Yes i cannot see a problem with it. It as a 3/4ton pay load that is massive. there is not many vehicles with a payload like that without getting a van. It was 2nd on my list when i was hunting for a towcar. I ended up getting a volvo XC70 D5 That was 1st on my list. A neighbour as a ford galaxy & i always find myself looking at it thinking if i made the right decisions. I had a toyota avensis D4D before but got shut because i got a bigger twin axle caravan. Ford galaxys are holding onto there money at the min because caravaners are cottoning on that there a brill tug.
Don't forget to look at the.
VW Sharan
or
Seat Alhambra.
There the same vehicle with the same engines.
Get one soon before all the caravaners run out & get them.
Toyota shot themselves in the foot with their towing limits. Our Verso is almost 1600kg but can only tow 1300kg. Hence us buying an old TDCi Mondeo that can tow up to its kerb weight.
We are planning on chopping the Verso in for a Galaxy in the Spring, we tow a 1500kg Swift Challenger. Mondeo tows beautifully but its the interior space we need.
I tow a 1500kg caravan with a 2.3 petrol Galaxy, and stability wise it is a fantastic towcar. Mine struggles on the hills a bit but only cos its a petrol, on the motorway it will sit at 60 all day no probs. i would recommend the diesel, and I will be changing mine for one later this year. If you are buying the slightly older shape Galaxy, go for the 130bhp and not the 115, the extra power and torque will be noticed. if you are buying the new shape the go for the 2 litre 140 bhp model for the same reasons.
Depending on how new you want to go I have driven the new Galaxy and it was amazing, so much so that I have decided to buy it.
According to the Ford borchure the figures are;
Gross Vehicle Mass 2505Kg, Gross Train Wt 4305Kg, Max Towable Mass 1800Kg and Nose Wt is 90Kg. Doing the calculations the 85% rule gives 1530Kg (hope my math is correct!)
Ford offer a 2.0 TDCi in both 140 and 163bhp and a manual and powershift (auto) which is really a combi box as you get the choice of either auto or the ability to swithc to manual gear select. The box has a "dual clutch" so it preselects the next gear and offers a really smooth gearchange, Mmm I did wonder on that as well so off I went to the dealer...
I took it for a test drive and was amazed, so much so that we hired one for a week and gave it a real test, it was amazing, pretty good on fuel solo and really comfortable.
The previous version was a good tow work horse but fuel economy was not so good solo, however this new version (2.0 Duratorq TDCi) was excellent,I was getting about 45mpg combined (tested full at start and full at end rather than rely on the computer).
I am now looking for a new caravan so we can start enjoying our net outfit when the new car arrives!
We have a Ford Galaxy and though we often consider another make and model we just can't find anything that comes close to matching the Galaxy on economy. For us economy is the important factor when choosing a car, yes, we can buy a cheaper car but when it comes to keeping it running, fuel, servicing costs, repairs etc the Galaxy wins hands down.
I'd love to try a different car but in the end common sense always prevails and i know we've made the right choice :)
We tow an Eccles Moonstone MTPLM 1550kg with a new Toyota Avensis Tourer 2.2D4D which has a kerbweight of 1635 and is now heavier than the Rav 4 and Mondeo The previous models used to be around 1300 kg so were not heavy enough but the new models are heavier. The car tows very well, the van is very stable and the acceleration is also good. If you want info on weights look on the Toyota website under each car and then specification. The only thing not on there if the noseweight which is 75kg. We are towing over the 85% ratio but the car and van are fine. We pack the van carefully and don't go over 60mph and have been towing for many years now. We used to have a hilux truck which was good and we were a bit apprehensive about getting the Avensis but we have no worries now, it is fine.
We are just about to put our Galaxy (52 reg 1.9 TDi Ghia 79K miles. Very good condition, only got single electrics, not towed a caravan only small trailer) up for sale. Loved having it but now we have the Santa Fe cant justify keeping it.
Hi
I am new to all this but learning fast! One thing I have learned from here and the world wide interweb ting is hat a large car like the Avensis 2006 is only designed to pull the family dog after I accidentally ran over it!!!
Can anyone explain why such a bug car can only pull 1300KG?
I am being lazy as it is obviously to do with weight but it must have something to do with dimensions, fulcrum points and such physics like thing-my jigs.
Can anyone satisfy my lazy curiosity and make me feel like a spanner for buying the wrong car, even though I had no intention of buying a caravan at the time!!!
Darren
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Topic: Toyota Avensis or Ford Galaxy?
