Towing a twin axle caravan
I am looking at an Audi Q5 40 tdi Quattro S Tronic 71 plate will this tow my Coachman 675 2021 will this tow my caravan.
Thanks
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What is the MTPLM of your caravan and the kerb weight of the car? That’ll give us a good starting point.
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Thew towing limit is down to the ability to restart five times on a 12% hill and is more a measure of the strength of the driveline than its towing ability. As you already have the caravan I assume you are experienced at towing so the general rule is never tow anything heavier than the kerb weight of the tow car and preferably have a safety margin. so check this out. Towing at that weight might be OK around town with a car on a trailer but out on the motorway things are different.
Essentially caravans are large almost empty boxes and the long flat sides are not ideal on a trailer. This makes them particularly vulnerable to side winds, so caution as needed with weights. Basically if the caravan is too heavy then the weight of the caravan can take over in some circumstances and the result can be terminal.
There is no precise formula for the calculation of a safe combination as some cars are better than others when it comes to towing safety. It pays therefore to err on the side of caution although in general Audis are very good tow cars so provided the figures look OK I doubt you will have a problem.
Part of my work has been investigating claims for insurance purposes, so I do know what can happen if things go wrong.
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Even a Mini these days seems to be able to tow a large caravan in a straight line - but will it be able to stop it?
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Have you seen the figures on a 2.0L Mini Countryman? 4wd, 218bhp, 360N/m torque and a 1640kg kerb weight. I'd call those stats more Maxi than Mini, but I think the 2000kg tow limit specified is a bit high if it's a caravan on the back.
Interestingly, for me anyway towing typically 1350kg, the 1.5 with 170bhp, 280N/m torque and a 1545kg kerb weight is not available for towing in the UK, but does appear to be so on mainland Europe. The whatcar website implies otherwise but Mini have confirmed it will not tow, despite a misleading website of their own.
Colin
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Apart from a few caravans with electronically/hydraulicly activated brakes the others rely on the tow vehicle being able to slow down sufficiently to force the caravan brakes to be applied.
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