Sedona, galaxy Frontera or Santa Fe???

[Mikey_74]

Having just purchased our latest van (MTPLW 1600 twin axle) it is pushing the car a little more than I am comfortable with (95% match) although the outfit tows very well, because I seem to have dropped a boo boo with this I now have a very limited budget to change my car,(approx £5000) I do approx 22k or 25k miles a year so what ever I buy it has to be diesel, the 4 cars on my short list is the Kia Sedona 2.9CRDi, Ford Galaxy 1.9 Tdi Frontera 2.2 Olympus or the Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0 diesel. My wife likes the idea of 7 seats for family outing with her folks but I like the idea of a 4x4 but I assume the running costs will be higher, has anybody towed with any of these cars and what are your thoughts? or does can anybody think of an alternative?

Mike

 

[Mikey1]

Would be Galaxy for me,cracking engine(VW) and the only one to drive like a car,4x4's are good but very few(BMW & Merc)handle like a car all the other roll in bends.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Mello Mike.

Based on the limited information you have supplied, I can only find a 1.9TDI model occurring between 1995 and 2000. Producing 108bhp. Kerb weights (depending on the specific model trim) vary between 1645 and 1750kg. All the models in 1.9TDI the range are limited to only 1585Kg max towed weight.

With your stated caravan at 1600MTPM you are operating in the High 90% of towing ratios.

So the match is possible provided you do load the trailer beyond 1585Kg.

The Kia Sedona does offer a greater margin both in kerbweight power and max towed weight.

 

[Allen774]

Hi Mike,

I would suggest the Sedona,I have had two of them they are ideal for towing the heavier caravan and cheaper to run than a 4x4,and

 

[ronmoggy]

Mike,i bought a sedona new in 2001 kept it for 3 years,great towcar no problems with it.i then bought a hyundai terracan 4x4 had that for 3 years no probs,it has the same 2.9crtd engine as the sedona,its worth considering this.i then bought a santa fe 2.0 crtd i was towing a swift 1300 kg single axle and i found it a bit too high geared.it struggled pulling away and i found i had to slip the clutch on a uphill incline.i think you will need a bigger engine than the galaxy has,cant comment on the frontera as i have never owned one.regards Ron

 

[Mikey1]

For 5k you could afford the face lifted 2000 model which has a 115 bhp engine kerbweight 1724 with a max tow of 2000kgs,from 2002 130 and 150 bhp engine became available.

Example

Ford Galaxy (00-06)

1. 1.9 TD Zetec (115ps) 5d Change

2. 2002/02 Change

3. Average mileage: 70,000 miles

Original Price

 

[Mikey_74]

Yeah Mikey these are the Galaxy's I had got in mind, about an 03 ish plate 130Bhp Ghia, loads of toys and like you say 1724kg kerb weight with 200kg towing limit works out to be about 92/93% (do these figures need to add the driver??) which isn't really much better than what I have now which is a Rover 75 tourer Diesel, which I've had weighed and it comes in at 1600kg's with half a tank of fuel, add me 75kg's (not very often will I tow my caravan without me driving) and it works out 1675 or 95% what do I do??? it towed so well, I suppose I'm just a little worried about the what if factor

 

[Douglas_374404558]

Mike. why change it, if it tows good why not just take some weight from the van and put some into the car you do not need to move a lot just rearrange so that you get 90%-92%ish.OR just thinout what you actually put in the van reduce the weight of the actual van . (might help)save you 5grand also

cheers Duggie

 

[trucker]

If its legal and tows well, Id stick with the Rover till you need to change. We always tow with the awning and such in the car to keep the load down in the van, as ours works out to be 92%

Kevin

 

[Icemaker]

go for the galaxy, it is by far the best choice for comfort economy and towing stability. ive had discoverys and shoguns and the galaxy and alhambra (same as the galaxy) that i owned knocked spots of both of them in both towing and solo use.

the 1.9 tdi is best in 115 bhp upwards, my galaxy was a 115 and was fine but my alhambra was a 130 and was superb, i towed our coachman laser 590/4 at nearly 1800 kgs with this car and had no problems at all. all the galaxy / alhambra / sharran range fitted with the 1.9 or 2.0 tdi engine rated above 115 bhp have a max tow limit of 2000 kgs and a nose weight of 80 kgs.

i have since owned a ford smax tdci which is a mighty fine tow car and would do you but is out of budget unfortunately and i now own a ford galaxy mark 3 tdci which is absolutely superb, ive done 5000 miles in 3 months with the new car mostly towing and its out performed anything i have previousley owned, very stable very comfortable and extremely economical at 44 mpg solo combined and 36 mpg towing our coachman vip 530/4 at just under 1600 kgs.

