The Belmont Bear wrote:

......... I think that the answer to the OPs question is - No .....a loaded 21' Jurgens Lunagazer (according to the BMW specs) will be too heavy for the X3 to tow and remain within legal requirements....BB

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        And THAT is exactly what I suggested waaaaaasy back. The car is too small for the chosen van.Period,Cheers

Mamil wrote

No, you've got it completely the wrong way round. The van is too big for the car!

He has the car already. Get a smaller van, period! 

 Of course! How silly of me.I am sure that Mick would be looking forward to living with his wife,and two dogs,in a 2 x 4.8 metre space.(Dog Box?)The OP said he was looking at a 21 van that we know weighs 2200kg.He possibly chose a van that size to minimise the possibility of claustrophobia,and some of us have been actively trying to help him source a suitable tow vehicle.If he had asked for suggestions on tiny vans that he could tow with his present vehicle,do you not think that that is what he would have asked? Cheers

Mamil wrote:

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 Seems my bit of cheeky fun wasn't taken the way it was intended. Hey ho, never mind, I'll still invite you for a drink in my "dog box" if we ever meet in the blue yonder Yobarr,  but of course you'll have to stand up as there's not enough room for us all to sit down 

 Hi Andy....all is good,but I must admit that the cheeky fun went right over my head! When I am back in Perth we could catch up for an ale,but I must be getting old? In my youth,visitors always were prioritised in the seating arrangements.Cheers

Knight wrote:

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yobarr wrote:

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PeterD wrote:

I feel there is a lot of hogwash put forth about European diesel engines. For the last 22 years I have been towing with 2.5 litre engines. My Land Rovers were able to tow my 2 tonne vans, keeping up with the traffic OK. When I was in mountainous country I generally outperformed the Toyotas with their overly large ancient motors. The last one, a tD5 had 260,000 on the clock when I traded it. In hind site we should have kept it.  My current tug is a Nissan D40 (another European diesel) and it has close to 300,000 on the clock.

The Lunagazer is a reasonable size van that you should be able to live in for a few years. I suggest you purchase it and keep the BMW a little longer. 

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 I dont think that the engine,or its power, is the problem? You might like to refer to my first post on this topic,and that of Desert Dweller? Why take the risk of trying to make a boy do a mans job? Be safe,and ultimately better off.Do it once..DO IT WELL.Just buy the DMax.Cheers.

 

Hi Peter

The Land Rovers were sold before the tough Euro Standards on diesel emissions came into effect when vehicle manufacturers using common rail, turbo intercooler and other technology over stressed small capacity engines to produce equivalent power and torque to large capacity engines. The TD5 diesel engine has 5 cylinders, the highly stressed diesels have 4 cylinders.

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-- Edited by Knight on Saturday 22nd of December 2018 06:28:45 AM

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 Hi

Discussing the many over stressed high output diesel engines now on offer from most of the manufacturers I put together a comparison list;

Land Rover TD5 2.5 Litres x 5 cylinders

Power 101 kW

Torque 300 Nm

Mitsubishi Triton/Pajero 2.4 Litres x 4 cylinders

Power  133 kW

Torque 430 Nm

Isuzu MU-X 3.0 Litres x 4 cylinders

Power 130 kW

Torque 430 Nm

Noting that the Isuzu and Land Rover diesel engines were designed for hard work and are therefore under stressed and more likely, when book serviced (example change engine oil and filter every 10,000 and not as Isuzu recommend at 20,000 kilometres - Isuzu has a book service every 10,000 but not oil/filter change) and driven sensibly to easily do 500,000 kilometres of service.

The advice I have from a specialist diesel engine recondition service centre is that highly stressed diesel engines are being reconditioned at 150-200,000 kilometres.

Bryan wrote:

...... engineer who can explain to me how come a SWB Land Rover Defender can tow 3.5 tons. It just doesn't seem right to me.......

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 I too would like to know how this can be. Defenders are treated with scorn by many mechanics,and have a propensity to break chassis,but I have been told....I dont know how accurately....that the towing capacity relates to some complicated formula of being able to tow a set weight,from a standing start,up a certain gradient? Perhaps someone who KNOWS...not thinks he knows....can elaborate? And with a wheelbase 56mm shorter than an LC200,they would be dangerous with 3500kg behind them.Cheers

Most tritons are not towing caravans most Isuzus are 

WRon-D wrote:

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Most tritons are not towing caravans most Isuzus are 

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Ron when I had my Pajero Sport I dont remember Mitsubishi ever saying that the warranty only applied to those vehicles not towing vans so as a manufacturer they seem to have more confidence in their product than Isuzu have 

knight as the Triton is  classed as a light commercial vehicle the numbers suggest the 24000km avg. is right on the money for the 150000km x 7 year warranty. I reckon the reason small SUVs and small sedans are averaging less is because they are more popular as second cars and for using around town. Of those estimated 15.5 million drivers the vast majority would live in the major cities and probably only drive to work and go on holidays once or twice a year.

Cheers

BB

You are right Ron I thought that the Sport was a great car but I think that it was a little out of it's depth pulling 2.7T that's why I bought a Jeep with it's 570Nm 180kw 3 ltr V6. I probably would have kept the Sport if the van had been 500kg less as I'm sure it would have been operating more within it's comfort zone. My brother recently replaced his Nissan with the new Isuzu D Max and is pulling the same weight van as ours, the reason he bought it was because of Isuzu's reputation for reliability. In terms of it being a rocket if I put the GC in sports mode I could probably give him 30 metres start over a 100 and still get there ahead of him .

By the way Ron don't compare the performance of the old 2.5ltr Challenger with the new 2.4ltr Pajero Sport although similar in numbers with their new 8 speed transmission they go pretty well it's just how hard they need to work to do it. Touch wood I've had no troubles or recalls with my Jeep but it's still only early days. On the other hand my wife's new Mitsubishi Ecplipse X has already been back twice since we bought it in October - at this rate we may well need their 7 year warranty .

Cheers

BB