# Affordable, economical 4x4 to tow with?



## MissJessica (20 April 2015)

Looking for a 4x4 to tow with. 
Towing one horse in a medium size trailer (ie the two 16.2 type size). 
This vehicle will be used for the work commute 5 days a week & towing once a week therefore don't want a gas guzzler or for it to kill me on tax. 
What would you recommend? X


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## pennyturner (20 April 2015)

We're still very pleased with our cheapie, 20 year old mega-mileage Nissan Terrano... so much so that we're doing most of the day-to-day stuff in it for preference.  It's not anything like as heavy on fuel as a LR or similar, good on the motorway, tows 2.8 tonnes and very easy to live with.


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## CBFan (20 April 2015)

Watching with interest... I am in a similar position but might end up getting two vehicles - a cheap little run around for my daily commute of 70 miles each day and a bigger one for towing at the weekends... Just wondering what but I am looking at Nissan Terranos, Mitsubishi L200 and Ford Rangers mainly, although Kia Sorrentos are meant to be good, they seem dearer on the insurance for some reason. I think it is because they are classed as a car, whereas the others are classed as vans.


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## ROG (20 April 2015)

Skoda Octavia 4x4 = tow car of 2014

Also great for towing one horse with a down plated trailer on a B only licence


Any good = http://www.motors.co.uk/car-37562252/sp


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## fishy (20 April 2015)

I have a Ford Kuga and tow a bateson trailer.  Usually does about 34_35mpg around town and a bit less with the trailer (usually has 14.2 cob in it). Lovely car for every day and doesn't have any problems with the trailer.


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## MissJessica (20 April 2015)

Keep the suggestions coming. Thank you.


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## cremedemonthe (20 April 2015)

Maverick (same as Terrano) 2.7 tds, mine was the long wheelbase , 7 seater model and was an excellent towing vehicle. Good on diesel and spares too


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## ArabianGem78 (21 April 2015)

Another vote for the Terrano (I have a 3.0 sport model).

It returns around 30 mpg with town driving (more when on motorway, obviously). Tax is £290 for the year (2002 plate). My insurance is ~ £30 a month (37 year old female with 10 years+ NCB). 

Great for towing a Bateson trailer + 1 arab on our hills here in East Devon.

Spares and repairs not TOO horrendous.


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## Shazzababs (21 April 2015)

Watching this thread with interest.

I'm doing a similar search at the moment, I'm looking at cars that are about 3yrs old.  My shortlist for test drive so far is:

Hyundai ix35
Hyundai Santa Fe
Kia Sorrento
Octavia 4x4
VW Tiguan
Freelander (This has horrible MPG, but I'm a Landrover Junkie)

The ix35 and Tiguan have the best Mpg, but only have one model that tows enough for me (I've been looking a vehicles that tow a minimum of 1800kg).

Edited to add, I'm old (and jammy) so have a B+E license by default.


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## casspow (21 April 2015)

We have a Kia Sorrento (55plate) so not a massive tax bill! Good on fuel (As best as a 4x4 can be!) 
We love it - Dad drives it, I'm the passenger with the pony on the back


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## Always-Riding (21 April 2015)

I love my Kia Sorento - although I went for the newer model and have a £500 yearly tax bill :O but it's absolutely great and I'm glad I did so much research into the right 4x4 as its exactly what I wanted - economical 4x4 that doubles up as my everyday car.


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## Toby_Zaphod (21 April 2015)

If you are towing a trailer with 2 x 16h2" horses in it then you'll need something a little gutsy because you've got a fair weight there. It's not just towing the weight it's having the stopping power when you really need to. There's nothing worse then finding that the trailer is pushing due to its weight when you're actually trying to slow down. There are few economical 4x4 vehicles which will safely tow that weight but a 4x4 would be what you'd need. I think you need to try & find a 4x4 that has been converted over to LPG. LPG is much cheaper than diesel/petrol, around half the price? So if the car would normally do 25 mpg on petrol/diesel you would do 50 miles on LPG for the same money.

