Tow cars

mikehhhhhhh · 20 Dec 2017 at 12:23

I was hoping to call on the vast array of motorists on this forum for advice/suggestions on tow cars.

I have, perhaps, a slightly too specific set of criteria that is making the job of replacing my car quite difficult.

Currently have a B8.5 S4 for towing my track car, which is great but it is savage on fuel over 20k miles a year (<20mpg long-term average, with towing only accounting for about 10% of my mileage).

I'm looking for a tow car that can be better on fuel when not towing, with a criteria that looks like this;

- Reasonably fast. a 2.0TDI VAG isn't what I'm looking for here.
- 40mpg on a motorway cruise at motorway speeds when not towing.
- Estate with a load space no smaller than the S4
- Min. 2000kg towing capacity
- High nose weight so I can fill up my wheel rack without having to put the car on the back of the trailer!
- Sub £20k

Currently my shortlist consists of a 535d, A6 BiTDI and little more tentatively the Merc 350cdi, but the nose weight is lacking a little on this. Reports seem to be hit and miss whether these can hit the economy requirement.

The E70/71 X5/X6 also appeals as I think a heavier car tows better, but I keep hearing of sub-30mpg on the motorway from these

Any help/suggestions are gratefully received and Merry Christmas

Dis86 · 20 Dec 2017 at 12:36

How tight are you on budget? X5's are normally cheaper for an equivalent spec to the X6. What you'll also see is much more in the way of 530d's rather than 535's. Also not a huge amount in it performance wise and slightly better efficiency from the 530d. I do think you'll struggle to get 40mpg if you're towing unless your speed doesn't stray above 60mph.

mikehhhhhhh · 20 Dec 2017 at 12:40

Oh, I definitely don't need or expect 40mpg while towing.

That figure is while not towing. I tow so infrequently that the economy while towing is inconsequential so long as I don't have a totally crippled range and end up at the fuel station every 100 miles

Dis86 · 20 Dec 2017 at 12:47

Ah! Misunderstood you there. In that case, 535d is all the car you'll ever need!

[TW]Fox · 20 Dec 2017 at 12:58

You'll get a better 530d for the money than a 535d and the difference isn't staggering.

Django x2 · 20 Dec 2017 at 13:22

I had to tow a Seat Ibiza today with the M5 with a tow rope. I literally barely noticed until I thought someone was tailgating me at 80mph no the M3. I got to 80 pretty damn rapidly too.

andicole0 · 20 Dec 2017 at 13:28

Should be looking at the caravan club web site for towing suggestions, Kia seems to be common :eek:

FYI https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/whats-on/awards/towcar-of-the-year/

Andi.

Dandle · 20 Dec 2017 at 13:37

I tow a 1635kg caravan with my F11 530d. It tows it no issue at all and has loads of power spare and even off the lights it will do a pretty good sprint without putting my foot to the floor. On a normal run it will return around 26mpg towing at 65-70. The nose weight limit on the Westfalia factory fit tow bar is 90kg and max tow weight 2000kg.

mikehhhhhhh · 20 Dec 2017 at 14:04

Dandle said:
I tow a 1635kg caravan with my F11 530d. It tows it no issue at all and has loads of power spare and even off the lights it will do a pretty good sprint without putting my foot to the floor. On a normal run it will return around 26mpg towing at 65-70. The nose weight limit on the Westfalia factory fit tow bar is 90kg and max tow weight 2000kg.

Perfect, thanks for that info - that's really helpful.

What sort of economy do you get from it when not towing?

andicole0 · 20 Dec 2017 at 14:04

Dandle said:
I tow a 1635kg caravan with my F11 530d. It tows it no issue at all and has loads of power spare and even off the lights it will do a pretty good sprint without putting my foot to the floor. On a normal run it will return around 26mpg towing at 65-70. The nose weight limit on the Westfalia factory fit tow bar is 90kg and max tow weight 2000kg.

Um, towing speed limit is 60 on dual carriageways and Motorways isn't it?

50 on single carriageways.
Andi.

Dandle · 20 Dec 2017 at 14:17

andicole0 said:
Um, towing speed limit is 60 on dual carriageways and Motorways isn't it? 50 on single carriageways.
Andi.

That's what I meant. Slip of the keyboard

.

mikehhhhhhh said:
Perfect, thanks for that info - that's really helpful.

What sort of economy do you get from it when not towing?

I don't do mega mileage and my work journey is only 7 miles but I am fairly heavy on the throttle. Over the 5yrs 4 months I've had I've covered about 35k miles and averaged 31.4mpg over the life. If it does a run then it get into the low 40s fairly easily and I'm sure if my dad was driving it would be in the high 30s most the time.

[TW]Fox · 20 Dec 2017 at 14:40

I have averaged 40mpg since I got mine about 18 months ago. It's fairly terrible on my reasonably short traffic filled commute but makes up for it on journeys, on a long motorway run 50 is just about achievable. It is about 10% better than my previous one.

mikehhhhhhh · 20 Dec 2017 at 14:56

Thanks chaps, this thread seems to have just further cemented the 535d then.

[TW]Fox · 20 Dec 2017 at 14:58

mikehhhhhhh said:
Thanks chaps, this thread seems to have just further cemented the 535d then.

The thread where everyone has talked about the 530d has cemented the 535?

Sub 20k 535s are going to be older and higher mileage and probably with the older pre euro 6 engine too. You could squeeze into a euro 6 facelift 530d however. It's hardly slow at 5.8 to 60.

Django x2 · 20 Dec 2017 at 14:59

andicole0 said:
Um, towing speed limit is 60 on dual carriageways and Motorways isn't it? 50 on single carriageways.
Andi.

That's the problem. I completely forgot I was towing anything. Entered the A34 slip road and put my foot down, within a few seconds, went from 30 to 80 LOL

mikehhhhhhh · 20 Dec 2017 at 15:57

[TW]Fox said:
The thread where everyone has talked about the 530d has cemented the 535?

Sub 20k 535s are going to be older and higher mileage and probably with the older pre euro 6 engine too. You could squeeze into a euro 6 facelift 530d however. It's hardly slow at 5.8 to 60.

This is a very good observation, however, I quite like the idea of the power a mapped 535d offers and the way my cars get treated as well as the mileage they do, a lower mileage one is probably wasted on me. I do like the newer BMW steering wheels though, what else does the facelift offer?

Whichever route I take, I'm slightly limited by wanting a touring, so it'll probably be a case of finding the example that fits the bill rather than whether it's 530/535.

Dandle · 20 Dec 2017 at 16:01

If your looking for a touring make sure its had the rear airsprings done or expect to have to replace them. Mine went a earlier in the year , you can get them after market and they only take an hour or so to replace rather than pay BMW prices.

mikehhhhhhh · 20 Dec 2017 at 16:05

Funnily enough, I was looking at this issue earlier. Sounds scary, but seems like a relatively cheap and easy fix

Thanks for the heads up.

mikeh501 · 20 Dec 2017 at 18:20

recently bought a A6 Allroad. Reckon it would make an excellent tow car. Air suspension as standard, 3.0 diesel, AWD and an auto.

mikehhhhhhh · 20 Dec 2017 at 18:33

I like the idea of the A6 Allroad, particularly the later model that has a 2.5t towing capacity, but I think it might just be a little too "wooly" when not towing for my tastes.

BMWs always seem to be that little bit sharper. I wouldn't be at all surprised if a 535d turned out to be more fun to drive than my S4 :/