hi all i have just got myself anew xpkore 304, its a very light weight one, still dont know if its the right choice i made but thats another story. i tow with a mazda 6 estate which served me well in towing but now thinking of a mazda 3, would this xplore be ok on the back of mazda 3 as i cant seem to find any details, thaks
Xplore 304
- Thread starter Nimrod
- Start date
Nimrod said:
You don’t say what year, model or engine size/type Mazda 3 you would buy. The cars manual or V5 will show its max towing weight. You need to look at car kerbweights too. You also don’t give details of the caravan weight (MTPLM).
As you are experienced in towing and have used the Mazda 6 I’d be tempted to keep it as it’s space will come in handy as being heavier than the Mazda 3 would should make for a stable outfit. I guess you are aware of the 85% guide which would be a good starting point for assessing a Mazda 3. Lastly don’t forget that the cars max towing limit isn’t an indication of how good a tow car it would be. It is it’s ability to do a number of successive hill starts on a defined incline. Having had a caravan I’m sure you know that they don’t behave like a low slung trailer when behind your car.
Enjoy the new caravan in the meantime.
I have the Mazda 6 and have found it a very good tow car which should be well on top of the job for you. For the caravan you have the 3 should be up to the job provided you get the right spec, but it would leave you very little margin if you decide to go for something bigger. I would be inclined to keep the 6 and see how you manage with the caravan before deciding on trading down to a lighter model.
I agree,
I would keep the 6 and see how it goes before changing to a 3 and finding out you made the wrong choice.
I would keep the 6 and see how it goes before changing to a 3 and finding out you made the wrong choice.
Thanks for the reply, The car I was looking at was a mazda 3 of the 2 litre petrol model as the van I know have is very lightweight at MTPLM 1043 KG, As around here a good low mileage estate mazda 6 seem to be gold dust without me traveling a couple hundred miles or so to see one, thanks again
The 3 looks a decent match, and the engine would be up to the job, but as I said if you found the caravan too small and wanted to move up, it does limit your options
Mel
Moderator
Hi Mel yes I got this van as im over 70 now and its very light weight indeed and only 13 foot. I’ve been vanning for 30 years now and I’ve never had a L shape lounge and now the toilet/shower/washroom is all in one and again I’ve always had seperate shower and toilet. To be honest it’s like a Tardis lol, but I’ve been out in it three times now and slowly getting used to it,. Thanks for asking. Ed
Hi Ed,
I'm 78 years old, with similar precautions re having too big a caravan.
I also have a Hyundai i40 1.7 litre diesel which I did not want to change.
We looked around and the first question was do we want a motorhome or caravan - new or used?
We decided on a caravan because with a motor home you tend to be reliant on public transport (where available) when on site.
We eventually bought a new Caravelair Antares 335 - and that's the overall length of the caravan without the A frame. The naked caravan weighs 730 kilos, with a maximum MTPLthingy weight of 1 ton (which suits the car's power, and is soooo easy to handle.
Later, we realised that this caravan is actually at least as big as, or often bigger and roomier than your average bog standard motor home costing probably £20,000 more.
I must admit that, after towing anything up to twin axles in my younger days, it has taken me a while to minimise myself as it were to the new size.
And, of course, we have much more room on our pitches.
I'm 78 years old, with similar precautions re having too big a caravan.
I also have a Hyundai i40 1.7 litre diesel which I did not want to change.
We looked around and the first question was do we want a motorhome or caravan - new or used?
We decided on a caravan because with a motor home you tend to be reliant on public transport (where available) when on site.
We eventually bought a new Caravelair Antares 335 - and that's the overall length of the caravan without the A frame. The naked caravan weighs 730 kilos, with a maximum MTPLthingy weight of 1 ton (which suits the car's power, and is soooo easy to handle.
Later, we realised that this caravan is actually at least as big as, or often bigger and roomier than your average bog standard motor home costing probably £20,000 more.
I must admit that, after towing anything up to twin axles in my younger days, it has taken me a while to minimise myself as it were to the new size.
And, of course, we have much more room on our pitches.
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