d4 towing

[rogngab]

Hi everyone first post our van is
atm 3110
gtm 2840
tare 2510
axle load capacity 3200
we are looking at buying a d4 to tow this beast how easily will the d4 tow a van of this weight i dont really want to look at the lc 200 with the problems it seems to have and also how good does the trailer sway work cheers RognGab

[robbotd5]

If it is the 3.0 TDV6 I dont think you will have any issues at all. The 2.7 will be ok also. I've driven my wife's uncles D3 TDV6 2.7 and the power was impressive over my willing TD5.
Though some may disagree.......
Regards
Robbo

[Disco4SE]

Hi rogngab,
Both engines will pull the van, however the 3.0Lt will do it easier with less strain on the engine and yourself.
The vehicle itself is very capable of the job as well.
Cheers, Craig

[CaverD3]

Both will do it better than the LC200.:D

[mowog]

The D4 is simply the best 3500kg class tow vehicle you can buy in Australia.

My new van (arrives Feb) will be around the same weight as yours. My current van is 2300kg loaded. The D4 tows it very well.

[harlie]

The D4 is simply the best 3500kg class tow vehicle you can buy in Australia.
This statement may need a $ class clause.

What about the L322... or the V10tdi Touareg (has 350kg ball weight)... I've now compared the D4 Vs L322 with 3t behind (same day over the same course) and the L322 wins, but the D4 is definitely very very very good.

Friends have just ordered a V10 Touareg, I'm looking forward to giving it the same test. Their current V6tdi Touareg was surprisingly good (especially given it’s soft coils) – we new it has heaps of grunt but the chassis was the surprise - no where near as good as the D4 for handling but still much better that I expected, the V10 is on air with 800+nm tourqe so it should be good.

[mowog]

I did the exercise on what Car when I was looking for a new car.

Requirements...

3500kg towing, & Diesel.

Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Old was due for replacement. Seat position was crap (for me)

Upside was cheap had a good engine.

VW Touareg...

Also due for replacement at the time I was looking.

VERY Expensive when optioned not a 7 seater.

BMW X5

Stupid price when options are added.

Audi Q7

I liked this wife hated it same problem as the X5 when adding options.

Discovery 4 / Range Rover Sport.

It was a close call here but the 7 seats won. When compared to the cars above it was better value for money. It was for me better to drive.

My D4 is a 3.0l TDV6 SE nothing in the list above came close to matching the spec for the price.

In the $80-120k bracket the D4 is very hard to beat as an all rounder.

Note: I didn't look at anything from Japan or Korea.

[AndrewT49]

Am just doing the same exercise with our 2008 D3.
Our Van is just slightly heavier than yours in that fully loaded it can be 3.5t.
Tows beautifully. Economy looks like a range of 600km's instead of 900km's.

Electrically it's a different story.

If your van has LED's you definitely need the LED module (about $245 delivered) from Linear Electronic Design. This stops the turn lights on the van from constantly flashing. Great service and prompt plus a piece of cake to fit yourself.

Forget entirely about the white 7 pin "S" type plug on the tow bar. May suit Europe but a total waste of time for Australia.

From the description of your van it is a fair bet that you will have at least 2 auxiliary batteries plus a large 2 door 3 way automatic refrigerator.
To power these you will need 2 separate 'Anderson" plugs wired to the tow bar on the D4.

After researching this subject for several weeks I was tearing my hair out from all the conflicting advise. Everyone from dealers to auto electricians. In the end I discovered a post on this web site from Drivesafe.

Contact Tim at Traxide (Drivesafe Member). Tim can supply all the parts you need plus he gives the best unbiased advise.

Finally, with the Disco YOU CANNOT USE LOAD LEVELLERS. Because of the pneumatic suspension, the Disco will always level the vehicle. Land Rover almost forbid their use.

You will have to purchase separately a 3.4t rated neck to get the correct height.
What i did was made sure the van was on level ground and then measured the height of the tow ball to the ground. I then set the disco to its normal/cruising On Road height and measured the height i needed for the tow ball adapter.

I hope all this helps. See you on the road

[gghaggis]

If your van has LED's you definitely need the LED module (about $245 delivered) from Linear Electronic Design. This stops the turn lights on the van from constantly flashing. Great service and prompt plus a piece of cake to fit yourself.

This is true for the D3, but not strictly necessary for the D4. A shunt resistor or appropriate 12v 21W globe (for $4) will also work.



Forget entirely about the white 7 pin "S" type plug on the tow bar. May suit Europe but a total waste of time for Australia.


Hmm - I use my white 7pin to power the caravan. I found it quite easy to get a plug for it from LR, and wire up my own converter to the twin 7pin flat. So any auto-sparky should be able to do it. There's an argument that the OEM wiring is too light, but in my case at least, the caravan wiring was no heavier than the car's, so I wasn't losing anything.

Cheers,

Gordon

[Celtoid]

I did the exercise on what Car when I was looking for a new car.

Requirements...

3500kg towing, & Diesel.

Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Old was due for replacement. Seat position was crap (for me)

Upside was cheap had a good engine.

VW Touareg...

Also due for replacement at the time I was looking.

VERY Expensive when optioned not a 7 seater.

BMW X5

Stupid price when options are added.

Audi Q7

I liked this wife hated it same problem as the X5 when adding options.

Discovery 4 / Range Rover Sport.

It was a close call here but the 7 seats won. When compared to the cars above it was better value for money. It was for me better to drive.

My D4 is a 3.0l TDV6 SE nothing in the list above came close to matching the spec for the price.

In the $80-120k bracket the D4 is very hard to beat as an all rounder.

Note: I didn't look at anything from Japan or Korea.


....And you can actually take the D4 Off-Road.......:Rolling:

[rogngab]

Thanks everyone looks like the d4 is the way to go and other things to think about just have to sell my corvette and ac cobra and its a done deal
cheers Roger