Cheap tow car?!

[mikal83]

PH5121 said:

We tow with my wifes Freelander 2. It seems to tow our caravan which has a MIRO of 1360kg / MTPLM of 1565kg with no problems.

Land Rovers don't have the best reputation with regard to quality, but in the 5 years she has had it have only had problems with the rear door handle mechanism.
They have been around for 10 years so are available for a wide range of prices.

BUT what MPG do u get towing/gen driving!

[PH5121]

No idea about mpg as I have never checked.

My wife does mostly short journeys and has a heavy right foot, so I imagine somewhere between abysmal and shockingly bad.

[abbotsmike]

Chicken Chaser said:

Bookmarked. Pretty much same requirements as purple turtle. I'm on the 3500kg limit and can't use my van due to weight. No caravan yet but expect it'll be around 1500kg.

Go and do the test, it's not that expensive nor that hard!

[Dog Star]

PurpleTurtle said:

140bhp is lower than I'd like, but isn't it all about torque when towing?

It seems that back in '07, this version was Tow Car Of The Year, for the weight of van I'm looking to tow:

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/news/20...

Torque is king.

We used to go on holiday to Spain towing a caravan - there were 6 of us in the car (illegal but this was back in the day), a folded up Zodiac, 15hp engine, awning, all the tables, chairs, bbq, a fridge (to put in the awning) etc etc.



Toyota Landcruiser, 3981cc straight 6. 102 bhp. You read that right - 102 bhp.

Had no trouble whatsoever towing that lot, and STILL did 23mpg, same as solo. Never ever ever went wrong. Clutch changed as a precaution at 188,000 miles and eventually sold at 268,000. My dad cried.