Car shopping.. Ford kuga? Towing

J1993

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Looking for a new car. Budget £12000. Must be able to tow an Ifor 510 and one 16.3 horse approx 600kg. Max 40000 miles, max 4/5 years old.

I'm 22 so insurance is high-ish already so looking at engine size of 2L

Anyone any suggestions? So far I have ford kuga and freelander but for my budget I am getting a newer kuga with more luxuries such as Bluetooth etc for my money which is newer and has less miles on the clock. But obviously you pay more for the freelander as they are respected 4wd.

Suggestions????
 

dancingkris

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What entitlement do you have on your licence? You might find that - given your age - you can't legally tow a trailer of that weight if you only have a 'b' licence.
 

J1993

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What entitlement do you have on your licence? You might find that - given your age - you can't legally tow a trailer of that weight if you only have a 'b' licence.

Hi I am planning on doing the trailer test in a few months, just need the car to start off with ha ha!
 

catroo

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We towed with a Ford Kuga quite happily for a few years, felt strong and never got stuck when plenty of others got towed out . . .

But constant towing knackered it, we were doing 10,000 miles a year towing but no where near max capacity. By five years old it was crocked, parts were wearing too quickly. It ended up catching fire (while towing) which wrote it off, having just spent hundreds on a service.

I would have one again but only for light/occasional towing and not frequent heavy lifting.
 

J1993

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We towed with a Ford Kuga quite happily for a few years, felt strong and never got stuck when plenty of others got towed out . . .

But constant towing knackered it, we were doing 10,000 miles a year towing but no where near max capacity. By five years old it was crocked, parts were wearing too quickly. It ended up catching fire (while towing) which wrote it off, having just spent hundreds on a service.

I would have one again but only for light/occasional towing and not frequent heavy lifting.

It will probably only tow a max journey of 60-100 miles (once/twice a year) and most local journeys will be in Summer maybe 3 times a month, once every few months in winter.
How did you find it on fuel? I plan on having it for a couple of years 3/4 until getting a new one and tend to average 12000 miles a year.
 

orionstar

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I would double check the towing weights as a 2lt engine is light for towing even just one horse. You want a vehicle that will give you a good driving experience and the horse a good ride without having to think "it's struggling here", especially if you're new to towing.
 

Crazydancer

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I bought a Kuga in December, I wanted a 4x4 for the lane where I live (pot-holed unadopted road) and getting to the yard in winter (lanes and tracks) which wouldn't be too juicy as I also use the car for work. I do 15k-20k a year. I also wanted the option of occasional towing although haven't as yet. I'm old enough to tow without taking the test, and the 2100kg tow capacity was easily enough for the single trailer plus a 14.2. (total around 1300kg)
So far the diesel consumption (oh and I was told definitely get the diesel and not the petrol version) has been average 38 mpg. I'm not actually finding the motorway miles any better than local driving. My previous car was a Mondeo and there was a noticeable difference, so I was a bit surprised, but then its running in 4WD so I suspect that explains it. So far, I love it. It's a 61 plate auto and cost around £15k.
I looked at loads of cars and went for this as I loved the looks, and it offered the best spec for the money with a reasonable MPG, and I've had Fords in the past and have found them very reliable - my Mondeo did over 230k miles and was still running when I bought the Kuga!
I'm not sure how much I would want to tow with it though (weight wise) but think the Kuga and Freelander are much the same.
 
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Darkly_Dreaming_Dex

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I would say Subaru but they can be expensive to insure so how about a Mitsubishi Outlander 2 litre? made upto 2010 (then was replaced with an inferior bigger engine until 2014) we had a 2009 that towed a treat, had optional 4WD for wet fields and did 100k with my OH without a single bill beyond routine services :) cheap to insure and 45mpg is realistic
eg
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...earchad/used,nearlynew,new/usedcars?logcode=p

or look at Nissan x-trails as the kuga isnt really heavy enough to safely tow a hore trailer IMO (having seen a small 4wd flipped over by its trailer in a cross wind)
 

Annagain

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The 510 weighs 995kg so with the horse as well you will need something capable of towing at least 1600kg, although it is very easy to understimate the weight of a horse so I wouldn't look at anything under 1800kgs (and preferably 2000kg) to be safe - especially if you have a tack pack or carry any water on the trailer as that will add more weight.
This website will be helpful. You put in the weight you want to tow (or the trailer and the weight of the horse) and it gives you options for tow cars. Or you can choose a car and it tells you what it can tow.
http://www.towinghorsetrailers.co.uk/index.htm
I've just had a look and it says the Kuga can tow 2100kgs so you should be ok based on that.
 

0310Star

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Cant help with the towing as not used mine for that yet, but I have a 59 reg Ford Kuga and love it! Its very comfortable and quite economical - ours does about 200 miles to £40. We got the diesel 4wd version purely so we can tow if needed (were told the 2wd would be no good for towing)
We also have a 02 reg Ford Focus and the tax is about the same on that as the kuga so not over priced on tax either.
 

fishy

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I have a kuga on a 58 plate, which I've had since new. I tow a bateson with a 14.2 cob easily. Doesn't get used for towing much in winter but probably about once a fortnight through the summer. I think the kuga has one of the best towing capacities in its size group.
 

ezililaur

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I have a 64 Kuga and tow my 16hh in a Cheval trailer which is lightweight.

Absolutely love the car. This is actually my second Kuga, the previous one was a manual. I find the current one, an auto, much smoother and easier when towing.

I hardly notice the difference when I'm towing and when I'm not. Mainly only do fairly short journeys every couple of weeks though twice a year I do further afield, 70 miles away max.
 
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