Tow car advice

[nicole11]

I know there are plenty of threads on this already, but not all suiting my needs.

I am about to trade in my nippy 1.0l Seat Arona for a towing car and looking for some advice. I am going to be towing a 510 or 511 with one or two 16hh horses, so ideally looking for something to tow 2.5t upwards. I want something reliable that will work for my everyday car as well as towing, so must be comfortable to jump in for work too.

It's sooooo bloody hard to even find out where to begin! Please help

 

[B.F.G]

Might be an idea to make a list of cars you like the look of and then heck out the specs on each one (towing specs I mean) and if not suitable then cross it off your list and then you will have a small selection of cars to look at. If possible go and test drive the ones you like but also look at what cars other people are driving/towing with when they pull up at venues. Bare in mind that you need to also take into consideration whether you want automatic or manual. Probably not helped you at all but with so many cars out there that an do the jobs you want it for it will be personal preference.

 

[nicole11]

Might be an idea to make a list of cars you like the look of and then heck out the specs on each one (towing specs I mean) and if not suitable then cross it off your list and then you will have a small selection of cars to look at. If possible go and test drive the ones you like but also look at what cars other people are driving/towing with when they pull up at venues. Bare in mind that you need to also take into consideration whether you want automatic or manual. Probably not helped you at all but with so many cars out there that an do the jobs you want it for it will be personal preference.

Thank you! Yeah that's definitely the plan, but hoping to get some recommendations from people on what they find quite nice to tow in with big horses. At the moment I am looking at Tiguans, Kodiaqs, X-trails and about 500 more

 

[SamBean]

We just bought a 510 and car to tow for ours which are 16.3 and 17h. We had narrowed it down between a Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorrento. Both these have 3.5T capacity but ended up with the Kia, mainly because my in laws have a different model Kia and has been really good and reliable for them.

Can you first look up the capacity of each car you are considering now and first of all eliminate the ones with lower payload? That took away most options for us then we looked at our budget to narrow down our options further.

 

[nicole11]

We just bought a 510 and car to tow for ours which are 16.3 and 17h. We had narrowed it down between a Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorrento. Both these have 3.5T capacity but ended up with the Kia, mainly because my in laws have a different model Kia and has been really good and reliable for them.

Can you first look up the capacity of each car you are considering now and first of all eliminate the ones with lower payload? That took away most options for us then we looked at our budget to narrow down our options further.

I know quite a few people who use the Kia Sorrento, so it would definitely be a good option. Thanks!

 

[Leo Walker]

Xtrails wont tow nearly enough, its 1350 for autos and 1800 for manuals, so definitely check the specs out first.

 

[nicole11]

Thanks for telling me but I am hoping that people can give me advice on what does tow the weight I need, I will, of course, check all specs before buying anything.

 

[MuddyTB]

You're going to need a big car to tow 2. A few versions of the Tiguan might just cope but most are below the 2.5t. You're looking at bigger models such as VW Touareg, Land Rover Discovery or Kia Sorrento. Mitsubishi Shogun perhaps too but they will all be quite thirsty as a day to day car compared to the Arona.

 

[nicole11]

You're going to need a big car to tow 2. A few versions of the Tiguan might just cope but most are below the 2.5t. You're looking at bigger models such as VW Touareg, Land Rover Discovery or Kia Sorrento. Mitsubishi Shogun perhaps too but they will all be quite thirsty as a day to day car compared to the Arona.

Yeah I think it's going to be a bit of a shock in petrol costs!

 

[Tiddlypom]

What’s your budget, are you thinking of a new vehicle? And what weight are the horses?

(I always recommend a Shogun for towing two horses, but you could get away with something a bit less beefy and thus more economical if the horses are lightweight types).

 

[nicole11]

What’s your budget, are you thinking of a new vehicle? And what weight are the horses?

(I always recommend a Shogun for towing two horses, but you could get away with something a bit less beefy and thus more economical if the horses are lightweight types).

Not thinking new as budget is TBC, but likely around £9k. Horses are 550kg and 600kg

 

[phizz4]

You are looking to tow over 2000 kg, so I would recommend looking for a car that weighs at least the same, otherwise you might get towing stability issues. Shogun, Toyota Landcruiser, VW Toureg, Range Rover, newer Rexton. I would recommend an automatic so you can focus on the road and traffic.

 

[asmp]

VW Touareg for those size horses. Mine tows similar with ease.

 

[nicole11]

Th

You are looking to tow over 2000 kg, so I would recommend looking for a car that weighs at least the same, otherwise you might get towing stability issues. Shogun, Toyota Landcruiser, VW Toureg, Range Rover, newer Rexton. I would recommend an automatic so you can focus on the road and traffic.

