Best 4x4 for towing?

[pizzi]

Thinking of changing car for 4x4, what is the best 4x4 for towing that doesn't cost a fortune to run?

 

[FanyDuChamp]

There is no such thing as a cheap 4x4 that'll tow safely. 4x4s are expensive. Nothing you can do really to make them cheap, insurance/tax/fuel/parts are all more expensive.

If you want good towing, Landrover is best but there are some good Japanese ones as well. IMHO stay away from US 4x4s.

FDC

 

[vikkibeth]

My husband has loved and worked with Land Rovers for as long as I have known him and we own a Nissan Pathfinder!! We have had Land Rovers in the past but Defenders (which cost an arm and a leg to run!) and husband has a Discovery as a company car BUT now this is a huge but they are fantastic cars to drive and tow but when they go wrong they go wrong and it costs £1000s and its can happen many times (I hear some horror stories!) After trying to decide what 4x4 to buy for ourselves we looked at the Pathfinder and I love it, it has yet to go wrong touch wood I get a fairly good mpg baring in mind it is what it is, a heavy 4x4 and pulls like a dream! It has no problem pulling a trailer with 2 x 15hh. Tax and insurance is going to be rich on whatever 4x4 you buy! Hope this is some help

 

[Sprout]

I have an old Toyota LandCruiser, and it is brilliant for towing, but also comfortable for long motorway journeys too, has extra seats in the back in need, not too horrendous on fuel ( for a 4X4! ) tons of space etc - can you tell I LOVE it!

 

[SJcrazee]

I LOVE Landrover Defenders, BUT I own a japenese 4x4 - the reason? Well the jap 4x4 is in 2wd until YOU decide you need 4wd, this cuts fuel consumption on normal journeys, Landies are in a permanent 4wd system, Also the Jap ones seem to be cheaper on parts and easier to work on, and generally very reliable and you get alot more car for your money! Just avoid Nissan X-trail's like the plauge IMHO a VERY underpowered, useless piece of drivell, I have towed many out of a muddy field where they are floundering away, not able to pull themselves let alone the trailer!!

 

[ladyt25]

I LOVE Landrover Defenders, BUT I own a japenese 4x4 - the reason? Well the jap 4x4 is in 2wd until YOU decide you need 4wd, this cuts fuel consumption on normal journeys, Landies are in a permanent 4wd system, Also the Jap ones seem to be cheaper on parts and easier to work on, and generally very reliable and you get alot more car for your money! Just avoid Nissan X-trail's like the plauge IMHO a VERY underpowered, useless piece of drivell, I have towed many out of a muddy field where they are floundering away, not able to pull themselves let alone the trailer!!

What 4X4 do you have?

 

[Cop-Pop]

I've got a Nissan Terrano II SWB. I drive everywhere in 2WD, tbh most of the time we tow in that too as it tows so well! It's not cheap to run but it doesn't cost as much as some of the bigger models, 4x4s are never cheap to run! Im gutted Ive got to sell it but Ive split with my ex plus it will never fit into my parking space at the new house, I can barely fit my tiny car into it!

 

[L&M]

Love my Kia Sorento - have had it for 6 yrs now and despite 80,000 miles on the clock, yet to have any major bills.
Tows fab, is not too thirsty, and very comfortable to drive.

 

[SJcrazee]

What 4X4 do you have?

SWB Shogun

 

[hezza1]

Kia Sorento, love it.

 

[Perrie]

I've a Range Rover & you wouldn't think there was anything behind you when towing.

Previous to the RR i had a Discovery which was a good tower too, only reason we sold the Discovery was to upgrade & we fancied a RR & its brillant

XxX

 

[suzysparkle]

Thinking of changing car for 4x4, what is the best 4x4 for towing that doesn't cost a fortune to run?

