Thinking of Bucaneer purchase

Pete and Kaz
Pete and Kaz Forum Participant Posts: 15
edited October 2019 in Caravans #1

reasearching tow cars for towing of the Elddis Bucaneer caravans on the club towcar match guide is very unwieldy. So looking for advice on suitable towcars from members. We were considering the Volvo X60 but according to the guide even these are unsuitable. Advice welcomed.

Comments

  • flatcoat
    flatcoat Forum Participant Posts: 1,571
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    edited November 2019 #2

    The clubs matching service is rubbish. Try towcar.info or similar. Having said that if you get hung up about towing ratios you will need something like a Range Rover or Touareg. 

  • Pete and Kaz
    Pete and Kaz Forum Participant Posts: 15
    edited November 2019 #3

    Thank you, and totally agree. I would like to earof other examples of towcar if there are any.

  • Pete and Kaz
    Pete and Kaz Forum Participant Posts: 15
    edited November 2019 #4

    Oops,hear of!

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2019 #5

    Give us some clues such as the all up weight of the caravan and what your preferences are for cars. 

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,670 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2019 #6

    The car needs to at least be heavier than the caravan, so as TW said, what is the loaded up weight of the van?  

    The less experienced you are at towing the more important it is to have a good car/van weight ratio

    We tow with a VW Touareg 3litre diesel, that would certainly be suitable, as would the equivalent BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Volvo, Shogun etc etc

    We used to have a Volvo XC90.

    Our twin axle van weighs in at 1900kg.

    As far as I can see, all the Buccaneers are large twin axles, and heavy, so no, a Volvo XC 60 would not be suitable.  You need something heavier.

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,683 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2019 #7

    I agree with Kj - I also tow with a VW Touareg.  Our van (a Knaus Starclass 695) has a maximum weight of 2000kg and it tows it with ease and is very stable under tow - including braking and long down-hill descents where the option to switch from auto to manual gearbox is very useful. The XC60 will be nowhere near heavy enough.

  • lornalou1
    lornalou1 Forum Participant Posts: 2,169
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    edited November 2019 #8

    Seriously check out the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Just under 2500kg mass in service weight and would pull anything anywhere.

  • Pete and Kaz
    Pete and Kaz Forum Participant Posts: 15
    edited November 2019 #9

    Thank you for your responses. I guess what I really need is a response from members towing the Bucaneer range (2015 - 2019).  What cars they tow with.  I am an experienced caravanner and appreciate the range of towcar /caravan ratios.  However as mentioned earlier the club outfit matching system is unhelpful.  So far the Touareg and Jeep are a start - thank you.

  • rich 81
    rich 81 Forum Participant Posts: 189
    edited November 2019 #10

    My Wife has a 2017 BMW X3 20 d x drive Auto kerb weight 1845 kg and it pulls our twin axle bailey with a maximum weight of 1676 kg with ease. It holds it perfectly and pulls like a train. 

    I have a 2019 Ford Ranger 3.2 Auto kerb weight 2183 kg which also pulls like a train. It all depends on what weight your caravan is and what sort of car your looking for. Both of ours would be more than capable.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,053 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2019 #11

    We are currently on our fifth Jeep, had Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Patriot, short and long wheelbase Wranglers. All have been excellent tow vehicles. We used to tow two ton of horse with ease. You get a lot for your money. Avoid Renegade though, not punchy enough.

  • lornalou1
    lornalou1 Forum Participant Posts: 2,169
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    edited November 2019 #12

    Use https://towcar.info/GB/ you will find it a better website than the clubs matching service.

  • MikeyA
    MikeyA Forum Participant Posts: 1,072
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    edited November 2019 #13

    As the Buccaneer range of caravans have MTPLMs in excess of 1900 kg (and most would upgrade to the 2000 kg max) I would suggest that your BMW is not capable of towing one.

    Your Ford Ranger obviously would be suitable.

  • rich 81
    rich 81 Forum Participant Posts: 189
    edited November 2019 #14

    The legal limit for the BMW is 2000 kg and having towed a twin axle all over Europe with it I disagree with you.  The BMW is the more capable tow car out of my two cars. Just because the Ranger is heavier it looks more capable on paper, believe me this isn't the case. If i had to take a 2000 kg caravan on a long journey I would choose my BMW. 

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