Toyota Avensis D4D

[Donnalesley]

I have just been offered a 2001 Toyota Avensis D4D with low miles at trade price £2.5k

A quick search around the internet shows the maximum braked towing weight is 1300kg - my van has a MTLMP of 1365kg. Kerbweight of the car is 1380kg.

Providing I don't load the van to beyond 1300Kg would this be legal ?

Stated performance figures show 108 bhp and 250 Nm of torque, so I guess it will be powerful enough to tow the van comfortably.

Any advice would be welcomed.

Haydn

 

[rob_jax]

Haydn,

"Providing I don't load the van to beyond 1300Kg would this be legal ?"

Yes, but you would probably need to have the caravan weighed if you were ever stopped in order to prove that is the case.

But I wouldn't use your word "comfortable" to describe a car to caravan match that's close to 100%, where you'll also be right on the towing limit set by the car manufacturer.

The close to 100% match is acceptable for an experienced caravanner, my concern is that the car manufacturer assessed the car as being able to tow 1300 kg based on it's ability to restart on a 12% grade, the power and torque provided by the engine, the durability of the transmission, the braking system and the engine cooling.

And I'd have concerns about the latter items - the brakes and cooling. Since other models, like the Avensis 2 litre petrol have a higher towing weight - this can mean that cooling is an issue, or that the brakes were more efficient on the petrol model - because everything else is the same.

And I'd check that the total weight for you and your family, your stuff, the car and the caravan don't exceed the Gross Train Weight. You need to find that out from the Avensis owners manual.

Robert

 

[Lutz]

Even if you load the caravan up to its MTPLM you won't be illegal. There is a popular misconception that the maximum braked towing weight is the total weight of the caravan. This is not the case. The caravan's brakes act only on the axles, so only the axle load counts, not the total weight. Therefore, if the MTPLM is 1365kg, as it is in your case, and the noseweight 75kg, the actual braked towing weight would be 1290kg, which is less than the maximum specified for your car.

 

[Donnalesley]

Thanks for your replies - I went to look at the car and as it turns out it was a fairly low spec model which didn't take my fancy.

I guess I'll stick to my trusty Peugeot 406 hdi for a while, although it's approaching 150,000 miles now so I'll need to change it in the near future.

Haydn