As soon as someone invents one they'll be very popular!! Fact is, such a thing doesn't exist. I tow with 2 vehicles, a Defender and a big Mercedes Sprinter (dog van). I LOVE my Landy, but, the van is the better towing vehicle - unless you need to go on wet grass / mud. I think it's better as it's bigger (in all dimensions) than the trailer and you don't notice it. Mind you, our van has a bigger engine than standard! It's more economical on fuel than the Landy and also has a lot more room for all your gear!!

However, as I've touched on, they are hopeless on mud or wet grass though snow tyres help (which I have on because of where I live but most people won't have them) and even then, if I know I'm going to be parking on wet grass I take the Landy!

You just can't scrimp on a 4X4. The cheaper ones aren't up to the job at all. Well, they'll tow, but not safely.

 

[pizzi]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Will start trawling the 4x4 adverts now.

 

[stu&mich]

Good luck with your search, my old Isuzu Trooper was great but have now got an old landcruiser which I love, real comfortable but also a proper 4x4 and tows my 16'3 t/b mare & one of the ponies easily. Mine is petol which is juicy but i only use it for the horses so couldn't see the point of paying loads more for diesel.

Would recommend a long wheel base as I think these feel more stable when towing and their towing capacities are normally higher. All cars have a legal towing capacity which includes the weight of the trailer and horses so worth checking that before you decide.

I also agree that I would avoid american 4x4's as certainly the older ones are not reliable and personally I wouldn't have a discovery - my wife would but I'd be the one to pay for the repair costs and jap car parts are cheaper lol

 

[EQUISCENE]

Hyundai Santa fe - Tow car of the year! £200 to tax, good fuel consumption for a 4x4 too..

 

[Hanno Verian]

Depends upon where and what you plan to tow. If you're looking to tow down the motorways mostly to competition venues with tarmaced/gravelled parking then pretty much any 4x4 will do, though you need to bear in mind how many horses and size/weight. If you're looking to tow two big hunters to meets down country lanes or boggy BE venues then you need something heavy that has the power and capacity to get in and out and wont bog in.

I use a Range Rover, its an absolute dream to tow with, but very thirsty you could consider an LPG converted one, but there are all sorts of issues with some of them, best investigated on a 4x4 forum. Some of my friends use SWB Shoguns, you can pick up a nice one with under 80K mileage for £3-4K, they are compact enough to be a reasonable but thirsty normal car for day to day, but will still pull an IW 510 with two horses.

If you go for a more traditional 4x4 you will get good off road performance and towing, but poor economy, if you go for a more modern chelsea tractor type or smaller 4x4, you get all the nice bells and whistles but often sacrificing off road and towing. Go on manufacturers websites or WWW.Wisebuyers.com it will give you the technical data and towing capacity of specific vehicles, with a review. As a guide to tow a two horse trailer you need a towing capacity of 3500lb

Although I did consider a Subaru Forrester....but didn't investigate further as I bought the RR.

 

[Lucy_Ally]

Just got a KIA sorento and now looking for a trailer. Turbo diesel and automatic, also has lots of gadgets and was reasonably priced to buy. It's lovely as a 'normal' car and hopefully not going to cost the absolute earth to run!

 

[Pat10]

Two ladies on our yard have Kia Sorentos - they love them and they tow a treat. One of them is towing the big Ifor trailer with two big horses (16.2. and 17.2).

 

[molly7886]

Another vote for the KIA sorento. I absolutely love mine, tows like a dream. Cheaper to run than my friends RR, also better turning circle, more comfortable (IMO) Have no hesitation in recommending!

 

[mon]

have an x trail and isuzu denver crewcab both tow well and without trailer isuzu gets 34mpg and lower tax than x trail

 

[lottie940]

Honda CRV.

 

[tinap]

I've got a landrover discovery TD5 & I hate it!! It breaks down every 3 months without fail & everytime I try towing box with 2 ponies on it!! Can't wait for it to die for good then OH will finally have to admit defeat & get me a Toyota!!

 

[skint1]

Isuzu Trooper-it's been pretty good, for its size it isn't terribly costly to run but as others have said, for a meaty car it is going to be more expensive than the average one