Italian stallion for towing ?????? or other suggestions.........

[lanciamad]

I'm on the look out for a replacement car that will be capable of towing a car transporter trailer and an e30 325 track car 5-6 times a year, and am thinking about trailering the hpe in the future, if and when money gets chucked at it, as it won't really be driveable on the roads soon.

It needs to be a car I can enjoy driving the rest of the year, but am looking for suggestions other than a 4x4 and preferably something different, interesting and if possible italian would be nice.

The towing capacity is going to have to be around 1700kg +, going on a trailer weighing around 400kg and a car in the case of the e30 being around 1200kg. Having looked at a few idea's like a thema or alfa 164, I was really disappointed to find there all rated to 1500kgs with a braked trailer, no better than my audi a3 1.8 run around!!!

Looking around a £3k budget for something with 100k miles or less preferably.

Look forward to the suggestions.....  

[peteracs]

Hi Marcus

I guess it would be good to understand what fuel consumption (not towing) you would consider acceptable?

Peter

[lanciamad]

Peter,

I only seem to do around 4000 miles a year at the moment so it's not too critical, around 30mpg + would be nice.

I expect I was only reaching low 20's when I had the delta on the road.

Marcus.

[lbcoupe76]

One of the most economical tow vehicles is a manual Tdi Discovery. I have towed nearly 3500kg on sand with mine (not easy but it did it), they are a great tow vehicle and use bugger all fuel not to mention you can fit a lot of your gear or spares in it for the track or sleep in it if you need to.

[MattNoVAT]

I'd agree with that,I run a Disco 2.5TDi 300 pulls like a train,  40mpg (less when towing)

Towing is very easy and I don't spend my life fixing it!


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[lanciamad]

I know there the best option, but I really don't fancy a big 4x4 if I can help it. Can't really see myself enjoying a 4x4 other than when towing another car to a track to use.

Looks like the BMW 5 series has a rating of 1800-2000kgs, any other saloon/estate cars with a similar towing capacity out there?

[HFStuart]

Subaru Forester?

2007 2.5 is good for 2,000kg

[lbcoupe76]

I understand what your saying in regard to not having a use for a 4x4 as such but what you have to take into consideration is that just because a car is "rated" to tow a specific amount does not mean it will do it well. One of the biggest consideration when towing is gearing and and braking (not how strong they feel but how much weight are they able to pull up with out overheating). Also how well will the chassis cope with the inertia of being pushed around by the trailer under braking and cornering, especially in the wet. The Disco is not a big car it actually has the same wheelbase a a Beta berlina at 100in and as a result of being geared and designed for towing will use far less fuel than a car will, in fact the fuel economy does not really change much whether you are towing or not, where as with a car you may achieve great economy not towing but that will certainly change once you hook up a trailer.
Regardless of which vehicle you choose don't just check the tow rating but also the maximum ball rate as this is what will affect how the vehicle will sit with the trailer attached and it is very easy to destroy the chassis of a vehicle if you overload the rear tow bar mounts. Take into consideration the load you are towing is a sprung mass which will affect the trailer balance during cornering and braking (even when strapped down).
I set up vehicles for traveling over some of the harshest terrain you can imagine for a living, and that includes towing over the same terrain and believe me that whatever the surface you are towing on gearing , braking , ball weight and chassis balance are the most important things, forget looking for something with power or torque look for something that can physically handle the load and is geared appropriately.
Good luck, and remember that at least your Lancia is running well enough to go to a track day so no matter what things are good