I am looking to buy a c class for towing my caravan.Because of money available the petrol version fits my pocket as a 1to 2 year old car.Does anyone tow with the petrol model and how do you find it .The van is 1420 kg´s mtpl Challenger.I would be grateful for any info as I am due to buy in next 2 months so don't want to make a mistake as my wife says this is the last car for a few years.(retired so not easy to save money)
Dryce
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davidjpowell
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I've towed with a Petrol Laguna, and a Diesel E Class in the past.
Obviously very much depends on the engine, but diesels are far more suited to towing duty than petrol. The power of the Petrol tends to be towards the top end. My Laguna was a 1.8 Petrol, towing a similar weight caravan. It got there, but on hills needed an early downchange to keep the speed. Only killer were very steep hills with a sharp bend, which would consequently see me down to first gear to the top of the hill. Not sure about mixing an Auto on this.
Diesel E did not notice the caravan. Your going to be at the top end of the weight capacity also, especially if the caravan weight is unloaded.
Obviously very much depends on the engine, but diesels are far more suited to towing duty than petrol. The power of the Petrol tends to be towards the top end. My Laguna was a 1.8 Petrol, towing a similar weight caravan. It got there, but on hills needed an early downchange to keep the speed. Only killer were very steep hills with a sharp bend, which would consequently see me down to first gear to the top of the hill. Not sure about mixing an Auto on this.
Diesel E did not notice the caravan. Your going to be at the top end of the weight capacity also, especially if the caravan weight is unloaded.
Thanks David,I tow with a petrol now it is a turbo charged and has no problem towing the van only drops to 5th on hills but the car is a bit light and the tow bar is low so it tows a bit nose down (more than usual) I have 155bhp so the power is there and that is why the c180 with similar bhp should be ok.It is just how the power delivery comes in on the c class is it fairly low down or do you have to rev it too much.
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Hello
When you say a 2 year old Petrol C class which model?
I've just ran through the tow car site using a C250Cdi Estate (newish model) and the caravan you have puts that at 96% which sounds quite high as 80% is the general rule of thumb.
I'm sure it will tow it, but it will have to try hard and probably sit low on the back (towbar) also. Its what your safe towing with also and I cannot imagine the MPG towing.
I've towed with petrol cars a 3.0L Bmw and 3.7L Merc ML, The merc would to anything all day long but mpg was around 18 towing. The diesal cars are definately better tow cars in my book.
I've now got an E class estate that is a diesal, it tows with ease. I even get 28mpg towing which is very very good and the estate E class has self leveling rear suspension so the rig always looks level.
You mention this could be a keeping car....so rather than get it wrong now get the right one. Buying a diesal will save you money depending on your millage anyway? however I'm still not convinced a C class will be comfortable with that weight van.
Most of the power from a C180 I'm guessing will be around 3500 / 4000 revs, quite high in a diesal you will have power much much lower down.
When you say a 2 year old Petrol C class which model?
I've just ran through the tow car site using a C250Cdi Estate (newish model) and the caravan you have puts that at 96% which sounds quite high as 80% is the general rule of thumb.
I'm sure it will tow it, but it will have to try hard and probably sit low on the back (towbar) also. Its what your safe towing with also and I cannot imagine the MPG towing.
I've towed with petrol cars a 3.0L Bmw and 3.7L Merc ML, The merc would to anything all day long but mpg was around 18 towing. The diesal cars are definately better tow cars in my book.
I've now got an E class estate that is a diesal, it tows with ease. I even get 28mpg towing which is very very good and the estate E class has self leveling rear suspension so the rig always looks level.
You mention this could be a keeping car....so rather than get it wrong now get the right one. Buying a diesal will save you money depending on your millage anyway? however I'm still not convinced a C class will be comfortable with that weight van.
Most of the power from a C180 I'm guessing will be around 3500 / 4000 revs, quite high in a diesal you will have power much much lower down.
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prprandall51
MB Enthusiast
I have no towing experience to add but I would caution against using bhp figures to indicate suitability to tow.
In recent years, manufacturers have upped bhp for a given capacity considerably (the current 2.5 equals the previous 3.2 litre type of thing). They do this to sell smaller engined (with low emissions) cars whilst still looking like they are delivering desired power outputs.
But, towing is about torque and it is very important where that torque appears in the rev range - if the power and torque are all in the upper rev range then that car isn't going to tow anything successfully.
I appeciate you are aware of this - and that is why you are asking for opinions on real-world towing experience. It's just that I get worried when people talk about power output and associate it with towing capability. Extreme example: my motorbike develops 193bhp but it wouldn't be able to tow anything.
In recent years, manufacturers have upped bhp for a given capacity considerably (the current 2.5 equals the previous 3.2 litre type of thing). They do this to sell smaller engined (with low emissions) cars whilst still looking like they are delivering desired power outputs.
