OV9

Mrs wants a tow car for a Horse Trailer (Horse Boxes are stupid money and we can borrow a trailer, hence cheaper to get a tow car). Budget is £5k and must be cheap to run (no X5 V8's), small (Yeti, Kuga etc) and tow up to 2 tonnes.

Both the I3 and Tesla can't really tow and don't want to change these, so a 3rd car it is.

We both quite like Yeti's so any experience of these would be welcome or anything else you think would be better?

I wouldn't want to tow 2000kg with a Yeti, they're way too light.

A friend 2.0d awd Kuga isn't that stable on the motorway or under braking towing a 1600kg Swift caravan, so I'm not sure it would be any better with something so heavy.

You will need something with a bit about it to tow something so heavy with a bit of a safety net if you need to stop quickly and safely or change direction in an emergency.

Maybe an XC60 awd?

Can you safely tow a horse and horse box with a car that small? i.e. on paper it says it can handle the weight, but how does that translate to the real world?

Not having a go, just genuinely curious as I'm pretty ignorant about the subject, but am aware how it feels to be towing a single horse in a trailer with a Navara so just can't imagine doing it in a much smaller car. I know its a bit of a bugbear with my other half when she sees what some people are towing with.

Edit - @16vCento has articulated it with actual experience and words.

A small car pulling 2 tonnes sounds like a terrible idea. Get a Touareg.

Yeah, I wouldn't want to get caught in a crosswind with a full horse box behind a Yeti.

I'd be looking at like Mondeo/passat sized estates or SUVs.

Yeti's tow great but a full 2t would be a stretch. We towed a 1200kg and a 1500kg caravan with a 2wd diesel Yeti and with the bigger van it was very much take it slow and steady. I think a 4wd diesel Yeti can legally tow 2t but i cant imagine it being fun.

Older Santa Fe's would be a great workhorse.

Cheers. Neither of us have towed before so no idea (will do some courses first). Just checked weights online to see if it was doable, but actual experience is better and appreciate the feedback.

edit - I think the horse trailer is about 750kg-1000kg max and the horse is 500kg. 2 tonnes isn't really essential, just added extra in case it got a bit fatter plus horse stuff.

Disco4 was a fabulous tow-car, with our Disco3 not far behind.

You can get a leggy Disco3 for around £5k (for example this one, but you would want a decent specialist within reach, and they aren't cheap if something goes wrong. These are just as stable towing as the D4, but less powerful (although £400 gets you a remap from 190 to 230bhp and a chunk more torque too).

edit: worth looking into a 4x4 hire place to try a couple of things? I have seen a few vehicles from https://4x4hirescotland.co.uk/ when I've been out and about - anywhere similar closer to you?

Umm it's going where I hoped it wouldn't, trade in the i3.

Being averse to working on cars (even cleaning them), getting a 15+ year old large SUV isn't on the cards for me.

Maybe I should just tell my wife to ride her horse to venues instead!

mik wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 2:27 pm
edit: worth looking into a 4x4 hire place to try a couple of things? I have seen a few vehicles from https://4x4hirescotland.co.uk/ when I've been out and about - anywhere similar closer to you?

I have tried to get my wife to just hire a horse box for the day (they're about £100 per day), but she hates that idea (I think it's perfect).

Yeah, I was going to say a commercial-style pickup or a 4x4, neither of which you want to hear!

The Navara has been great, very reliable and pretty basic underneath so no fancy systems to go wrong, but still has a very good towing capacity and 4WD setup.

Link What could possibly go wrong?

Holley wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 2:36 pm
I have tried to get my wife to just hire a horse box for the day (they're about £100 per day), but she hates that idea (I think it's perfect).

That is the best suggestion so far.

mik wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 2:44 pm

Holley wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 2:36 pm
I have tried to get my wife to just hire a horse box for the day (they're about £100 per day), but she hates that idea (I think it's perfect).

That is the best suggestion so far.

Yeah, nothing up to £5k that can tow something that big will be cheap to run (unless you're @Sundayjumper). You could hire a shit ton of horse boxes for the cost to keep something else.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325485554456 ... media=COPY

Although if it's only a few times a year, renting seems to make sense.

ok, that might be cheap to run

JonMad wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 2:55 pm ok, that might be cheap to run

We had one as a dog car years ago and it was proper tough. My wife still refers to it as the tank

mik wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 2:44 pm

Holley wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 2:36 pm
I have tried to get my wife to just hire a horse box for the day (they're about £100 per day), but she hates that idea (I think it's perfect).

That is the best suggestion so far.

This.

Sundayjumper wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 3:41 pm

mik wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 2:44 pm

Holley wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 2:36 pm
I have tried to get my wife to just hire a horse box for the day (they're about £100 per day), but she hates that idea (I think it's perfect).

That is the best suggestion so far.

This.

there

That Hyundai looks alright though, won't feel bad about getting it covered in horse shit and running it into the ground.

Hire them, you also need to be able to tow the plates max weight of the trailer, not just why it weighs.

Dave!