Towing

[Misbella]

Does anyone tow with a SUV that’s not 4WD ? Is it a bad idea ? Looking at ford S-max (2.5 hybrid) at the moment but interested in others also.

I would say 95% of all towing cars are not 4WD, I have towed with several cars that aren't. It's not a problem as long as the towing weight is compatable with whatever your towing.

Thank you, are hybrids generally ok for towing or should I stick to diesel

It really depends on what you’re towing, but unless you’re towing either a single horse trailer or a double with one very small pony, I’d say that the S Max is nowhere near enough. The S Max only has a towing capacity of 1560kg.

An Ifor 510 is around 1000 kg. Add a 12.2 pony in and you might be at 1300kg. Tack, water and you’re not far off the published capacity. Generally the rule of thumb is that you should only tow 80% of the braked towing capacity rather than maxing it out.

Also, just because you can (or in your case, you might be able to), it doesn’t mean you should. The danger of trailer sway increases significantly if you don’t have a towing car up to the job.

We were debating this exact question a year ago (but we actually wanted a full electric). After a long process, we concluded that diesel was the only way to go. We wanted a Toureg but there were hardly any second hand ones on the market. So we went for an XC90. It’s absolutely amazing towing - I barely feel the trailer (a heavy 510 with two horses in the back). It’s even noticeably better than my old diesel Audi Q5.

My advice would be to buy the most towing capacity you can. That shouldn’t be the thing you’re compromising on.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the advice, an XC90 is way out of my price range unfortunately. I’ll be pulling an ifor Williams 510 with a 16.1 ISH. Won’t actually be doing much towing (once a fortnight at most) but still needs to be safe.
might look at Hyundai Santa Fe.
If anyone has any other advice or suggestions I’d appreciate it

Look at the Sangyong Rexton- it's a 3.5 tonne tow capacity- same as the Audi Q7, discovery and Toureg. These are amongst the top towing capacity cars - the XC90 only tows 2.2- 2.7 so I discounted it.
I've just bought a second hand rexton after test driving all the others- its not as smooth as ride as the Audi however half the price of the other 3 cars. Plus they have a 7 year warranty. Really great value and tows brilliantly.

Another vote for the Rexton, not as cheap as they used to be, but great cars with a tiny turning circle compared with some.

You need a minimum of 2tonnes tow capacity
i have long thought there is a market for a website that lists vehicles by their tow capacity
Anyway
I have a 16:2 ISH, and a touring one cheval, so total combined weight just over 1400 kg.
I tow with a tiguan of max tow 2200kg and definitely wouldn’t want any less capacity

I would suggest asking about this on the horse and hound forum. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on there who could probably suggest something within your price range.

I tow with a Vw Tiguan 2 litre diesel, nice compact AWD and mine has a towing capacity of 2.5 tonnes I’d agree you need to go for the max towing capacity and diesels are better suited to towing.

You need to consider what is called the "train weight ". If the weight of the trailer and the horses are heavier than your vehicle, they can effectively push your car forward in the event of having to stop quickly. It would also invalidate your insurance.

I tow a 510 with a 16.3 and wouldn't consider anything other than something with a 3.5 tonne tow capacity and diesel. I'm sure there are other options but this is the belt and braces approach IMO. We have an old ford ranger pick up for towing and a small electric hybrid for day to day use.

We have a Rexton and whilst it’s a great car to tow with, it’s a nightmare when you need to get it fixed. Parts are expensive and our local garage won’t touch it so need to take it to an expensive garage that will that is an inconvenient distance away.

Thanks for all the advice, I don’t tow often but obv need it to be safe when I do

Also consider where you will be towing - years ago my Dad had a Volvo T5 estate which was described as the perfect towing car and all the numbers were OK - except it wasn't when pulling two 16.2hh horses in a trailer going anywhere except the motorway/dual carriageway. As soon as the car had to put effort in it was awful - I'm not a petrolhead but recall that it was something to do with the torque and/or horsepower or lack thereof!