towing power from a 2.5
Hi Every one
I have a toyota prado 1996 138 bhp /290 nm. torqe and i'm thinking of buying a hse 2.5 2001 range rover ( 136 bhp) /275 nm torqe. to tow my twin axle caravan gross weight 1800 kg .The prado pulls it no probs ,has any one towed that weight with a 2.5 if so how was it


john

Yes and it was fine, forgot to say mine was remapped... best tow vehicle ive owned was a 95 pajero that towed anything with ease

I have a RR 2.5 DSE 2000 and I tow caravan 1500 kg. It has to work hard up the hills! I am sure it will tow your van - but I have to say I might think twice about towing 1800 kg regularly. I have just fitted PSI Powerbox and it does make a difference. I have towed with Shogun, Jeep Cherokee, Granada etc and the Range Rover, because of it's weight is by for the most stable - but not the quickest.

Yeah, I had one of those Landcruisers, great 4x4 but a bit soulless compared to RR. Reliability a RR can only dream about though . The engine of that model Landcruiser always pulled better than the figures showed. I honestly believe it had a better torque curve for towing than the, on paper, more powerful D4D engine.

The long and the short of it is though that while the 2.5 BMW isn't as powerful or torquey as the 3.0L Toyota engine, once chipped it is more than adequate for any towing job. I've pulled a 3000kg minidigger on a 3 axle Ifor Williams trailer all over my area and the reality is that the P38 is actually a better towing vehicle all round than the lancruiser. It is far superior in terms of stability and braking performance than the LC, rememeber that your Prado was only rated for 2,800kg towing whereas the RR is rated for 3,500kg. With your caravan it's likely that the only area of towing that the RR is inferior to the LC will be passing out a slower vehicle or long uphilll climbs, but as I said even in these areas it is more than adequate.
It also has that big advantage of the air suspension which is often underestimated until you actually go out and tow a heavy trailer. It works as a pick up hitch for hooking/unhooking the trailer and then you have the ability to always match the the running height of the vehicle to the hitch, it's almost unique in this aspect which all but eliminates the pitching motion you get with other tow vehicles.

All in all if you're prepared to deal with the reliability issues inherent in the P38 then it is the best tow vehicle in its class.

f1roborbob said:

I have a RR 2.5 DSE 2000 and I tow caravan 1500 kg. It has to work hard up the hills! I am sure it will tow your van - but I have to say I might think twice about towing 1800 kg regularly. I have just fitted PSI Powerbox and it does make a difference. I have towed with Shogun, Jeep Cherokee, Granada etc and the Range Rover, because of it's weight is by for the most stable - but not the quickest.

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I agree with F1roborbob, I tow a twin axle at 1800kgs and without the powerbox it is hard work to get up to a reasonable cruising speed.

Alan

jb999 said:

towing power from a 2.5
Hi Every one
I have a toyota prado 1996 138 bhp /290 nm. torqe and i'm thinking of buying a hse 2.5 2001 range rover ( 136 bhp) /275 nm torqe. to tow my twin axle caravan gross weight 1800 kg .The prado pulls it no probs ,has any one towed that weight with a 2.5 if so how was it

john

Click to expand...

I have a late year 2000 DHSE Auto with a PSI power box fitted. I have just towed a 1500Kg caravan around the Yorkshire Dales. Absolutely no problem, even enough power for a spot of well anticipated overtaking! Very economical turning in 22mpg if the cruising speed is kept down to 60mph on the autoroute here in France. Just keep an eye on the temperature in hot weather on long climbs and turn the aircon off for a bit if the guage starts to rise.

The Hyundai Galloper 2.5 diesel that I had before was down to 40mph on long motorway hills and would get down to 12mpg if pushed As bad as a P38 petrol V8 without any of the benefits

The P38 is the best tow vehicle I have ever had super stable, comfortable and adequately quick.