Hi have a ds4 as above and now all kids have flown the nest and I have had to give up work to look after my wife I would really like to get caravanning again ideally we would like a 2 birth nothing fancy just something we could have a change of scenery. Although the tow weight is saying 1550 I can not find anyone who as towed with the ds4 would I be ok to go max fully loaded 1300kg I’m experienced in towing help please
You haven't given full details of the vehicle but the DS4 has a kerbweight of about 1400kg and the max tow limit of 1550 is with weight transfer and 1300kg is with a loaded vehicle so 1300kg should be your max. However, with only 113bhp I wonder if you might struggle a bit due to lack of power. How did you get on with your Picasso which I believe had the same engine?
Hi rob the Picasso I never towed as it was the grand c4 and only had a ball weight of 60 the vehicle is 1.6 HDi (115bhp) DStyle 5d so not as I posted sorry
I don't know anything about the vehicle in question, but towing a caravan weighing 1300kg with a vehicle having a 1.6 ltr engine and only 115bhp sounds a bit optimistic to me. However, I have always been one to go for plenty in reserve, so I tow a caravan weighing under 1,000kg with a 2 litre car having 150bhp.
I think a vehicle with such low power in comparison to the caravan weight would struggle, particularly on hills and/or with a decent headwind. People often forget the impact of wind drag with caravans, it can be quite substantial even with the lightest of caravans.
Hi. 115 bhp and 199 ft-lb of torque should easily manage 1300kg. My OH's Freelander has 110 bhp and 190 ft-lb and often pulls a horsebox between 1700 kg and 1800 kg without much difficulty except long hills can see it down to about 50 mph in 3rd gear, which can be rather noisy. Her old discovery with 111 bhp and 195 ft-lb regularly pulled 3000 kg or more.
Quote: Originally posted by martin734 on 19/4/2022
Hi. 115 bhp and 199 ft-lb of torque should easily manage 1300kg. My OH's Freelander has 110 bhp and 190 ft-lb and often pulls a horsebox between 1700 kg and 1800 kg without much difficulty except long hills can see it down to about 50 mph in 3rd gear, which can be rather noisy. Her old discovery with 111 bhp and 195 ft-lb regularly pulled 3000 kg or more.
Probably has a lot to do with gearing. Land Rovers, particularly older ones, tend to be quite low geared and will pull amazing amounts. When I was very young I worked for a garage and drove an old Land Rover breakdown truck. I once towed in a loaded road sweeper truck with it that must have weighed several tons, and it pulled it no problem. I think the breakdown truck was normally flat-out at about 50mph though because of the gearing. Most cars, especially these days, tend to be much higher geared.