But, towing is about torque and it is very important where that torque appears in the rev range - if the power and torque are all in the upper rev range then that car isn't going to tow anything successfully.
I appeciate you are aware of this - and that is why you are asking for opinions on real-world towing experience. It's just that I get worried when people talk about power output and associate it with towing capability. Extreme example: my motorbike develops 193bhp but it wouldn't be able to tow anything.
I've towed our current caravan (1500 kg mtplm) with a petrol 2.8 V6 and a diesel 3.0 V6, both of which happened to give 204 bhp. But ... the diesel has far more torque (440 Nm vs 265 for the petrol), which makes a huge difference.
The petrol was OK but top gear (6th) was almost unusable for towing unless running on a premium fuel like V-Power. The diesel hardly notices the caravan and will pull up hills without breaking sweat, not to mention being far quicker off the line at junctions etc.
Watch out for the towbar noseweight limit. For good stability the guideline is to balance the caravan to a noseweight of 7% ... so at mtplm for your caravan that would be approx. 100 kg. I'm sure that's over the limit for a C Class, which would (a) invalidate your warranty and (b) potentially get you prosecuted if caught by a police roadside check. With a 96% weight match you really wouldn't want to cut back on noseweight IMHO.
The petrol was OK but top gear (6th) was almost unusable for towing unless running on a premium fuel like V-Power. The diesel hardly notices the caravan and will pull up hills without breaking sweat, not to mention being far quicker off the line at junctions etc.
Watch out for the towbar noseweight limit. For good stability the guideline is to balance the caravan to a noseweight of 7% ... so at mtplm for your caravan that would be approx. 100 kg. I'm sure that's over the limit for a C Class, which would (a) invalidate your warranty and (b) potentially get you prosecuted if caught by a police roadside check. With a 96% weight match you really wouldn't want to cut back on noseweight IMHO.
Troon
MB Enthusiast
+1 to all of the above. For the same money as a 2010/11 S204 C180, why not get a much nicer 2007/08 S211 E220/280/320 CDI? You'll get similar or better solo fuel consumption, more power and torque, more space and a car that is much better at towing: more weight (vs S204), more towing capacity (vs S204) and self-levelling suspension (standard on all S211s).
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My wife will not have a car over 2years old if we are going to keep it for a while, so I can't go older.My citroen tows my van in 6th gear at 55mph with plenty to spare.I get about 26mpg when towing so it is ok that way as well.If I had plenty of money I would get the 250 but that is not to be.I cannot believe the c180 hasn't got enough to tow this weight as it gives a towing capacity of 1800 kgs, which is way above.I have been towing for 30years and do not subscribe to the 80 or 85% rule.I won't go over 100% butthe caravan is brand new and tows very well. I appreciate the info and will see how things go,but I have to get a car no older than 2years or not at all.Will wait and see what my PX is worth and decide from there.I have seen a diesel c200 for sale at a reasonable price so that might be an alternative.
with regard to noseweight I have asked the question and am awaiting an answer.There are very few cars can have 100kgs noseweight and my caravan is really pretty light so I would think that anything heavier than mine could only be towed by a 4x4 and this is obviously not the case as there are plenty of cars towing bigger vans than mine.Even though the cars are bigger and heavier there re still very few that are allowed noseweight of over 80kg.It is just a case of balancing out the loading of the van and keeping weight low down.
^ Its seems you have already made up your mine before asking the questions...
If your happy with a C180 as a towcar then all good. Me I'm not so sure but thats my opinion. If you say you don't want to be swapping it I would rather make sure I got the right car now.
Whats with with having to be only 2 years old?
If you purchase an approved used Merc it will have a year warranty and you can extend this each year.
Good luck
If your happy with a C180 as a towcar then all good. Me I'm not so sure but thats my opinion. If you say you don't want to be swapping it I would rather make sure I got the right car now.
Whats with with having to be only 2 years old?
If you purchase an approved used Merc it will have a year warranty and you can extend this each year.
Good luck
pipmk
Active Member
I've towed for over 35 years all over Europe for an average of 5000 miles a year. I don't think the 180 is up to the job given the caravan weight. It will do it but the strain on the car will cost you in wear so you won't be keeping it for years without massive bills. You also will not have enough power in reserve for those moments when you need that extra go.
If you go ahead and it seems like you are determined to do so make sure you put as many heavy objects in the back seat and forward part of the boot as you can. You should drive like the front seat was full of eggs, smooth, smooth smooth, which will get very tiring after just a few miles.
Any road side check will probably see you reported for a unsafe load, the catch all charge which makes nonsense of just being within the makers limits.
You are right, I can't think of a conventional saloon whose tow bar loading is over about 80 and that is about what the bar will carry without exceeding the design max. not just the law. Just think of the extra loading when you go over a sleeping policeman or anything that makes the 'van pitch, the instant loading figure goes through the roof. It would also be towing very nose down and the back of the car and tow will be in danger of grounding, a good way to rip your electrics off at the least.
