OK! So went to NEC yesterday to look at tents and came away with a brand new Lunar Clubman SI. DH has been against going back to a van but recently we always have a reason not to go camping. As our car is too small to tow a van it is a case of choose the van we want and then the car. Trouble is there seem so many variants on calculations to make as to what makes a good match. Everything we have checked says it's a good match but the van is too heavy....what does that mean? How can it be a good match if it's too heavy?
If you were in the position to buy a car to match this van what would you be looking at? Price around £20,000 for a low mileage 2nd hand car. We have always driven Ford's and are very happy with them. We also have local VW and Toyota dealers.
------------- Started with a motorbike and tent.......my gallery, my life.
Hi, lots of cars to choose from which will tow this well. You need a car with a kerb weight of over 1759 kg in order for the van to be no more than 85% of the weight of the car. This is the general consensus on what is safe. However I would go for heavier again.
There will be those on the web site that say that experienced towers can go for an equal match in weight. Take no notice of this, clearely those who think the laws of Physics change when you have a little more experience are sadly deluding themselves.
Find out what the ideal laden nose weight of your van is likely to be. This is the downward weight of the hitch in kg that will be exerted on your cars tow ball when the two are connected. There should be manufacturers advice on this to include factory released nose weight, and then the nose weight that you idealy want your van to have once you have your gas bottle in place, battery and all your possessions.
You need to ensure that the car you purchase, and the tow ball you fit to it both have a max tow ball weight well in excess of the ideal caravan nose weight. This will ensure a better match.
Some people take note of the train weight also. Too much on this subject to be discussed in this short description but lots of previous discussion on this website and others.
If you are going to tow a lot it's probably worth spending a little more to get a Diesil. If only occasionally, and purchasing a new car it will often take a few years to re coup the money and petrol becomes more of an option. However for grunt and torque etc you can't beat a reasonably sized Diesil lump.
Four wheel drives have proven their weight recently with our wetter wheather. You can manoeuvre the van with much more success on grassy sloping sites than with a two wheel drive especially if you plan to camp in the wetter months. However motor movers on the vans are also good for this.
Once you have found a group of cars that you like, start comparing tow reviews, MPG, torque rates, etc etc. Ask for opinions on this site and other caravan talk websites.
Don't get the ranges mixed up within each model. Some cars have become lighter, less stable tow vehicles with the latest offerings. A few examples of this exist very recently. Often still reasonable but no longer great.
In answer to your question, I suspect that the web site is saying everything would work well but the weight is not right. Your right, this is missleading.
Word of warning don't take any notice when car manufacturers say a cars tow limit is eg 2000kg when it's kerb weight is much less. This means its able to pull away reasonably well on a gradient with 2000 kg on a breaked trailer on the back. It has nothing to do with safe stopping distances when you are travelling at 60mph with two ton strapped to your backside on a greasy and wet road.
My personal thoughts on this is that the fools that have cars assessed and these inflated figures published and made legal should be made to travel in said car with said weight and attempt an emergency stop at higher speeds with a brick wall in front of them should they happen to fail.
So, in broad terms the terms you will come across for the van:
MIRO. Mass in running order, the weight of the van before you add additions
MTPLM. Mass in running order, the max you van should weigh when you've packed all your worldly possessions.
Pay Load. The weight of everything you put in the van.
Train weight.
Nose weight.
It sounds like you've already come across this website but here it is just in case.
It's taken a long time to go back to towing after witnessing a horrific accident. At the moment our priority is how well the car stops rather than how well it tows!!!!!
------------- Started with a motorbike and tent.......my gallery, my life.
I tow our 1500 kg coachman with a top spec mondeo, it pulls fine is is a very stable unit, My car weights in at 1705kg that would give you a 85% match.
We like the Mondeo, I think it will be down to the individual spec that is available. It's going to have to be a 2nd hand one. I think I read somewhere that the newer version is slightly lighter so it may help to look for the previous model.
------------- Started with a motorbike and tent.......my gallery, my life.
The Mk 3 Mondeo has a maximum towing capacity of 1800 kg (although if you were to do that you would loose some of the cars payload since it would exceed the gross train weight) My Mk 3 pulls a 1450kg caravan a treat although it does take some riding the clutch to pull away at the lights without stalling. I understand the newer Mondeos have a slightly lower limit although the OPs caravan is still well within the limits, though well over the 85% guideline. Mine works out at 92% although feels just as stable as my previous car did towing it at 75%
There's no reason to limit yourself to the estate either.
I tow a Clubman SB with a 2011 Mondeo Estate, 163bhp. It tows like a dream. I find that it cruises well at 60 mph in 5th. The car has masses of space for passengers and caravan paraphernalia. I am running at about 90% but don't have a problem with this.
I posted a topic similar to yours (company car what can we tow )we will be towing a Bailey 2013 Verona 1490 with a Mondeo estate 2.0 163 titanium as soon as it arrives from the dealers ,we have towed this van with ease with a 2.0 mondeo tdci
I can get a good deal on a Vauxhall Antara 2.2 CDTi, ex demo 2012 model. Decent mpg. Anyone any thoughts on this? We already have a Vauxhall Astra and have found it very reliable, I know it's not everyones cup of tea! I have done a search but couldn't find much about it on the forum
------------- Started with a motorbike and tent.......my gallery, my life.
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Topic: Bought a van....need a car!
