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same here 02 tddi 115bhp , cant get 37 mpg towing though, about 32 here pulling 1400kg max.

tows fine even in 5th.

tdci 130 even better.

Hi Mines

I dont tow with the eastate but currently have a 2L tdci 130bhp hatch 52 it is a great car with loads of power i am selling it due to the fact we have bought a heavier van it is for sale for £3000 for quick sale as new car comes next week it has full ford service history and has done 101000 miles so if you fancy a hatch instead get in touch if not the mondeo engine is great i get 50mpg solo and got over 40 towing trailer tent so if its a well looked after car then it will be a good tug.

Gerry

2.2 has plenty of pulling power but the 85% weight is about 1271kg, your 1490kg would be more than I would be willing to tow!

It is right that people should be concerned about the weight they pull & feel comfortable & confident when driving their outfit.  From memory the 85% 'rule' has been around since the 70's, cars, caravan chassis & roads have improved markedly since then.  Track, wheelbase, overhang of the towing vehicle are much better understood, some cars have ESP (electronic stability programmes).  Of course the lighter the trailer, the better the performance but caravaning will always be a compromise where the tug has to fulfill other functions. In the commercial vehicle world the tug pulls up to 4 times its own weight, better hitch, better brakes, special licence, speed limits {same max as ourselves}, limited hours etc all play their part but weight limits have increased for CV's over recent years. In these days of health & safety issues surely vehicle manufacturers would be grossly negligent if they overstated the towing capacity of their products.  I am quite happy to tow up to the car man. weight limits, the safety limitations are down to me.

Now I wait to be shot down

All I would add, as a previous TDDi owner, is I have towed three vans with the same Mondeo and as the weight increased the "twitchier" the rig was.  The last Mondeo/Van combination was 90% and I started to get a bit uneasy when overtaken by large vehicles on motorways.  This twitchiness, I think, also had something to do with the noseweight capacity of the Mondeo.  The last van required something like 95kg and the Mondeo Hatch is limited to 75kg.  The other reason I eventually changed for a heavier car was that I was constantly thinking about what I could and couldn't put in the van as I really didn't want to tow over the 100%, or even close to it!

In all other respects the Mondeo was a great tow car.

Hi

It was my current Abbey Aventura 320 at 1360kg (91%) that started to get me thinking.  If 1100kg is your MTPLM it should give no problems.  I towed a 1300kg Elddis through Europe the year before last with no real problems.  And the 1000kg Marauder before that was an absolute piece of cake!!

regards

Tim

Hi,

I drive a Mondeo 2 litre tdci 130ps 6 speed. Again 47-50 solo, 32-34 towing. We have recently bought a new Challenger 530 which "on the road" weighs 1400kg.

I find the outfit perfectly managable (only been towing two and a half years) and have found that keeping the nose weight right on the max (maybe slightly over) gives a good steady tow.

The Mondeo holds 60mph without hesitation on cruise (in 5th...no good at all in top) and will still provide ample power for uphill overtaking if necessary.

Clearly the lighter the van the better, but I find our set up just fine.

Mr Ulti-Mate