# Honda CRV for towing?



## lialls (30 January 2012)

Hi guys

Has anyone here got a Honda CRV which you use for towing?  We've got a Santa Fe at the mo but its quite a big engine and with it being automatic too its not good on fuel. In fact, its reallyyyyy bad!   We dont do much towing now but would be looking to tow about 5 times a year and would want it to be able to drive over a field with trailer attached and horse in (local shows you see )  It would still need to be automatic as well.

So anyone got any experence of the CRV?  Or something smiliar?


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## Piglet (30 January 2012)

Not nearly man enough for towing!!!!  Maybe with a small pony and light trailer and flat roads with no hills then it maybe ok.  Check on a web site re legal towing weight


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## lialls (30 January 2012)

Legal braked tow weight for the petrol auto is 1500kg - think we're going to have to think again =/  thanks for your reply


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## hudsonw (30 January 2012)

I have one but i only have a single trailer and my horse is 620kg.

You have to watch the age of the CRV as it wasn't until 2004 they changed the chaise (or something like that?!!?) which increased the weights it could tow.

I use it as a day to day car and although spacious and a good drive it is thirsty on fuel.  

I don't think it would cope pulling 2 horses.

This website is quite good to help you work out what sort of car you need to look at.

I wouldn't get another one for towing unless it was a caravan?!!?

http://www.towinghorsetrailers.co.uk/towing_weights_law.htm


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## lialls (30 January 2012)

Thanks hudsonw.  What engine is in yours?


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## Derfette (30 January 2012)

I don't know about the Honda, but I have a Freelander TD4 diesel automatic. I know they're not everybody's favourite, but I love it! I tow my 400kg arab in a 505 without any problems at all, up and down hills, across show fields etc. The only thing, the engine isn't man enough to tow 2 big horses, but is fine with 2 ponies. Being auto, I find it much easier too.


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## hudsonw (30 January 2012)

2L petrol


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## lialls (30 January 2012)

Bril thanks for the input guys 

We've already had a Freelander - was petrol manual i think, smallish engine (about 2.2L i think) but was ment to be able to tow our trailer 600kg and 1 horse (under 500kg) with ease - It struggled at every hill and we could not get it across a field even without a trailer on. 

Whats the fuel ecomey like on yours Derfette?  Might be worth another look if it was an auto as i think some of our problems might be down to my mothers driving of it (duff left leg hence the need for an auto)


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## Bennions Field (30 January 2012)

I had a nissan x trail 2.0 litre diesel, it was the 175 bhp version so a little bit more oomph, it was a manual but towed my 510 trailer with a 650kg horse in, ie 1600kg, it was legal to tow 2500kg and would have easily managed it.  it had 2 and 4wd you just twisted a knob and it was great around my field with either the trailer on or the chain harrows   very pleased with it too on road as it was my company car, it did approx 35,000 miles a year and was very comfy 

sadly i changed company and lost my 4x4 company car   but have now brought a mitsubishi shogun, its thirsty but tows anything ! equally happy to recommend


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## lialls (30 January 2012)

thanks monkstc01  we looked in to the Xtrial before we got the Santa Fe but decided we hated the dials in the middle of the dash! lol  Each to their own.  If only they would move them over and we would concider it.

So no one tow with a CRV then? noo guess not  have to just keep looking for something more suitable


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## Cinnamontoast (30 January 2012)

monkstc01 said:



			I had a nissan x trail 2.0 litre diesel, it was the 175 bhp version so a little bit more oomph, it was a manual but towed my 510 trailer with a 650kg horse in, ie 1600kg, it was legal to tow 2500kg and would have easily managed it.
		
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Ooh, OH and I got matching (must do matchy matchy, you know!) X trails last year, avinggot rd of oldish CRV. Had no dea it could tow so much! 



lialls said:



			thanks monkstc01  we looked in to the Xtrial before we got the Santa Fe but decided we hated the dials in the middle of the dash! lol  Each to their own.  If only they would move them over and we would concider it.
		
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But easier to convert to right hand drive hence dials in middle. No way would I tow with a CRV!


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## BlackRider (30 January 2012)

My Dad has one, and although I wouldn't have towed with 2 in a trailer, its fine for one, and we've travelled fair distances with my arab.

it was also brilliant when we had over a foot of snow last year, and my lovely merc wouldn't get off the drive...


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## Olliecp77 (30 January 2012)

Gosh I've been towing easily with my diesel 2.2 litre CRV for over 3 years and find it great.  Great on hills even with 2 x 17hh.  Its the new style model.  I had never had a tow vehicle before but I find it great, plenty of power.  I'm on creappy irish roads and never had a problem on long or short journeys.


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## Wishful (30 January 2012)

diesel is different beast to petrol - diesel loads of torque, quite economical until you go motorway speeds.  Petrol gutless, no torque, thirsty etc.