You won't hear it but don't do it, you will wreck your car and your holiday.
If you go ahead and it seems like you are determined to do so make sure you put as many heavy objects in the back seat and forward part of the boot as you can. You should drive like the front seat was full of eggs, smooth, smooth smooth, which will get very tiring after just a few miles.
Any road side check will probably see you reported for a unsafe load, the catch all charge which makes nonsense of just being within the makers limits.
You are right, I can't think of a conventional saloon whose tow bar loading is over about 80 and that is about what the bar will carry without exceeding the design max. not just the law. Just think of the extra loading when you go over a sleeping policeman or anything that makes the 'van pitch, the instant loading figure goes through the roof. It would also be towing very nose down and the back of the car and tow will be in danger of grounding, a good way to rip your electrics off at the least.
You won't hear it but don't do it, you will wreck your car and your holiday.
Troon
MB Enthusiast
Tell your good lady that the nice people from the internet think that's a silly criterion, and makes even less sense if your intention is to keep it for a long time.
Maybe for French cars it's a good rule, but take her to a local Merc specialist and see if they'll let you try out a 2007-ish E-Class.
The maximum braked trailer limit set by the car manufacturer is based on being able to do a hill start on a specified gradient with that load attached to the towbar. In practical terms a 1500 kg caravan is a bigger load than a 1500 kg trailer because of the (much) higher aerodynamic drag.
I doubt you will find anyone here who has towed a caravan similar to yours with a C180. This is simply because of the views already stated - most people would choose a bigger and heavier car with a larger engine (preferably diesel), buying a slightly older one if necessary in order to achieve this. By the time you've had a car for 5 years will it really matter whether it's then 7 years old or 8?
With regard to noseweight, you can balance a single-axle caravan to any figure you desire by moving things around. You can certainly reduce it to (let's say) 50 kg, if that is the towbar limit for a particular car. But having half the recommended noseweight for the weight of caravan will reduce stability - and if you are already towing at near to a 100% weight match that is not a good thing.
Alternatively you can overload the towbar/bodywork/suspension by exceeding the towbar limit, but I wouldn't really recommend this with a vehicle you intend to keep long term.
Having towed with a range of petrol and diesel engined vehicles I cannot emphasise enough the safety and security that a really well matched outfit gives, particulary in terms of stability on motorways.
But anyway it does sound like you have made up your mind, so good luck if you do decide to go ahead with this particular car
I too have towed for many years , but other than towing small trailers with my 190E's , have never towed with anything as small as a C Class .
As others have stated , it is not so much about engine power as with the mass of the car being able to keep the van under control .
Re nose weight , yes you can minimise this by careful loading of the van . However , most Merc saloons have a longish overhang behind the rear axle so tend to be rated at 50 or 75 Kg .
On the other hand , if you get an estate car , they all have self levelling rear suspension and can cope with highish nose weights and keeping the outfit level which is much better for handling and stability .
On the subject of transmission , I have towed large twin axle caravans with automatic cars ( on my W123 I fitted a Kenlowe transmission oil cooler , but later cars all had a separate one anyway ) and never had any problems , with some of the cars racking up well beyond 200,000 miles .
These newer cars such as you are looking at often have the cursed foot operated parking brake , which is not a happy combination with manual transmission , and especially not when towing .
As others have stated , it is not so much about engine power as with the mass of the car being able to keep the van under control .
Re nose weight , yes you can minimise this by careful loading of the van . However , most Merc saloons have a longish overhang behind the rear axle so tend to be rated at 50 or 75 Kg .
On the other hand , if you get an estate car , they all have self levelling rear suspension and can cope with highish nose weights and keeping the outfit level which is much better for handling and stability .
On the subject of transmission , I have towed large twin axle caravans with automatic cars ( on my W123 I fitted a Kenlowe transmission oil cooler , but later cars all had a separate one anyway ) and never had any problems , with some of the cars racking up well beyond 200,000 miles .
These newer cars such as you are looking at often have the cursed foot operated parking brake , which is not a happy combination with manual transmission , and especially not when towing .
brucemillar
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You
Towed my twin axle Avondale all over the UK and never had any issues with it. I used to occasionally forget it was on the back. Unfortunately that was behind my 4.6 BMW X5 Sport. Always go for max torque. Heading up Glencoe etc with max revs and no torque does not endeer you to the queues behind. Less stress on you and the car.
Towed my twin axle Avondale all over the UK and never had any issues with it. I used to occasionally forget it was on the back. Unfortunately that was behind my 4.6 BMW X5 Sport. Always go for max torque. Heading up Glencoe etc with max revs and no torque does not endeer you to the queues behind. Less stress on you and the car.