Thank you! Definitely a good starting point to look at these.

 

[nicole11]

VW Touareg for those size horses. Mine tows similar with ease.

I really like the Toureg too! That’ll be my first stop. How’s it for fuel efficiency?

 

[dixie]

I think you could get a nice Ssangyong Rexton for that budget. My is 2014 automatic and tows 3.5 tonnes and I use it for work.

 

[Bruce17]

Xtrails wont tow nearly enough, its 1350 for autos and 1800 for manuals, so definitely check the specs out first.

Not quite. Mine is a 2017 manual and does 2000. Won't be enough for two horses though.

 

[scribble]

Kia sorrento but watch the weights as some don’t tow as much as older ones or Jeep Grand Cherokee overland with Mercedes engine. The Jeep is lovely.

 

[Louby]

Following as Im hoping to be in your position IF my horse comes sound. Id love a 3.5t but they are just so expensive and sold the 7.5t when I realised it was going to be a long time before I was riding again The newer Sorrentos dont tow 3.5t, I think its 2007 and older but could be wrong, I really like the VW toureg but someone we knew had an automatic and sold it as he said he got 15mpg?? so would be really interested to hear of anyone who has one.

 

[vmac66]

My Kia sorrento costs around £30 per week in fuel. That's just for work and back and yard twice daily. Tend to go in OHs car if we are going any distance. Great for towing though. I only have 1 horse, around 500kg and a ifor 505. Don't know they are there even up hills.

 

[Kat]

Don't discount a pickup, you will get much more for your money, better fuel economy a huge boot that you can hose/sweep and the higher models have all the luxuries too.

We have an Isuzu D Max, and love it, but we almost bought a Mitsubishi L200 they are so close in spec. We would have had to look at something much older if we had wanted a Tourag, Landrover or Shogun. Just avoid the older Nissan Navara.

We have the D Max and a Honda Jazz between us but we use the D Max for long journeys as it is really comfortable. We only take the jazz if parking is going to be an issue, but the D Max is actually narrower than a discovery so not too bad for supermarket car parks etc

 

[Kat]

I really like the VW toureg but someone we knew had an automatic and sold it as he said he got 15mpg?? so would be really interested to hear of anyone who has one.

Yes they are REALLY thirsty. My friend has one and we share rides she often jokes that she will need to fill up as there's a big hill ahead! It cost her a fortune when she used it to commute because her other car was out of action.

 

[Tiddlypom]

My 14 plate LWB Shogun does around 25mpg for normal driving and around 20 mpg when towing, so it’s a lot thirstier than a normal car. Love it, though .

 

[[59668]]

Don't discount a pickup, you will get much more for your money, better fuel economy a huge boot that you can hose/sweep and the higher models have all the luxuries too.

We have an Isuzu D Max, and love it, but we almost bought a Mitsubishi L200 they are so close in spec. We would have had to look at something much older if we had wanted a Tourag, Landrover or Shogun. Just avoid the older Nissan Navara.

We have the D Max and a Honda Jazz between us but we use the D Max for long journeys as it is really comfortable. We only take the jazz if parking is going to be an issue, but the D Max is actually narrower than a discovery so not too bad for supermarket car parks etc

Second the dmax. The pickup part is super useful.

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

I had an old model Sorrento which was amazing with a capacity of 2800kg and not bad on fuel either. I now have a Touraeg which is amazing but definitely more thirsty towing, although not too bad. I think the first model ones are really bad fuel wise, mines a second generation.

 

[JillA]

I think you could get a nice Ssangyong Rexton for that budget. My is 2014 automatic and tows 3.5 tonnes and I use it for work.

The Rexton is an ideal vehicle and really good value, they are trying to break into the UK market. When I was looking it was between a nearly new Rexton (demo car) or the bigger really expensive number like the Disco or the Shogun. Rexton tows 3 tonnes on a fixed towbar.
The Sorrento would have done but for my budget there were precious few nearly new ones around. Check the road tax too, that can be a consideration - one Disco I looked at was £550 p.a.!!

 

[Gazen]

I have a 2006 Kia Sorrento. Tows 3500kg. She just keeps going. In the past 4 years I have spent about 1200 on repairs although the majority of that was to replace the fuel tank which was punctured and the engine rocker cover which I had also managed to put a hole in. Too much fence judging and taking the trailer across fields. Me thinks!

 

[fornema]

100% recommend a shogun. Mine has done 150k on all original parts and never broken down. Very comfortable to drive, very manoeuvrable. Looks great and you can fit a lot in it - i regularly fill it with feed/bikes etc. Diesel wise not to heavy and affordable. Tows 3500kg and you barely feel anything behind you.