Major issue with towing would be that the drive shafts aren't fantastic - wear a lot if the nose is in the air and they don't have self levelling suspension, so would be when towing.  approx 2k/drive shaft and both need done...


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## FayeFriesian (31 January 2012)

Have a look at the Kia Sorrento... brilliant cars for pulling, and you can put them in 2 wheel drive. Cost effective, and do quite a lot MPG.


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## perfect11s (31 January 2012)

Olliecp77 said:



			Gosh I've been towing easily with my diesel 2.2 litre CRV for over 3 years and find it great.  Great on hills even with 2 x 17hh.  Its the new style model.  I had never had a tow vehicle before but I find it great, plenty of power.  I'm on creappy irish roads and never had a problem on long or short journeys.
		
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 Hopefully you will just wreck the car and not injure horses or people !!! What is with people   vanity before 
safety  they will buy a stupid little car so they can be seen in something new and impress
who for gods sake  ??? if I see a horse trailer behind a small new/newish car I just see a fur coat and no knickers!!!  Cretins trying to save 5 mpg and  losing 3 times as much on deprciation    and being unsafe just because they dont want their mates to see them in an older car, even if it's up to the job safe and cheaper to run....


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## Llanali (31 January 2012)

Olliecp- I wouldn't publicise that! With a legal capacity of 1500kg, you're likely over weight with just your horses, forgetting the actual trailer!!!


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## perfect11s (31 January 2012)

Llanali said:



			Olliecp- I wouldn't publicise that! With a legal capacity of 1500kg, you're likely over weight with just your horses, forgetting the actual trailer!!!
		
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 It i'l Be ok !!!!the Garda dont look on here!!!!!


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## lialls (31 January 2012)

Ok, thanks for answering my question about a CRV then.

So what would be a recomended tow capility? 2T? or more? 3T?

My trailer is 600kg and my horse is under 500kg.  I wouldn't be towing 2 horses, just mine.

PS guys dont have a go at each other on here, theres plenty of people living right next door to you who put 3/4tons of live stock in a stock box and drive it to market behind there CRV/Terrano/something thats not capeable of towing that kind of weight!


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## lialls (31 January 2012)

If I use this website to work out the maths then the CRV would actually be legal for me to tow with.  Is that correct?

Trailer is 600kg + 1 horse at max weight of 500kg = 1100kg
The CRV can tow up to 1500kg so I would be ok to tow with that. Correct?

http://www.towinghorsetrailers.co.uk/towing_weights_law.htm


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## perfect11s (31 January 2012)

lialls said:



			Ok, thanks for answering my question about a CRV then.

So what would be a recomended tow capility? 2T? or more? 3T?

My trailer is 600kg and my horse is under 500kg.  I wouldn't be towing 2 horses, just mine.

PS guys dont have a go at each other on here, theres plenty of people living right next door to you who put 3/4tons of live stock in a stock box and drive it to market behind there CRV/Terrano/something thats not capeable of towing that kind of weight!
		
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 I guess anything with about 1500kg will be fine for you so later crv or a volvo xc etc will be fine , sorry but if someone gleefully posts that they do something stupid and endangers lives then it's only fair to speak out dont you think???


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## sbloom (31 January 2012)

The X Trail towing limit is 2000kg.  Not sure it's ever been 2500kg which is what the big boys can tow.


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## Luci07 (31 January 2012)

lialls said:



			If I use this website to work out the maths then the CRV would actually be legal for me to tow with.  Is that correct?

Trailer is 600kg + 1 horse at max weight of 500kg = 1100kg
The CRV can tow up to 1500kg so I would be ok to tow with that. Correct?

http://www.towinghorsetrailers.co.uk/towing_weights_law.htm

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But..... Do be warned that most of these sites assume towing on a flat or a 12% incline. If you have any really steep hills you will struggle. I am completely paranoid about this as even though I am only in Surrey, I do have some nasty hills particularly the one up to our yard.  I have stuck to one horse (@700kg) with my Bateson with a jeep that has a 3.3 towing capacity to be sure I have no problems. I have taken another horse but set a limit of under 450 kgs. There is nothing on any site which means you can calculate the power needed for steep hills so I make sure I play very very safe. We often get caught by a queue for the local dump which means hill starts too. I really really don't understand anyone why anyone would look to getting close to their maximum capacity!


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## Avonbrook (31 January 2012)

When I was last looking at legal towing weights I think the diesel CRV had a higher towing weight than the petrol ones. Not what I ended up with though.

The diesel X-Trail I had was great.  For the first 8 weeks until it blew its turbo on the motorway, attempted to leap onto the car in front with the engine racing and was still roaring away on the hard shoulder in vast clouds of black smoke long after I had turned the engine off, removed the key, grabbed my bag and retreated to a (very) safe distance up the hard shoulder.  Apparently they're a bit prone to doing that.  Was just very glad I didn't have a trailer on....

