Car for towing a horse box

[The jiffle king]

About to move back to the UK having been in the US for a couple of years and we have a horse who will need moving around and would prefer a car/SUV with a high towing weight (3500kg if possible) rather than a proper horse van. Given the horse box will weigh in excess of 1000kg, and 2 horses + gear would take it over 2500kg, it really needs to be substantial.

Would welcome anyones thoughts on the best car/truck to do this. If I was staying in the US, we would go for a Ford F150 or maybe a 250 as they are relatively cheap and we know they do the job safely.

The key thing is reliability and the high towing capacity. BMW X5 could be an option, Ford Ranger is another, but looking for ideas.
Budget is difficult as this could be an everyday car so 30k or could be an occasional driver just for towing duties so 6k range (if they exist)

Anyone got any experience or got any suggestions?

[The jiffle king]

I like the idea of a Landrover Discovery 4 and know they drive well. It was more the idea of big bills which was a question mark, but something like this is always going to be more to run and maintain.

[The jiffle king]

Planning to live in the Berkshire/Bucks/Surrey area and thank you for the adverts for the older cheaper cars, I was surprised to see them at that price but here in the US, cars hold their value much more.

I guess the decision is between 1 car which will do it all and 2 cars with one just for the job of towing (which will be needed every week as the horse will be out and about a lot). Real challenge is that I have a TVR as well which is not going so stacking up multiple cars as I might also need a daily driver depending on work location....

I need to talk with The Jiffle Queen as it's her who is going to be driving it but a LandRover Disco4 or a Ford Ranger look like options in the new or older range

[The jiffle king]

Deerfoot said:

Touareg 3.0 TDI?

I looked at this , but having read a couple of forums, towing something more than 22ft is a no no and it struggles a bit compared with others. It's right on the limit of being able to do 3500kg and I think I'd prefer something which does it easily rather than struggling.

If you or anyone knows differently, happy to listen to opinions

[The jiffle king]

Horse is English Thoroughbred and 15 hands 3 so not heavy horses, but I was looking for a bit of spare capacity to give my wife a level of confidence in the pulling ability. I expect that he will have a friend (not owned by us) who will move around with him hence the 2 horse payload

Had not really considered a smaller horse van as the ones I've always seen in the UK have either been expensive or the old Bedford type. Both of us are of an age where our licence is dated before the regulations for a test being needed

I really would prefer a car and trailer and the goose wings we have here in the US are ideal when used with a Ford 150 truck but there are not really goading trailers for sale in the UK. I know the roads in Berks/Bucks/Surrey and see the posters point on being able to move around easily.

I'll look at some of the horse vans as well as a smaller one might be an option

In the meantime, this is the cause of the trouble

[The jiffle king]

R0G said:

Possibly a daft question

Do you hold a B+E licence ?

Yes I do as I am over the age where you need a separate test

[The jiffle king]

The Disco is an option and I also take the point on a nonHGV 7.5 tonne vehicle. It might depend on the property we buy as to what is practical and whether my wife wants to drive a full horse van, hence why I was looking at cars....

Thanks for all the help, it's given me some things to think about and I have a couple of months to decide

[The jiffle king]

Just to update this old thread......

We bought a landcruiser on a 55 plate and ran it for 4 years and really liked it but it went pop!!!!!

Just bought a 3.2 Ford Ranger wildtrak which is much better at pulling and works ok as a car for the times we need it to do other duties.

Thought about an L200 but they are not as plentiful around here