hi, i have a ford focus 1.8 ghia petrol estate on a 1999 model, my question is will this tow the van ok ( which i already own ) its 22.5 ft long and the max permitted / allowable weight is 1300kg, dont really wanna get rid of either, im no good with all the figures sugested to me as i havent a glue wot there about, so im hoping for a simple yes or no response or maybe, you know what im saying thanks in advance,,,,
You need next size car up from Focus, ie Mondeo or similar sized car. Whatever you intend to buy, post on here first & I'm sure somebody will put you right as to whether the car is suitable.
I towed for 2 years with a Focus 1.6 diesel estate (110 BHP) which although pulled the caravan (1300 MTPLM) and about 92% match along okay on the flat however did struggle a bit on standing starts and changing down on motorway inclines and hill climbing. I was looking for a better towcar around the same size (bodywise) as I use a garage constantly but Ford Mondeo's, VW Passats and Volvo V70's are too wide and too long so I looked at the Ford Focus 2.0 diesel estate which is identical to the Volvo V50 which are built on the same chassis and both have 136 BHP and same torque. What I didn't realise is that The V50 made a 2.4 diesel with a 5 cylinder (D5) engine that they use in the Mondeo and V70 so basically it's a smaller car with big towing power of 180 BHP and more torque. I haven't towed the caravan as yet but solo down the motorway at around 60-65 mph. I am getting between 57-60 miles to the gallon. The only down side is the the insurance is a group 15 but the car in general is brilliant because this engine is what they use in the Volvo 4x4's so it's a possible vehicle to consider if you want the pulling power and the economy. The outfit for me now will be around 83% which I feel more comfortable with and the V50 2.0 diesel would be around the 88% mark. Both these vehicles have manufacturing towing limits of 1500 kgs.
The law says you can tow the full weight of your car , manufacturers give towing weights but they are not the Law , so if your car weighs more that 1300 then yes you can .
xx Gill
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Topic: will my car tow this
