Four Wheel Drive to Van (Due to space)

[Notmyvan]

I have a Land Rover Freelander and with the amount of stuff I want to take on my first Caravan trip there is no room for the dog and I cant afford to put the dog into kennels so I thought about getting a Van which will tow . Perhaps a Minibus as I can take out the last row of seats for the dog,
So apart from Transit Vans with a rear axle with 4 rear wheels, what vans are out there which will tow a 1600 kilo Caravan, Please.
(cant afford new)

 

[Hutch]

I tow a Coachman VIP 560 , at 1650KG . used to have two dogs in the back , awning goes between the rear seats, Coolbox an the right hand, rear seat, Cadac BBQ on the left. Kojack in the foot wells, beer and wine in the other foot well. Caravan table in the boot dogs bed ontop. Dogs ontop. Loads of room under the boot area, 5 seater 2014 Santa Fe premium.
I also towed this van fully loaded with a Vectra 3.0. Diesel . So lots of choices.

 

[Mel]

Freelander boot is small relative to size of car ( we used to have one). Is it possible to take less stuff and put a bit more of the high volume, but low weight stuff in the van? Maybe a roof box on the car?
mel

 

[ProfJohnL]

A 1600kg caravan is far from the biggest caravans you see on teh roads, so there are plenty of decent vehicles that will tow your caravan. It doesn't have to be a 4x4 or a commercial van. In fact the vast majority of caravanners across the UK and EU do not use 4x4s and cope perfectly will with good sized cars/estates or SUV's

Most commercial vans do have a towed weight capacity, but I do not have access to the necessary data bases to be able to suggest a suitable model.

You do see plenty of" travellers" towing caravans with vans, but the difficulty is knowing if they are doing it legally or not. - and that leads onto another sticky subject, where some caravan sites will not accept caravans towed by vans because of the their linkage to travellers .

It says a lot that you are prepared to fund the purchase of a alternative tow vehicle so you can accommodate your pet. But I should point out that kennel fees are likely to be less than the cost of changing your vehicle.

Carefully review what you are planning to take, it seems you might be over provisioning.

 

[JezzerB]

What about a Nissan Navara,Ford Ranger. 3500 kg tow capacity. With a canopy we fit in everything bar the kitchen sink!!!

 

[Notmyvan]

Freelander boot is small relative to size of car ( we used to have one). Is it possible to take less stuff and put a bit more of the high volume, but low weight stuff in the van? Maybe a roof box on the car?
mel

Thanks, I looked at getting Roof Rails on the Freelander, but they are an absolute fortune, then I would have to buy Roof Bars,

 

[Buckman]

Surely putting the dog in kennels or getting roof bars is a lot cheaper than buying another vehicle with all its problems?

 

[Raywood]

I am not sure there is a problem with using a van on sites provided it is in good condition, as the people they do not want have old and battered examples. Probably a mini bus with seats removed would be better than the van but you may need to remove seats to get it down to your licence allowance, and check if your insurer will allow it.
Most of the vans out there will tow the caravan provided you have the right engine, but you might also consider a people carrier which should have the capacity you want with the rear seats down and be more acceptable on site.

 

[Mel]

What about a Nissan Navara,Ford Ranger. 3500 kg tow capacity. With a canopy we fit in everything bar the kitchen sink!!!

These sort of tow cars seem increasingly popular. Always see more than one when we are on a site. People unload tons of stuff from them.
Mel

 

[JezzerB]

Unbelievable what we get in ours with the canopy. Awning spare gas, cadac and the father in laws electric buggy one trip. Bit large for the supermarket but all the car we need and 40mpg too, 27towing our Buc last time out. Swmbo wanted one and I'd always fought against it with the usual, too noisy, uncomfy, thirsty arguments. All totally wrong. It's quiet refined and very economical. Service every other year and 5year warranty too. I now know why they're so popular.