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Still looking for a decent low priced car to tow with and have come across a Toyota Rav 4 at a reasonable price.

According to Parkers thsi particular model weighs 1310 kg and has a braked towing weight of 1500Kg.

The MTPLM of our Van is 1184Kg (Say 1200 for arguments sake).

By my calculations 85% of 1310Kg is 1113.5Kg which is below the MTPLM for the Van.

I'm getting confused

Anyway - Could I tow my Van comfortably with a Rav4 (2.0 Ltr) or have I got to look at another car?  Advice, as always is welcome.

KW

Ok, so 85% is a guideline and only a guideline.  You can tow up to 100% of the car's kerbweight, or the max tow weight if it is higher if you have had a licence since before 1997. 

It should therefore be fine as you are below the car's kerbweight.  I don't see why it won't make a good tow car.  I really like the RAV 4s and Toyota of course have an excellent reputation for reliability.

Ali

Hiya

Can't help with your towing questions, but we've just bought a Rav 4, picking it up on Saturday. Very excited.

I don't know what year your looking at, ours is early 2000, but have a look at the reviews on what car, here

Thanks - That's what I needed - a bit of reassurance

I'm towing with a 1.8 focus estate at the moment which is near the limit (about 97%) which is fine until I stop on a steep hill - just like the one I live at the top of

I didn't want to buy a car that would be just as bad even though I intend to replace both late next year.  BTW - the one I'm looking at is a 95 Reg.

We don't want to spend too much on a temporary tow car otherwise we may have gone for a Freelander - mind you, the way the OH changes her mind anything could happen.

I guess it all depends on how you define towing comfortably :) Toyotas max tow weight is determined as the max weight the car can pull away from a standing start on a set gradient (12% i think, but that could be way out)

That could be a one time only deal for the clutch, and if the vehicle has a two ratio transfer box will entail using the lowest possible gearing (not something you can realistically do on the open road without lots of messing round) Nor does iteally equate to how well the combo will accelerate down a slip road to join a motorway and all the other things that make for a comfortable stress free journey. The only surefire way to find out is give it a try unfortunately. I would think that at the very least the combination would be "adequate"

We towed a Bailey Ranger 510/4 really comfortably with our previous 54 Rav D4D.  It towed really well.  The only problem that we have had was with the clutch it had to be replaced as it smoked sometimes like it was on fire.  This is a common problem with this particular car and some others. 

We've now upgraded to a Nissan X Trail, but I would certainly recommend the RAV but think its wise to be aware of any possible faults as clutches are very expensive if not under warranty (ours was).

We rally regulary and whenever we had seen a Rav towing its always fitted with a Motormover so perhaps this would be an option.

Enjoy you Rav - we loved ours and had one previously too!

Thanks butbys, was the clutch burning whilst towing or was it a general fault with the car?

Thanks

KW

It didn't burn/smell at all when towing forwards, it was fantastic.

It was manouvering that was the problem.  We have a tricky pitch to get into on our storage site but we've done towing course so didn't put the car under too much pressure.  It was even when going back in a straight line on a level site.  It got a bit embarrassing because it smelt for the rest of the day normally.

We towed to Holland at Easter and when we got back had to get a new clutch fitted.  Looking on the Toyota owners club site this is a common problem and has something to do with the manufacturers not being allowed to use asbestos clutch linings.  When I explained to our local Toyota dealer they said they had never heard of clutch problems before and indicated that it may be our driving style - cheeky!

My neighbour drive a Yaris and thats just been in for a service and they replaced the clutch for no apparant reason so maybe its a Toyota problem.

Well after looking at hundreds of cars we finally put a deposit on a V Reg Honda CR-V.  I did say the OH would change her mind, didn't I?

Thanks for all the advice

   The honda vehicle you have put a deposit on.. we had 2 ralliers with a honda and a freelander   towing medium sized 17-18ft internal length caravans last year next to us at  a paignton site.. the exit road to get to the main road was pretty steep and the owners told me they would not attempt the climb as the cars seemed to be underpowered .. these guys have lots of experience ..the freelander suprised me, as he had landrover visit him on site and check it out there for faults .. .. i went up in 2nd gear to the top with my bailey moselle 2001 and a  2000 2.0lt petrol peugeot 406 family estate.. just me and the bride in ..and the bitch (lovely sally) the dog that is .. and all the holiday stuff.. i put this up on whattowcar and came back with this for you

ps ..i took the same outfit over the long mynd in shropshire ..wrong turn ..very hairy for the bride .. new knickers soiled and all that lol

Honda CR-V I - 2.0 16v (94 kW/126 bhp)
Date of manufacture: september 1997 - may 1999