 

[hollypop1]

I tow with a galaxy as do both my Brothers, Galaxy every time, Kim.

 

[NigelHutson]

I had a Rover 75 CDT Tourer 131bhp (high spec with self-levelling at the rear etc). It was a brilliant towcar. Personally, I'd stick with that.

 

[Mikey_74]

Many thanks for all your coments, I think I'll try towing with it a few times next season and see how we get on, as it's completely legal I hadn't thought about loading extra stuff out the van and into the car, this is purely for peace of mind as it's within the cars limits, if I don't feel it tows well or is unstable then I'll test drive a Galaxy and Sedona on the same day and make my mind up then, no rush yet as sadly we won't be getting away in our van until next season so no point in rushing into anything and making a wrong decision

Mike

 

[Jo-AnneFairway5402010]

i own a new santa fe and i tow a wyoming at approx 87%. i personally wouldnt tow with the old shape santa fe but i have seen the old shape towing twin axels before. im a stickler for as near to 85% as possible for safety reasons. my in laws stuck by it and they have towed for over 40 years.

i think a galaxy or a sedona.

what % would you be towing on each of them?.

jo

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello again Mike,

You have asked bout including the driver in the towing ratio equation. For your information, the official towing ratio is calculated:-

MTPLM of the caravan / Kerbweight of the car. X 100%

It has to be said that this is a bit of a silly equation, because in practice most cars are actually heavier than their quoted kerbweight figure due to manufacturing tolerances and any OEM fitted extras on the car. Also the car will never be totally empty of passengers and luggage when it is towing, so the car will always be heavier than its Kbwt figure.

One might also think that the caravan will be less than its quoted MTPLM. I can't hold the same level of confidence about that. It is all too easy to use up all the caravans load capacity, and I am certain that some caravanners do actually overload their caravans so, but beware that is illegal.

The reason that the equation uses these two figurers is that they are consistent, and thus repeatable.

What you can legally tow is dependant on categories on your driving licence, and the maximum towed limit specified by the vehicle manufacturer. Each model of car is tested by the manufacture and they determine what the car can tow. Note this is not a guaranteed safe towing limit, no one can quote you a safe towing limit. The caravan industry suggest aiming at an 85% figure, but are unable or unwilling to explain why only 85%

I have no doubt that it is good sense to keep the weight of the trailer as small as possible, but I do not subscribe to suggested single figure of 85% which has no technical basis and no authority in law. Incidentally some cars are not even rated to tow 85% of their own weight, so it cannot be assumed to be anything more than guideline.

A good outfit is down to more than just a nominal weight ratio. The weight ratio is just one of several factors. The load distribution in the car and trailer are important to achieve the correct nose load, the condition of tyres and other mechanical bits. Road and weather conditions also play a major part in achieving a good tow.

But I think the biggest single factor that affects an outfit is how the driver chooses to drive.

 

[Icemaker]

i wish someone could find out just how outdated this 85% "guide" not rule is ? from discussions on this forum it seems to date from when we towed 1600 kg caravans with 1300 cc morris minors and the like.

john has given the best information, its down to how you load and more importantly how you drive that matters, if a car weighs in at 1800 kgs but has a max tow of 2000 kgs then the manufacturer has certified that the vehicle is safe to tow that limit and they know better than any "club" with restictive rules.