The downside of using LPG is that the LPG tank needs to be fittedf somewhere & normally in the boot so you would lose some boot space. That aside having LPG would make having a 4x4 powerful enough to tow the trailer with 2 large horses a viable proposition for using daily for work. Without LPG it may be price prohibitive. Good Luck on whatever you decide.


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## Cheshire Chestnut (21 April 2015)

Shazzababs said:



			Watching this thread with interest.

I'm doing a similar search at the moment, I'm looking at cars that are about 3yrs old.  My shortlist for test drive so far is:

Hyundai ix35
Hyundai Santa Fe
Kia Sorrento
Octavia 4x4
VW Tiguan
Freelander (This has horrible MPG, but I'm a Landrover Junkie)

The ix35 and Tiguan have the best Mpg, but only have one model that tows enough for me (I've been looking a vehicles that tow a minimum of 1800kg).

Edited to add, I'm old (and jammy) so have a B+E license by default.
		
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I was about to pick up my dacia Duster today but I changed my mind at last minute and got the ix35 4WD. It can pull more and i just decided I like it a bit better style wise. A bit sad about the Duster but I can blame my dad for well and truly talking me out of it. 

I'm only using it to pull my 700kg trailer and 14:2h Welsh D so plenty left in the 2000kg tow capacity.


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## rising_promise (21 April 2015)

I went for the Kia Sorento (2008 Titan model), with 3tonne towing capacity. Have an Equitrek trailer and wanted to be able to carry 2 horses so 3t needed ideally (MAM of trailer 2.5t). I drive it every day and love it. Takes about £80 to fill up the tank.

Recently drove over to Hartpury in Gloucester from Kent (300 mile round trip) and back with 2 horses on board. It took 6 hours to get there as was Good Friday and spent most of the time in 2nd gear with jams on both the M25 and M4 (we worked out we averaged 28mph there). Then travelled home the next day, sooth run but still took 4 hours. Car used 3/4's tank, I think that's pretty impressive.


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## mjcssjw2 (21 April 2015)

I love my sorento, but it is a real thirsty git, far far worse than my old jeep grand cherokee. but its a 2004 xe, may be the newer ones are better


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## cremedemonthe (21 April 2015)

If you get a Japanese 4x4, try these for spares, I used to get mine from here for my Suzuki and Maverick, quite reasonably priced.
Very knowledgeable on the phone too, they know exactly what part and part number you need just by a description!
http://japanese4x4spares.co.uk/

Oz


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## OldNag (21 April 2015)

pennyturner said:



			We're still very pleased with our cheapie, 20 year old mega-mileage Nissan Terrano... so much so that we're doing most of the day-to-day stuff in it for preference.  It's not anything like as heavy on fuel as a LR or similar, good on the motorway, tows 2.8 tonnes and very easy to live with.
		
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Snap! I love mine too. Old but good


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## Izzydonkey (21 April 2015)

I loved my Santa fe was great towing 2 14.2 cobs but with getting a 17.2 I've saved and upgraded to a Nissan pathfinder which without the trailer gets 33mpg and about 31mpg when towing, also has leather heated seats, what more could you want after freezing your arse off in winter at the yard  

Both great cars but for smaller weight limit and better on fuel the Santa fe is a great, also cheap to get hold of


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## welshcobmad (22 April 2015)

I have a Kia Sorento & love it. I do 20k plus a year commuting & its economical enough for me to do that in. Pulls 2800kg & even with 2 cobs in the back I don't know they're there plus its extremely comfortable as a day to day car. Costs £75 to fill & does around 480 miles for that. Its a 2004 XS model. I had a Terrano previously and also loved that and was great on fuel but the clutch did tend to start smelling a bit up long inclines on the motorway etc and was a bit agricultural for the commuting.


