Saloon towing large twin axle caravan?.

alexander1954 · Feb 12, 2017

Hi
Anyone out there towing a largish twin axle with a saloon car.
We've been using a 4 x 4 but have been thinking of changing to saloon.
Thanks for replies.

ProfJohnL · Feb 12, 2017

alexander1954 said:
Hi
Anyone out there towing a largish twin axle with a saloon car.
We've been using a 4 x 4 but have been thinking of changing to saloon.
Thanks for replies.

Yes done it many times.

alexander1954 · Feb 12, 2017

Thanks for that. Are you still doing it?

Hutch · Feb 12, 2017

Alexander, I have seen twin Axle vans being towed by large salon cars, BMW, Audi, Mercs etc. Unfortunatly these cars are being made lighter so that they can get better performance and fuel consumptions , so its all down to weight again.
Hutch.

ProfJohnL · Feb 12, 2017

Caravans no more , but I do tow a large TA box trailer usually with a Renault Grande Espace.

So have you considered MPV's

Raywood · Feb 13, 2017

I think we need details of the caravan and the proposed tow car before coming to any definite conclusions. There are wide variations in the weight of twin axle caravans and large saloon cars, so there is no definitive answer to the query.

Martin24 · Feb 13, 2017

Without more detail of the caravan in question we can't possibly say. I can't think of many large saloons that I would want to haul my 1800kg twin axle lump off a damp CL with.

KeefySher · Feb 13, 2017

As your other thread in going from a 4x4 to a saloon car. When we decided to buy the caravan, a large heavy single axle Weight (MTPLM): 1711kg the only 2 saloon cars matching were the Mercedes W221 S Klasse, and the Audi A8, both in long wheelbase form for the kerb weight. The BMW 7 series and Jag XJ were not recommend for towing, but I can't recall the exact reason. Fortunately we had the S Klasse, that when we bought it we had a motorhome and no requirement to tow a caravan.

A rear wheel drive, diesel with an auto box is not the best to get off a soggy grass pitch with or without caravan, especially with staggered 19" wheels and wide tyres :evil:

The new W222 S Klasse is now too light to tow the caravan, it's nearly 300 Kg lighter than the W221. The only model in the range you can get a towbar factory fitted is the basic model.

alexander1954 · Feb 15, 2017

Thinking of looking into a petrol hybrid.
Diesel power in increasingly going to be whacked.

(Always pitch on hard standing)

ProfJohnL · Feb 15, 2017

alexander1954 said:
Thinking of looking into a petrol hybrid.
Diesel power in increasingly going to be whacked.

(Always pitch on hard standing)

Do look very carefully at, the Hybrids towing capacity, all the ones I have seenso far have all had more restricted tow weights than their diesel equivalents

KeefySher · Feb 15, 2017

alexander1954 said:
Thinking of looking into a petrol hybrid.
Diesel power in increasingly going to be whacked.

(Always pitch on hard standing)

The current mass hysteria around diesels is as always created by the meedja. Older diesels do put out NOX. Modern Euro 6 compliant ones are much cleaner. The volume of non Euro 6 trucks, vans and busses put out the vast amount of NOX. Now where is my AdBlue urea solution?

I recall the hysteria over VW/VAG and the failings of the test writers in the US and getting flamed on several forums for daring to suggest it will be a commercial settlement. Look at the increase in sales of VW/VAG and how they are now the biggest global car manufacturer.

How much environmental damage does the extraction, creation and disposal of the battery in a petrol hybrid that may be incapable of towing your caravan further than round the corner, do? Check the warranty length and conditions attached to the battery pack.

Hutch · Feb 15, 2017

Here is a link to the New Mercedes, AA, class electric vehicle.

http://sundown.me.uk/technology/mercedes-aa-class.mp4
:woohoo:
Hutch.

Martin24 · Feb 15, 2017

You've got too much time on your hands Hutch

. I needed a laugh and that was just the ticket :silly: . Just my thoughts on battery power and cars.

