3.5 tonne towing question

Well, as a Navara owner, all I can say is 'none taken' :D. I've had the truck for 11 years, in that time I've had replacement wheels due potential spoke cracking, and it has been repainted due rust appearing over the windscreen. Apart from that it has been fine although I hardly use it, and very rarely tow with it (excepting one fairly well-documented trip on here, towing a big rib down to the south of France).

That all said, that new Merc pickup looks nice.... :cool:
 
Mmm yes it does and if it has sprinter reliability it ought to be very good. Hopefully its a bit better rust proofed though! ��
 
Its a rebadged Navara
Made in Spain on the same production line in a Nissan factory according to “ Carmagazine “

Take a look @ the size of the box sections in the ladder chassis,you can observe this detail under the rear arches .
Then take a peek at a Defenders or early RR box sections .

https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-n...up-truck-concepts-revealed-pictures-and-info/

However Blurb does state 3500kg towing limit and it’s got a reworked suspension along with a 7 speed auto option ,so no clutch worries .
 
I towed my last boat with a Cayenne Turbo - it didn't really feel like anything was attached to it! Audi Q7 is another good tow vehicle without going 'agricultural'.
 
DiscoVolante said:
I towed my last boat with a Cayenne Turbo - it didn't really feel like anything was attached to it! Audi Q7 is another good tow vehicle without going 'agricultural'.
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Did you ever look underneath ?
Once you got the underbelly covers off there are massive rectangular and circular chassis and sub chassis members ,I was impressed came across as unbustable .
But you are right I did 160,000 miles in Cayenne S with a bit of towing now and again and plenty of off road .
The locking central and rear diff along with low box came in handy ,along with the air suspension whenthings got slippy .
I liked the deploy able / retractable tow bar too a 2K factory option .

Agree there are others than LR stuff and from memory Cayeene,s are rated to 3500 kg .
Mine Av d - 22 mpg from a 4.6 V8 in its life with us .
Cayenne /Q7 / Taurag - share the same chassis .
 
I did - mainly as I had to replace the prop-shaft & centre bearing which was a common problem.

I had air suspension and the electric tow bar - makes a big difference being able to adjust ride height and damping.
 
I find it interesting that the Jeep Grand Cherokee has not been mentioned here. My boat and trailer only just manages to weigh below 3500kg, the earlier 4.7 V8 model I have tows very well, also my later 3.0 GRD ( Mercedes version) tows the boat well, but does not quite match the V8. I am considering towing to Greece later this year.
 
Swordfish said:
I find it interesting that the Jeep Grand Cherokee has not been mentioned here. My boat and trailer only just manages to weigh below 3500kg, the earlier 4.7 V8 model I have tows very well, also my later 3.0 GRD ( Mercedes version) tows the boat well, but does not quite match the V8. I am considering towing to Greece later this year.
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We tow 3.5t to the south of France every year with a current model grand Cherokee. Very happy with it.
 
We do lots of 3.5T towing, and until recently have preferred the manual gearbox because it just seemed to have more control over the load.
Unfortunately the later 6 speed manual offerings in the pickup range seem to be developed to suit more general driving than pulling big weights, so moved to the auto version with impressive results and no burnt out clutches.

Another thing that has recently been bought to light in this country (and worth checking in your own) is the 3.5T maximum tow capacity of these vehicles can be compromised if the towing vehicle itself is also heavily loaded, so check the gross combination mass. Another potential issue for insurance companies to void cover.
 
Swordfish said:
I find it interesting that the Jeep Grand Cherokee has not been mentioned here. My boat and trailer only just manages to weigh below 3500kg, the earlier 4.7 V8 model I have tows very well, also my later 3.0 GRD ( Mercedes version) tows the boat well, but does not quite match the V8. I am considering towing to Greece later this year.
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Interesting to hear the V8 petrol pulls better than the diesel. Boaters here are also impressed by the Grand Cherokee (diesel) towing ability.
The brand has apparently had issues with other models in the range, but they say the GC is generally a good product.
 
FWIW, a Range Rover makes an excellent tow car. I have towed over 10k miles at 3.5 tonnes with one. Effortless pulling power in both the L322 300hp 4.4petrol and the L405 339hp 4.4diesel. The load is not at all significant on the RR. The air suspension sorts the levelling, and the whole train felt stable.
The Defender too is a good tow car due to low range box and rear suspension, I have towed same loads at similar distance in a 110 (lwb). In the defender however, you really know what you are pulling, although it is strong enough, power is a bit of a struggle at 3.5tonnes, but the FFRR is in a league of its own.
 
jimmy_the_builder said:
Well, as a Navara owner, all I can say is 'none taken' :D. I've had the truck for 11 years, in that time I've had replacement wheels due potential spoke cracking, and it has been repainted due rust appearing over the windscreen. Apart from that it has been fine although I hardly use it, and very rarely tow with it (excepting one fairly well-documented trip on here, towing a big rib down to the south of France).

That all said, that new Merc pickup looks nice.... :cool:
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I'm not interested in such things but they had a new Merc pickup on display at one of the airports I flew through recently (either LHR or Salzburg). Looks nice if that's your thing and it could certainly become the posh builders / developers choice of vehicle.
 
Another thing that has recently been bought to light in this country (and worth checking in your own) is the 3.5T maximum tow capacity of these vehicles can be compromised if the towing vehicle itself is also heavily loaded, so check the gross combination mass. Another potential issue for insurance companies to void cover.[/QUOTE]

That has always been the case and is why many manufacturers under rate their towing capacity. The Navara is a case in point and needs to be fairly empty to come within the 3500 limit when up-rated like mine.
 
AndieMac said:
Agree, they do a great job of a maximum load
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But as mentioned before, you can only carry a couple 100 kg in the truck with max trailer load hooked up due to GVW limit.
Unlike say the Izuzu pick up which can maintain its max load and tow max trailer weight. (as can the likes of Range Rovers and Jeep GC's)
 
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