New cars and braked towing limits

[Surfer]

Recently we have been looking at new cars (excluding 4 x 4s) and found that the majority the braked towing limit was well below the kerbweight of the car, i.e. kerbweight of car 1500kgs, but it can only tow a trailer with MTPLM of 1350kgs. Perhaps PC magazine should start comparing which cars can actually legally tow a popular caravan with a maximum MTPLM of for instance 1400kg. The main issue is that towing limit of car is reducing, but weight of caravan is increasing.
Any one else notice this?

PS Eventually we a bought a Ford Mondeo 2.0L diesel auto as it was one of the very few cars that could tow a caravan with MTPLM 1400 kgs safely!

 

[ProfJohnL]

I am not surprised that max towing masses are reducing. Vehicle manufacturers are under increasing pressure from government and the public to deliver more and more efficient cars. this means cars will be looking for weight savings, and this in turn will mean that teh standard equipment they use will be pared down to the lowest weight for the expected work they will do.

This is bound to mean that the 'Safety Margins' will be very carefully watched and perhaps a things like smaller engines, clutch and brake mechanisms may be fitted, but this means the cars ability to tow larger trailers may be impaired.

 

[Guest]

You do mention that you purchased a automatic car and I wonder f this is possibly the source of your difficulties. Many manufacturers reduce the allowable braked towing weight on automatic cars as many of them now use a clutch system computer controlled. These include Ford and VW, and they all extoll the advantages, especially for fuel consumption. For short runs and low weights, yes, they are fine, but for anything serious, you need a torque system, or you may find premature clutch failure. This mechanical system (DSG) is not as strong as the old torque drive system and has resulted in reduced towing limits. You may find the equivalent manual car has a much higher towing limit.

Some munufacturers fortunately have retained the old system but amended it to have a semi manual system such as the Tiptronic offered by Volvo. In these cases the towing limts are still well above the kerb weight of the car. Of course you should exercise common sense and stick to something that is not above the kerb weight, unless you feel you are an expert tower.