Those that tow with a Mazda 6 (or similar sized car)

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zoon

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I am considering it. I have a lightweight trailer, will travel 1 small lightweight horse and will not frequent muddy fields, Tarmac will be my surface of choice! The towing will be occasional, so I will not get a 4x4 - cant justify the cost for everyday use when towing will be so infrequent. I have checked out the math, checked with ROG and all is good that end. I like the look of Mazda 6s, but open to suggestions on car. Must be nice looking though ;) but not break the bank!

So in theory it all works, but in practice does it? How do you cope with hills, is there extra wear and tear on the car (am I likely to burn my clutch out by doing it!), is it safe?

I know this will turn into a huge debate about safety, so I ask only these that have towed with such a car comment and the die hard 4x4 people just move on! On paper iti all perfectly legal and safe, so need real life experiences! Positive and negative please :D
 
We used to tow 2 ponies in a trailer with our saloon car with a 2.0 litre engine back in the 70s and never had a problem on tarmac. Fields were another matter and we often loaded/unloaded on the road outside a show. You will be fine with a Mazda 6. Lovely cars - one of the better kept secrets of the motor trade.
 
I have a lightweight float, lightweight horse and I tow the pair of them with a Subaru Forester.
The math all works and I am careful not to exceed the weight limit.

Up hills, it goes fine. Obviously it's not as powerful as a larger 4X4, so it's a little sluggish. It has coped fine with 200km round trips from Perth to Dardanup fine.

I haven't killed my clutch yet and I make sure I have it serviced regulaurly to take into account any wear and tear.
The rear brakes have worn out a little faster than my front ones, however not excessivly.

I would go for a car with a bigger engine when I upgrade, however my Forester does the job :)
 
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I've been looking into this recently and the 2 estate cars I had narrowed if down to were the 136/130bhp 2l diesel mondeo, and the pre-06 1.9l 130bhp turbo diesel passat. They should both do the job on hard surfaces, fields may be a no go. They are heavy cars though, you'll need a light trailer and horse. The passat is lighter than the mondeo. Check the cam belt interval if you're looking at older ones though.

Personally I'm going for a Freelander or Nissan x trail, fuel economy is not horrendous and they are known for towing well. But if you are just towing on hard surfaces a beefy estate will do it, but a 4x4 will feel better (according to my dadewho was a mechanic for 30 years)
 
I tow 1 horse & lightweight trailer (cheval) with my toyota avensis estate D4D
2.2L , horse & trailer combined under my allowed towing weight , never had a problem with hills , towed across fields at TREC comps , even slept in the car with the seats flat on a airbed at 1 comp ! My friend tows with her mondeo , again 1 horse & lightweight trailer (bahil) she loves it as a tow car , also had no problems with hills etc
 
yay to all the b license towers! so nice to hear of others doing it! Ive got a freelander diesel, uses same fuel as my old subaru estate did and tows fantastic- just one pony and single ifor trailer :D
 
Iv got a 2ltr TD Mondeo and it pulls my Cheval Liberte mare and foal trailer with my 17.2hh lad like there's nothing on th back :) It manages no bother and its a very economical car for everyday, comfy an has all th mod cons.
 
Ps I towed th same trailer and horse with a 2ltr Vauxhall Insignia with absolutely no bother. Th Mondeo is ever so slightly better. Jst gives a better feel. Th Insignia was a nicer car though.
 
TRECtastic said:
I tow 1 horse & lightweight trailer (cheval) with my toyota avensis estate D4D
2.2L , horse & trailer combined under my allowed towing weight , never had a problem with hills , towed across fields at TREC comps , even slept in the car with the seats flat on a airbed at 1 comp ! My friend tows with her mondeo , again 1 horse & lightweight trailer (bahil) she loves it as a tow car , also had no problems with hills etc
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If you and your friend are towing with B licences and not B+E licences then I hope you have al the rules covered
I am concerned about the friend if they are on a B because the bayhill cannot be down plated
 
I tow my Ifor Williams single trailer and 320Kg pony with a Citroen Xantia 2L turbodiesel and it hardly feels like there's anything on the back. I avoid driving in anything but very dry(LOL) fields though, but fortunately the things I do don't tend to involve having to do that.
 
I have two youngsters, so trailer will currently be used for any vets trips if needed (hopefully not!), lessons, clinics, maybe xc schooling. There is a 3.5t hire place just down the road, so if I need to I can hire that, but guess I'll only be out once a month during summer, hardly at all in winter.

No bad experiences? No Mazda 6 owners? I'm looking at an 08 Mazda 6 sport 2.2 diesel
 
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