I've got a diesel Suzuki Grand Vitara now.  A bit thirsty and uninspiring but very well behaved.


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## perfect11s (31 January 2012)

Luci07 said:



			But..... Do be warned that most of these sites assume towing on a flat or a 12% incline. If you have any really steep hills you will struggle. I am completely paranoid about this as even though I am only in Surrey, I do have some nasty hills particularly the one up to our yard.  I have stuck to one horse (@700kg) with my Bateson with a jeep that has a 3.3 towing capacity to be sure I have no problems. I have taken another horse but set a limit of under 450 kgs. There is nothing on any site which means you can calculate the power needed for steep hills so I make sure I play very very safe. We often get caught by a queue for the local dump which means hill starts too. I really really don't understand anyone why anyone would look to getting close to their maximum capacity!
		
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 Yes sensible and yes what will do a lot will do a little, 
sadly people think it's more important to have a new car so if they havent got £30+k for a suitable new 4x4 they will buy a smaller one rather than suffer the shame of being seen in a second hand car???? fur coat and no knickers


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## Llanali (31 January 2012)

You would be legally fine with that combo lialls, but there might be safer ones. The 80% caravan club guideline does exist for a reason- fact/ law it is not, but sensible it might be. 

I would worry less about going up
Hills that down them! I had a CRV I borrowed to tow with a few times- it was legal with my skinny mini tb an ifor Williams trailer, but I could feel the trailer push the car a bit down a steep decline, and felt it lacked sufficient gravitas and weight on motorways.
For local and infrequent towing, it should be fine.


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## ROG (31 January 2012)

lialls said:



			Ok, thanks for answering my question about a CRV then.

So what would be a recomended tow capility? 2T? or more? 3T?

My trailer is 600kg and my horse is under 500kg.
		
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If the total trailer weight when loaded is 1100 then a vehicle towing capacity of at least 1100 is required as well as a trailer MAM of at least 1100

If towing on a B+E licence then that's it

If towing on a B licence then many more factors come into play but I will not go into those unless needed


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## starbar (31 January 2012)

I used to have an automatic CRV.  I towed with it once, never again.  I had a 15 hands LW cob and my trad yearling filly in the back so not a huge load.  It just about managed on the flat but we very nearly didn't make it up a hill.  I think we were doing about 10 mph when we got to the top and and there was a god awful smell coming from under the bonnet   For towing don't touch with a bargepole!


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## horsegirl (31 January 2012)

I have a CRV and I tow a single trailer and horse (chunky IDxTB 16.1) with no problems at all.  I have also towed it crammed with 28 large bags of shavings and 30 bales of hay again no problems.  I have an older CRV the middle one, I believe the new ones can tow more


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## horsegirl (31 January 2012)

Llanali said:



			Olliecp- I wouldn't publicise that! With a legal capacity of 1500kg, you're likely over weight with just your horses, forgetting the actual trailer!!!
		
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I believe the newer CRVs can tow more than 1500kg


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## Llanali (31 January 2012)

Possibly- I know the ones up to 56 plate are limited at 1500, the ones up to 2001 at less.


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## martlin (31 January 2012)

The new Xtrail has 2200 kg towing capacity. I have an 03 reg Xtrail sport diesel, with 2000kg towing capacity and love it. Admittedly I mainly tow livestock and the occasional horse, but it never let me down. Engine is 2.2l diesel, done 142K miles, half of it towing, still on the same clutch, in fact, nothing major has ever gone wrong with it.


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## sbloom (31 January 2012)

martlin said:



			The new Xtrail has 2200 kg towing capacity. I have an 03 reg Xtrail sport diesel, with 2000kg towing capacity and love it. Admittedly I mainly tow livestock and the occasional horse, but it never let me down. Engine is 2.2l diesel, done 142K miles, half of it towing, still on the same clutch, in fact, nothing major has ever gone wrong with it.
		
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Fair enough, but one poster quoted 2500kg which is still a chunk more than 2200kg.  My knowledgeable OH really rates them, but you obviously do need to know the correct towing weight to get anywhere approaching safe!


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## lady_annabelle (31 January 2012)

My mum got the new top of the range crv and they adjusted slightly to tow as we explained about the trailer plus horse and a lot of people weren't fitting the tow bar to the chassis so worth speaking to dealer mums can pull mine fine


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## lialls (31 January 2012)

Thanks for all your comments guys.  Very helpful.

The CRV would be legal for us to tow with but I think this situation needs some more thought anyway.


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## cruzing (31 January 2012)

My sister tows with a Susuki Grand Vitara. Think the max is 1850 for it. She only ever tows her own 15.2hh tho, it tows fine and is great in the snow.


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## lialls (1 February 2012)

Thats good to know, thanks cruzing


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