stuarthse Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 I am new to caravaning and wonder if any one can advise me if this vehicle would be sutiable to tow a 2 berth caravan, possible 15ft (external length) with a max towing weight of say 1250kg My other vehicle is a citreon C4 1.6HDI and I am not sure which to use as the preferred towing vehicle Any advice would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 Hi - I am very much a fan of 4x4's for towing - not only do they tow better in my view on the road, but on wet grass - which is as slippery as ice when lugging a caravan - being able to select AWD Dif Lock and low range is a revelation to those who have never seen it in action. No tearing up of the grass leaving great muddy scars - just leave the thing on tickover and out of the problem it will creep. I am not sure what "system" the Vitara uses but I have seen them tow well. Even a loaded horse box on VERY muddy grass was not a problem. You may want to check out the Vitara Owners Club for guys with actual experience of this vehicle. As regards your other vehicle - with it being a smaller engine and front wheel drive I doubt it will be as stable towing and I can virtually guarantee wheel spin if you have to manoeuvre the caravan on wet grass. I do recommend the towing/nose weights etc before setting off. Have fun!! (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 Should read "I do recommend CHECKING the ........ etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterrosey Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 We use a Grand Vitara 2.5-litre V6 auto (S-reg) to tow our Dethleffs single axle (about 1200kg loaded) - with a genuine Suzuki towbar - and the results were not good. Petrol and auto are a bad combination for towing anyway (read 9mpg!), but the biggest problem was the weight of the car. Vitaras are just a bit too lightweight and the caravan kept wagging the car about (yes we have a stabiliser). By contrast I've towed the same van with a VW Passat 130TDI auto estate (no probs), a Nissan Primera dCi (fine) and, best of all, a BMW 530d auto (effortless and utterly stable). Personally I think the combination of a high centre of gravity, balloon tyres together with low towing capacity makes the Vitara only really suitable for the very lightest of caravans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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