What car in new horse world

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Walnuts

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I need to change my car as need to tow a single horse in its box etc etc. The car world is changing but any horse event shows people are still driving classic big diesel 4x4's and pick up trucks. Now that's fine as I love an old school 4x4 but towing all that weight may dictate that hybrids are not up to the job. I want a car that is 100 percent is up to the job. Any suggestions before I go "old school" in a modern world.
 
Skoda yeti has enough to tow one horse (4wd 140bhp version, 2000kg) and for day to day use gets 40+ mpg and nice little car to use. That said, not yet towed with it so others may poo poo that feedback! I need to tow but really want to avoid having to buy and pay for the upkeep/running costs of a massive old heavyweight diesel.
 
It's a funny time to be buying a car for horsey stuff as so many manufacturers are going hybrid or lecy now. I will not take any chances as it has to be fully up to the job, Lexus do a big electric 4x4 and I know that will do it
 
I have done the B plus E test so I am all covered. My car budget is £40k. I know it's crass to discuss money but it's hard to seek guidance if people don't know my budget. I was thinking of buying Discovery Sport but the rest of the world seems to be running away from diesel
 
For me personally I would always want a proper 4x4 when towing horses. Whilst most of the horsebox parking areas I go to are on stone, there are some on grass and when I ride at the beach I park on the beach. Last time I went i accidentally ended up on soft sand and my wheels dug in. Only because I had my diff lock was I out within a few seconds, otherwise we would have needed to be rescued. I also live in a very hilly area so I just couldn't be without something that can happily hillstart on a steep hill with a trailer hitched up.

I have a Landcruiser for towing, my daily driver is a Skoda Superb Estate AWD which officially would be up to the job of towing my one horse but I wouldn't feel 100% comfortable doing that
 
If your budget is that healthy then definitely just go for plenty of grunt. We're making do because we have to but it will be to tow for local journeys only with limited hills etc. I can't imagine diesels will disappear for a good while yet but if you can get something that covers both worlds eg the Lexus, why not?
 
Following! With new laws coming into practice such as diesel cars are not going to be allowed to drive through the city centre when they are a certain number of years old - next year. It’s very relevant to a lot of us!
 
Gallidgirl said:
Following! With new laws coming into practice such as diesel cars are not going to be allowed to drive through the city centre when they are a certain number of years old - next year. It’s very relevant to a lot of us!
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Well said. I love a big diesel and just want to go and buy a big one, but the car world is changing fast. It is easy to stick your head in the sand and just carry on but I don't want to screw this up, that said my priority is a car that is up to the job
 
My dad has a discovery sport and says he wishes he’d just got a disco. Said he wouldn’t want to tow with it as it just doesn’t ‘feel’ like itd be up to the job. That being said, that’s purely anecdotal and I’ve no idea on the cars towing limits at all so who knows! I’ve never seen one towing anything, but have seen quite a few of the new discos.

I have a few friends who tow with things that aren’t the typical 4x4 or truck. A friend has a big Mercedes people carrier that she says tows perfectly well, I know a few people with big Audi’s and a few with VWs too. Thinking the Tiguans/Touaregs. We’ve just got a new Tiguan (allspace so slightly bigger higher towing capacity) and are adventuring for the first time next Saturday so will report back!!

Walnuts said:
I have done the B plus E test so I am all covered. My car budget is £40k. I know it's crass to discuss money but it's hard to seek guidance if people don't know my budget. I was thinking of buying Discovery Sport but the rest of the world seems to be running away from diesel
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If I had that sort of budget (and I never will) I would be looking to by a good, used, 4x4 for towing and a more economical car for everyday use. Running costs needn't necessarily be any higher than one vehicle if you buy the right ones in the first place. We have an older (12 years old) 4x4 for towing (27 mpg), a 5 year old Audi Diesel (50 mpg) and a very old, little sports car (20 years and still going strong). All are reliable and with a multicar policy cost less than 700 pounds a year to insure. That budget buys a lot of years of high quality maintenance. (Image is not a factor in our choice of cars).
 
either go the whole hog and buy a disco or toureag or similar. or spend half your budget on an older 4x4 for towing and buy the hybrid for normal driving - this way you'll use less fuel etc. it really depends on how many miles you do to do the maths and see which would be beneficial to you financially and the environment from a pollution / CO2 point of view...
 
My Jaguar FPace tows 2400 and is lovely to drive. Get about 40 mpg. Would probably get more if I drove slower (day to day, I drive very sensibly while towing).
I tend to nick hubby’s defender to tow (but use my car if going for a hack after work), the fpace is more than up to the job.
I had considered hybrid or electric but my commute is too long and I’m still to be convinced about the true ‘greenness’ of electric.
The new diesels have adblu which really cleans up emissions.
Our defender has a home for life, and is still considered to be one of the greenest car options as they just keep going...
but yes, such a difficult decision theses days.
 
Hi
I am new to the forums and struggling to find the right place to post my question about whether a Mitsubishi L200 can pull an Equitrek Show Treka M. The L200 can tow 2700kg and our two horses weigh around 950kg I found this information about the Equitrek - Max gross weight: 2600 kg, Unladen weight: 1280.00 kg, Weight capacity: 1320 kg. If I add the unladen weight to the horses weight plus two adults and tack etc at around 200kg that gives a maximum of 2430kg. Are my calculations right? The newer L200s can tow 3500kg and my husband would be very happy to upgrade if needed but I am hoping we are legal with what we have got. Any advice welcome please!
 