ProfJohnL · Feb 16, 2017

KeefySher said:
...

How much environmental damage does the extraction, creation and disposal of the battery in a petrol hybrid that may be incapable of towing your caravan further than round the corner, do? Check the warranty length and conditions attached to the battery pack.

Now there have been several years of experience with automotive battery systems, the hype about them wearing out , and causing a huge environmental problems has been blown asunder, becasue, firstly the batteries seem to be lasting significantly longer than most people believed, and secondly most of the materials in spent battery packs are fully recyclable, and can be used in the construction of new batteries, This will significantly reduce the load on some of the raw material sources.

Justanothrrbadname · Apr 10, 2017

I tow a Bailey twin axle Unicorn Cordoba. About 1700kg. My car is a new Volkswagen Passat biturbo 237 bhp. No problem with weight and tows with ease. A saloon car can have some advantages, like a lower centre of gravity which makes it more stable.. the Passat is a big car with 4 wheel drive with passengers near to 2 ton.

SimonB · May 7, 2017

I tow a large twin with an Audi A8 3.0tdi. Great tow car and 4wd

robf1234 · May 27, 2017

i tow with an audi allroad 3.0 tdi think you can tow most caravans ? its got plenty space, four wheel drive, and decent mpg ,,and £190 road tax ,, 85% KW 1687 kg

Martin24 · May 27, 2017

robf1234 said:
i tow with an audi allroad 3.0 tdi think you can tow most caravans ? its got plenty space, four wheel drive, and decent mpg ,,and £190 road tax ,, 85% KW 1687 kg

I'd be running at 91% match with that tow car. so perhaps not suitable for all.

robf1234 · May 27, 2017

Martin24 said:
robf1234 said:

i tow with an audi allroad 3.0 tdi think you can tow most caravans ? its got plenty space, four wheel drive, and decent mpg ,,and £190 road tax ,, 85% KW 1687 kg

Click to expand...

I'd be running at 91% match with that tow car. so perhaps not suitable for all.

well i did say most ,,because i thought somebody would find one that you cant ,,but you could still tow at 91% or cant you ?

ProfJohnL · May 27, 2017

robf1234 said:
I'd be running at 91% match with that tow car. so perhaps not suitable for all.
well i did say most ,,because i thought somebody would find one that you cant ,,but you could still tow at 91% or cant you ?

.

Legally you can tow a trailer up to the cars stated towed weight limit, whether is wise is a different matter.

The industry advice of 85% for a novice and 100% is just that "advice" and it alludes to the fact that caravans are far from ideal trailers and do test the the cars and drivers abilities.

Even though a caravan may be within the cars towed weight limit, and thus it cannot be accused of being overloaded, if its handling is witnessed to be dangerous in the eyes of a police constable, it may still be classed as an unsafe vehicle.

Martin24 · May 28, 2017

Yes legally you can if it's within the towing limit of the car but I do like the car to be in control. Our car has a towing limit of 3500kg but I certainly wouldn't advocate towing that sort weight in the form of a caravan shaped trailer.

robf1234 · May 28, 2017

Martin24 said:
Yes legally you can if it's within the towing limit of the car but I do like the car to be in control. Our car has a towing limit of 3500kg but I certainly wouldn't advocate towing that sort weight in the form of a caravan shaped trailer.

hi the op was enquiring about a saloon that could pull a large caravan ,,but i think he did not want a larger 4x4 so i was merely suggesting that an allroad may suit the bill ,,im sure yours is bigger than mine ,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9TDn8xopvE

tadhgocuilleain · May 28, 2017

As mentioned already, you can legally tow whatever caravan falls within the legal limits of the car.

After that, only you can decide how confident/competent you are towing a caravan that's over the 85% guideline.

My guess is that if you're asking the question, you're a bit nervous about it, so you might be better off sticking to the 85%.

20170602yuanyuan · Jun 2, 2017

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