the same thing applies to speed, so many people are quick to jump on the shock horror i saw a caravan being towed at over 60 mph, "its a sure accident waiting to happen" well its not ! the 60 mph is the law in this country and its another outdated law in my opinion. modern cars and caravans are more than capable of being towed above this speed and indeed on the continent the speed is up to 130 kph (82mph)i have often towed at 75 to 80 in france and never ever had any doubts about stability of towing ability. however in the uk i do stick by the law and tow at 60 mph. yes it is very true that if travelling faster the effects of an incident will happen faster but again a good driver in a good outfit will or should be able to read the situation before it becomes dangerous and aleviate the problem.

im sorry if you dont agree but im sick to death of having outdated and no longer relevant "rules" esspecially those that are just "guidance" ramed down my throat.

out of interest the santa fe is around 140 kgs heavier than a galaxy and in manual form can tow 200 kgs more so not much different, in auto form the car has exactely the same towing limit. the table below is for the 7 seat version, the 5 seat is allmost identical to the galaxy in every way weight wise.

Model 2.2 CRTD 5 Speed Manual 2.2 CRTD Automatic

** Applies to fully laden vehicle. For driver only weight please consult your Hyundai dealer.

CRTD - Common Rail Turbo Diesel

Luggage capacity SAE litres - seats up (3rd row seats down) 969

Luggage capacity SAE litres - seats down 2,213

Kerb weight kg 1,864 1,894

Gross vehicle weight kg 2,570

Max tow weight kg - Braked** 2,200 2,000

Max tow weight kg - Unbraked 750

Noseweight kg 88 80

Max roof weight kg 100

Fuel tank capacity litres 75

 

[Mikey1]

Things have changed in France,if your combined trailor and car weight exceeds 3.5 tonnes then the speed limit is 110kmh on a motorway ,on a dual carriageway it 100 kmh but only 50 kmh on single roads and built up areas.

 

[Garfield]

Weight for weight an MPV will give better stability, better MPG and more usable interior space than a 4x4 of similar weight but the 4x4 will give better traction (though this is only useful for about 0.00001% of the journey) and those 4x4s with a low range gearbox are much better for manouvering (again not really relevant if you have a motor mover or an auto)

A question for Icemaker,

Many reviews of the S-max state that rear seat headroom is poor, however at 6'1" I have sat in the rear seats of the S-max and have found there to be better headroom than the Sharan we used to have, but Ford sit you on the floor with your knees bent to acheive this. are the rear seats in the new Galaxy any higher than the S-max?.

 

[forestgump]

try hyundai

i80

 

[Icemaker]

Hi Garfield, sorry its taken a few days to reply i don't log in as much as i used to.

i can honestly say i never ever sat in the back of our s.max although both my kids are fully grown late teenagers and both said the s max had more room than our previous generation galaxy and seat Alhambra.

the galaxy however seems to be much bigger in the rear than the s max was and on a recent trip to France with my friends son and girlfriend in the rear both of them commented on how much room they had in the rear of the car especially pointing out how much leg room they had. we had folded the rear most seats down to give us the boot space and slide the rear seats as far back as they would go which gave a huge amount of space for our passengers.

the s max was a very good car but the galaxy is truly superb and in the short time i have had the car it has covered over 5.000 miles mostly towing and has been faultless and supremely comfortable and a very capable tow car. ours is a 2.0 tdci ghia manual 6 speed.

 

[Dave_374330759]

Don't forget to look at the fuel consumption and road tax figures, most 4x4s are quite heavy on fuel and the tax bands are usually significantly higher than an MPV. The long wheelbase of an mpv and fairly short overhang makes them good stable towing platforms. We've been towing a 94% match with a C-max for the past three years with no effort whatsoever so don't get too hung up about the weight ratios. If it tows well and you got enough grunt to tow it and its withinin the car's specified parameters then it's legal. Put some of the heavier stuff in the car (don't overload it though) and make sure the van payload is properly distributed and you shouldn't go far wrong.

 

[Martin24]

Tax wise for 4x4 in your price bracket you will probably be looking at 2005 or older so won't be hit with the

 

[path20]

The Frontera will tow it like a dream.Not in the highest tax bracket and quite decent on fuel.The nose weight is brilliant as well.You can pick up a good one for less than

 

[Duncan123]

Hi Santa Fe 2.2 diesel is