Lisa the adults are in the car not the trailer, so that weight doesn't need to be added to your towing weight, so you have 1280KG unladen trailer and the two horses as 950kg total. Means you're towing 2230 and your card can town 2700 so you're fine. You have 470kg to cover whatever you put in the living bit and lockers.
 
I think we probably need a bit more info! How big is your horse and what trailer do you have? What's the terrain like around you? How much ordinary driving do you do and how much towing?

I've not towed with a Disco Sport but had one as a courtesy car when my defender was having warranty work done and i loved it. Well over 40MPG on my fairly short journey to work with a fair bit of stop-starting and over 50MPG on a good run - similar to my OH's Skoda Octavia. I know MPG isn't the only consideration but I was really surprised.

Sadly with 2 600kg+ horses anything but a big diesel is out of the queston for me at the moment.
 
Alibear said:
Lisa the adults are in the car not the trailer, so that weight doesn't need to be added to your towing weight, so you have 1280KG unladen trailer and the two horses as 950kg total. Means you're towing 2230 and your card can town 2700 so you're fine. You have 470kg to cover whatever you put in the living bit and lockers.
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Of course! I have been looking at 3.5t lorries and adding up the total weights of horses and adults for the payload so obviously confused! Thank you!
 
phizz4 said:
If I had that sort of budget (and I never will) I would be looking to by a good, used, 4x4 for towing and a more economical car for everyday use. Running costs needn't necessarily be any higher than one vehicle if you buy the right ones in the first place. We have an older (12 years old) 4x4 for towing (27 mpg), a 5 year old Audi Diesel (50 mpg) and a very old, little sports car (20 years and still going strong). All are reliable and with a multicar policy cost less than 700 pounds a year to insure. That budget buys a lot of years of high quality maintenance. (Image is not a factor in our choice of cars).
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blitznbobs said:
either go the whole hog and buy a disco or toureag or similar. or spend half your budget on an older 4x4 for towing and buy the hybrid for normal driving - this way you'll use less fuel etc. it really depends on how many miles you do to do the maths and see which would be beneficial to you financially and the environment from a pollution / CO2 point of view...
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The other option could be a 3.5T and a hybrid car for every day?
 
A new, Euro 6 diesel car with Ad Blue should be exempt from the 'diesel bans' that many big cities are bringing in. They cannot ban diesel completely due to bus/truck industry so will insist that they conform to a certain spec which, currently, is Euro 6.
 
Fluffypiglet said:
Skoda yeti has enough to tow one horse (4wd 140bhp version, 2000kg) and for day to day use gets 40+ mpg and nice little car to use. That said, not yet towed with it so others may poo poo that feedback! I need to tow but really want to avoid having to buy and pay for the upkeep/running costs of a massive old heavyweight diesel.
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We tow with a skoda Yeti 4x4 and it is excellent.
 
Alibear said:
Lisa the adults are in the car not the trailer, so that weight doesn't need to be added to your towing weight, so you have 1280KG unladen trailer and the two horses as 950kg total. Means you're towing 2230 and your card can town 2700 so you're fine. You have 470kg to cover whatever you put in the living bit and lockers.
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Sorry to be pedantic, but the MAM of the trailer is 2600, so the remaining payload would be 370kg. Which is still plenty I think!
 
Fluffypiglet said:
Skoda yeti has enough to tow one horse (4wd 140bhp version, 2000kg) and for day to day use gets 40+ mpg and nice little car to use. That said, not yet towed with it so others may poo poo that feedback! I need to tow but really want to avoid having to buy and pay for the upkeep/running costs of a massive old heavyweight diesel.
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I how my 450kg Arab in an ifor 505 with this model car. It's absolutely fantastic. Never, ever struggles, even up and down the South Wales hills and valleys.
 
Watching this thread with interest as I'm in a similar situation but I'm in Ireland where my budget means i can't afford to run (tax and insurance) two vehicles. I was thinking about the 2l audi q5 or BMW SUV as I know from experience that something like a Toyota landcruiser is very expensive to run for getting to and from work/shops etc etc. I also have a single horse box and both the connemara cross i have right now and his younger brother (whom will replace my teenage chap when he retires) are only 15hh. Is the Audi Q5 really not up to much towing wise?
 
Given that I am one big horse and a single box, I am thinking Disco Sport. It can tow 2.5 with a fixed tow bar and 2.2 with a removable tow bar or electrically deployable. I want a Land Cruser or a normal disco but they cost a lot more to run day to day and my towing will be occasional only. A pick up truck is the best option but will be a pain to park day to day where I live, have owned one before so no to that. The only lecy car worth considering is a Lexus 450. It's not a plug in and can tow 2.2
 
Walnuts said:
Given that I am one big horse and a single box, I am thinking Disco Sport. It can tow 2.5 with a fixed tow bar and 2.2 with a removable tow bar or electrically deployable. I want a Land Cruser or a normal disco but they cost a lot more to run day to day and my towing will be occasional only. A pick up truck is the best option but will be a pain to park day to day where I live, have owned one before so no to that. The only lecy car worth considering is a Lexus 450. It's not a plug in and can tow 2.2
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Definitely go for the fixed tow bar. I've heard some horror stories about detachable ones.
 
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