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## Da5912 (31 May 2020)

Reviving anold thread. Apologies.
Looking for something that people recommend similar to what the first poster was looking for.
Need to use it for other purposes so something that looks nice. But is cheap price wise. And does the job.
Thanks


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## conniegirl (31 May 2020)

We love our skoda Yeti 4x4
Does everything, very comfortable and not heavy on fuel


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## YorksG (31 May 2020)

I bought a 68 plate ssangyong Rexton in November 2019. To replace a16 year old Disco, which was costing arms and legs to keep running!
It had 40 ish miles on the clock when I bought the Rexton, got a brilliant deal. It had the same towing capacity as the disco, its cheaper on tax and better on fuel economy. It has room for the dogs in the back and is an all round wonderful vehicle. It's been of road in 4 wheel drive and was super. I can highly recommend


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## EmmaC78 (31 May 2020)

The Kia Sorento was mentioned a few times in the original post and I would recommend it too.  I have had mine a couple of years and had no problems, I used it to commute in and have towed with it as well.    Tax is around £190 a year I think.


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## still standing (31 May 2020)

I'm also looking for a replacement 4WD, for towing we well as everyday use, as my Hyundai Tucson recently broke down and I no longer trust it.   My no 1 priority is reliability for towing - I have a roadside rescue package for myself but am not covered if towing and that would be a nightmare as I travel quite far sometimes.   I can't afford new but fairly recent 2nd hand is within budget.

So I 'asked a friend' in a car dealership and with no hesitation he said VW Tiguan (up to 2016 I think).   Will tow an IW506 with my 15.2 horse no problem but also good fuel consumption (diesel).  And very good record on reliability.   He said not the Hyundai ix35 although I see someone back in 2015 got one, I wonder how they got on.   The Kia Sorento is another good one but they are pricey even older models, people keep them which is always a good sign!


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## dixie (31 May 2020)

I can highly recommend the Ssangyong Rexton too.
i have a 2014 plate, it tows effortlessly and drives well around town. its obviously thirsty but not so much as a lot of them.


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## Kat (31 May 2020)

A pick-up will be cheaper on tax and insurance than an equivalent sized 4x4 as they are classed as vans. They are also cheaper on fuel than many as they are part time 4wd. 

Obviously they are big to park and manoeuvre so don't suit everyone. 

I had a kia sorrento (the old one with the higher towing capacity) which had some pretty dreadful issues and ended up going back to the dealer. 

I replaced it with a Nissan Navara D40, which cost more to buy as it was newer but was cheaper to run. This lacked a bit of power on our steep hills with two horses in but did the job. It was nice to drive comfortable and towed well. Then it was bought back by Nissan under warranty due to a chassis issue - be really careful about this if you look at older Nissans. 

I now tow with an Isuzu D-Max and love it!  It has more power than the Nissan but is more economical. Plus it has a reverse camera which makes reversing and hitching up so much easier! It sounds a bit agricultural, but is perfectly comfortable to drive. 

I have never owned an L200 but have test driven several as they were a strong possible when we bought both of our pickups. We only didn't buy one because each time we were looking the age we were looking at was close to a model change, and the budget wouldn't quite stretch to the newer one. They probably drive more like a car than the Nissan or the Isuzu though.


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## ownedbyaconnie (31 May 2020)

I’m umming and ahhing between VW Tiguan and Touareg. Tiguans are cheaper to buy and run but I think I would rather have the 3.5ton towing allowance of the Touareg and the safety in its size and weight.

also heard that just because the Tiguan can pull the weight doesn’t mean it technically should and brake pads, clutches etc wear out a lot quicker.

love to hear any opinions on either! I will be towing a 14.1 380kg connemara and occasionally another pony.


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## vannersrus (31 May 2020)

If you’re looking for cheap the terrano is the best. It towed two big horses better than my current land cruiser and never let me down. Just make sure it’s properly checked for rust as that’s what tends to kill them in the end.


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## Da5912 (31 May 2020)

*thanks.*

*opinions on BMW X5 old shapes???*

*price bracket 3k max *

*Other driver for said vehicle using it when not using for horse towing  wants it to be a nice looking car 🙈*


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## mini_b (31 May 2020)

Shazzababs said:



			Watching this thread with interest.

I'm doing a similar search at the moment, I'm looking at cars that are about 3yrs old.  My shortlist for test drive so far is:

Hyundai ix35
Hyundai Santa Fe
Kia Sorrento
Octavia 4x4
VW Tiguan
Freelander (This has horrible MPG, but I'm a Landrover Junkie)

The ix35 and Tiguan have the best Mpg, but only have one model that tows enough for me (I've been looking a vehicles that tow a minimum of 1800kg).

