swift charisma 570 , ford mondeo st tdci estate

[vectradam]

hi

we are considering caravanning after many years in a tent. we have the above car and very much like the above caravan. i am 6' , 2" and it seems swift may have a tiny bit more head room. we also like the end bunks for our 2 boys (9 and 12). thing is ive been on whattowcar and i need to reduce the caravan payload from their default 200kgs ( which gives 93%) to 100kg (86%) or 50kg (83%) to get anywhere near the suggested 85%. how practical is it to carry this small a load in the caravan? and how critical is it if you just crept over 85%. i have some trailer towing experience. any other views on this matter would be greatly appreciated

many thanks

 

[S-MaxJon]

What weight do you have for your car.? My previous ST Hatch weighed in at 1640kg and was very stable and within 100% towing limit on my Coachman (1500kg).

Shouldn't worry too much about the 85% "rule" - it is only advisory and the Mondeo is a very stable tug especially with the sports suspension.

 

[marlot]

I towed at 95% with a Mondeo estate and it was reasonably OK. I don't have any children though, so folded the back seats down and put the awning etc in there.

Don't frget that there are some payload items you cannot easily carry in the car (mover [if you have one], battery etc).

I also had great problems getting the noseweight down to the 75kg max which the mondeo can handle, and in the end switched to a 4x4. I thought the Mondeo was good, but the 4x4 is much much better in every aspect except acceleration.

You may find a couple of issues with the towbar being low on the ST - it has lowered springs over the standard ca - may be worth looking around to find someone who does one specifically for this model if possible.

 

[trucker]

Our mondeo 2.0 tdci 130 estate tugs 1450kgs around with no problems. We tow at 89% it was 94 untill we changed the van.

Kevin

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Richard,

85% is definitely not a RULE. It has no meaning or reference in law. It is purely a guideline suggested by the UK caravan industry. No other country makes a similar suggestion, and there is no concrete evidence as to why 85% was suggested, but it is outdated due to advances in car design, and power outputs.

Technically all new cars sold in the EU must be "type approved" and that includes a manufactures assessment of the maximum trailer weight the vehicle can tow. The process is based on a series of evidence-based tests. Now which makes more sense;- believe an arbitrary figure set by an indeterminate method many years ago, or the manufactures test results?

Whilst I roundly criticise the 85% figure, the principal behind it is sound, and you should keep the trailer as light as is reasonably possible compared to the car whilst observing all the other weight limits set by the car and caravan manufacturer.

Rant over !-

There is no hard and fast method of predicting how stable an outfit will be. However the Mk2 Mondeo has earned its self a very good reputation as a tow car and as others have said towing with Mondeo above 85% is not usually a problem.

Just take a pragmatic approach and aim to keep the caravan as light as reasonably possible. Take the towing carefully and only speed up when you are satisfied the outfit is not causing problems.

At the first sign of any instability slow down, and when it is safe to do so, stop, and rearrange the loading.

Best of Luck

 

[joeby]

i think you will find the 130 TDCI is mark 3

 

[S-MaxJon]

The towbar is the same height as any other Mondeo as their is a specific one for the car.The ST estate also has self-levelling suspension so there will be no sagging rear end.The kerbweight is about 100kg higher than the hatch so don't be put off by the 85% "rule".

Having a "4x4" (no model Specified) does not guarantee higher nose weight,kerb weight,tow limit or stability so dont be misguided by this.

 

[daniel_374312677]

Guys ST mondeo is not type approved for towing thats why towbars are not listed for this model i have been given many resons for this when i was looking at them i have 130 tdci ghia estate and it is a dream to tow with i would have chanced the st but if you have a prang while towing it will be a big one with at least a scrap car and van if your lucky and your insurance wont pay out!!

 

[JohnandNic]

Sorry Daniel

The Mondeo ST tdci is type approved for towing, it's the petrol one that isn't. The tdci has the 2.2 155bhp engine in it, unfortunately it's slightly lighter than the ghia.

Regards

John

 

[daniel_374312677]

John,

I just checked my hand book and on page 111 it states "mondeo ST vehicles are not approved for trailer towing" take note of the word vehicle is used not petrol/tdci hatch or estate. My local ford dealer would not fit a towbar on one when i was looking hence i went for the ghia. There are many reasons quoted on various web sites ranging from the twin tail pipes on the petrol, lower suspension, cooling problems on the petrol and that the body shells used are produced on a different production line, this would explain the weight with the higher spec ST coming in 45 kg lighter than the 2.0 tdci. ST wheels, body kit, heated seats, sat nav and the other extras must weigh a good 100+ kgs.

 

[S-MaxJon]

Daniel - at no point did Richard mention petrol.It is the diesel model which is approved for towing as many members on here,Mondeo owners club and ST drivers club tow with them.

I too have read what you have quoted about "ST vehicles are...! but as many handbooks they are usually incorrect.I think the handbook was written before the diesel ST was released and not updated.

All the main towbars manufacturers such as Brink,Witter and Westfalia list the ST TDCi model and these firms are OE on alot of cars.

Just think all that extra weight such as SatNav etc adds to the kerbweight thus a more stable unit.

 

[daniel_374312677]

are you blind !!! I was pointing out some of the faults with the petrol !!! Kerbweight is lower on the st even with all the extras as its a light weight body shell. If the hand book is so wrong does that mean that my tdci will run on petrol?? Bugs me when folk presume things with tow weights etc as on the motorway it puts my life at risk for their stupidity.

 

[S-MaxJon]

You are talking complete rubbish.Firstly Richard mentioned diesel, there are no lightweight panels on the mondeo and no your car can't run on petrol.

I didn't say the entire handbook was incorrect just one element of it.I wasn't presuming anything with kerbweights just self-levelling suspension plus kerbweight of 1650kg plus is going to be more stable than 1200kg and a sagging rear end.

 

[daniel_374312677]

st is a different beast from standard mondeo, l can fully understand why clarkson has some of his views !!!!!

 

[Raymond_374464154]

Mondeo ST 220 is not type approved for towing but witter do list towbars for other types of Mondeo ST

 

[ProfJohnL]

Clearly this topic has not been conclusively resolved.

Individual opinions or interpretations are of no use at all if they are wrong. Richards deserve the popper advise which is to contact Ford and check with them if his particular model is approved to tow and what the limits are. You will need to quote the VIN number so check it out.

 

[daniel_374312677]

John L, i think your advise to Richard is correct and richard please post your reply from ford. I was caught out when i first started towing i had a zafira 2.0 DTI now i know that this car was only rated to 1050 kgs but the tow bar had a sticker on it say ing 1300 kgs, hence when i choose a car i check and double check the limits. And richard my current car mondeo 2.0 tdci ghia with self leveling supension is a beast of a tow so if you can tow with your 2.2 you should have no problem.