components in common with other models will carry the same over all effect.
This is one reason why some outfit matching services are poor. Unless they have your exact model in their database, and the data is actually correct you should not trust their results.
I agree as a beginner this outfit will be inadvisable from all the good advice available out there but as far as I can see how do I know the op is not experienced-they've been towing; could be HGV as far as I know but likewise not a total beginner from my gleaning -sorry if I am wrong and obviously upset some people. Just from my experience of course.
Prof again totally agree but on paper the Kuga is a better tower-only on paper of course! As you say it isn't an exact science and exactly my point and always err on the side of safety. For the record the heavier the vehilce the safer the tow-also saw a Navara towing a Olympus 400 /2today-teeny caravan. Made me chuckle. Probably a safe match although the risk of forgetting there was a caravan on the back might be a high risk!!!
I think it goes without saying that to get a good prediction of a matching site the data held and data in must be compatible. But some are better than others. I’ve always found Towcar.info the best but like most things in life it’s rare that one source meets all needs. So the prudent person should check out the range of options, as well as seeking advice as widely as possible.
Don’t know how us oldies made it this far in the days before the web. Must have been dads, uncles and Haynes.
Looking at the V5 for my Kuga the weights printed are revenue weight 2250 kg gross, max permissible 2250 , mass in service 1773, permissible max towable mass 2100 kg braked, which of these is what has been referred to as kerb weight I haven’t a clue, the max towable I’d have thought was what was important, mine is 2litre 180 BHP 4 wheel drive, hope this might be of use
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