Edited to add, I'm old (and jammy) so have a B+E license by default.
		
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have you checked weights for freelander? We got rid of ours because it didn’t have high enough towing capacity. Caved and got a defender (I love landys too!!)


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## Sussexbythesea (31 May 2020)

ownedbyaconnie said:



			I’m umming and ahhing between VW Tiguan and Touareg. Tiguans are cheaper to buy and run but I think I would rather have the 3.5ton towing allowance of the Touareg and the safety in its size and weight.

also heard that just because the Tiguan can pull the weight doesn’t mean it technically should and brake pads, clutches etc wear out a lot quicker.

love to hear any opinions on either! I will be towing a 14.1 380kg connemara and occasionally another pony.
		
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Someone on another similar thread said the Tiguan didn’t stand up to towing even though technically it had the right spec. I’ve been looking at Touaregs as considering buying a trailer and mainly because I have a VW Golf now that I’ve had 15 years and never put a foot wrong. Still looks good too, no rust. They’re more pricey though. I’d most often tow one but I think I’d be annoyed if I wanted to tow two and couldn’t. I’m not keen on change though so haven’t made the leap yet I’m afraid I’ll buy a pig in a poke.


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## ownedbyaconnie (31 May 2020)

Sussexbythesea said:



			Someone on another similar thread said the Tiguan didn’t stand up to towing even though technically it had the right spec. I’ve been looking at Touaregs as considering buying a trailer and mainly because I have a VW Golf now that I’ve had 15 years and never put a foot wrong. Still looks good too, no rust. They’re more pricey though. I’d most often tow one but I think I’d be annoyed if I wanted to tow two and couldn’t. I’m not keen on change though so haven’t made the leap yet I’m afraid I’ll buy a pig in a poke.
		
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Yes that is what I’m thinking. I don’t want to be replacing parts frequently or worrying it. I know a few towing with Touareg and they love them.


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## Shazzababs (7 June 2020)

mini barnes said:



			have you checked weights for freelander? We got rid of ours because it didn’t have high enough towing capacity. Caved and got a defender (I love landys too!!)
		
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Wow that was an old post!  We ended up with a Kia Sportage, the heavyweight one that tows 2 tonnes.  It towed beautifully.  They don't make them anymore, all the new ones tow much less, as does the Sorrento.  And as you say, we discounted the Freelander because it didn't tow enough.  In the end, it was a straight choice between the Sportage and the ix35, and the extra 2 years warranty won out.

However, my son now has a bigger pony so that combined with my Sec D is now close to the 2 tone mark.  We have recently swapped to a Sassongyong Rexton (even harder to spell than say!).  Was really dubious, but it ticked all the boxes at a reasonable price, so we went to drive it and were pleasantly surprised by how nice it was.  They let us tow the loaded trailer during the test drive too!  We have had no problem with it.  The 2-year-old model we bought was the same price as a 10yr old Disco and still has 5 years left on its warranty.  It tows my trailer without even noticing it.


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## NeverSurrender (7 June 2020)

I've towed on a 2008 VW Tiguan for the last 2 years, through Welsh hills etc and absolutely never had an issue with it beyond the general age related problems!


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## Abi90 (7 June 2020)

ownedbyaconnie said:



			Yes that is what I’m thinking. I don’t want to be replacing parts frequently or worrying it. I know a few towing with Touareg and they love them.
		
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I love my Touareg, it’s thirsty but it’s old. The newer, Bluemotion ones are much much better on fuel


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## ownedbyaconnie (7 June 2020)

Abi90 said:



			I love my Touareg, it’s thirsty but it’s old. The newer, Bluemotion ones are much much better on fuel
		
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Good to hear. I’m thinking of going for something no older than 5-6 years.


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## Abi90 (7 June 2020)

ownedbyaconnie said:



			Good to hear. I’m thinking of going for something no older than 5-6 years.
		
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You’ll get a Bluemotion at that age and they do about 45mpg on the motorway which isn’t bad.


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