Hi all,

We're thinking of buying a new FL2 and want to tow a caravan with it. Are there any recommendations about whether it will be suitable for towing straight away or whether we should hold off and run the car in first. If we should run it in first, for how long?

Thanks a lot,
Mark

i was never informed of any breaking in period, but mine was a ex demo

i believe you have to restrict rev's from new, so i presume the same will apply wether towing or not Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

600,000,000 miles or one lifetime which ever comes soonest  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

we towed with 600 miles on the clock and it was fine; indeed it speeded up the loosening of the engine no end. Just don't expect this to be the full performance; I would say it onlt tows at about 2/3rds of its ability. Freelander 2.2e HSE , Privacy, Fully debadged, 19" Chrome SHadow alloys

Always nice to talk to a fellow caravanner. Towed the caravan with only 90 miles on the clock. Towed well, pulled well, the only problem was keeping the speed down to 60mph. Towed the caravan for 500 miles on that trip.
I would recommend you buy an auto, as it is very easy to burn the clutch on a manual FL2.
There will be no need to rev the engine high as the car pulls fine.

waaxh03

chicken george wrote:

600,000,000 miles or one lifetime which ever comes soonest

HE IS AT IT AGAIN!!!!

WAAXH03

Unnecessary quote removed

pah. it is actually good engineering advice not tow anything at all, I quote a famous Scottish engineer "she canny take much more Capt Kirk , shes breaking up"


Shall I call in for a cuppa when I'm in Wales Mr Wax? At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Hiya, we towed with ours straight away never had any probs at all, never had any probs with the clutch burning either

My TD4 FL2 manual is the best towing vehicle i've ever had.

Betters a V6 petrol Shogun and Volvo XC90 diesel (auto) hands down.

Mine towed 1.3 tonnes of Caravan, without even a murmer or complaint. Once had a big twin axle trailer behind, and weight was probably pushing over 2 tonnes (Yes I know!!). Again no problem with stability or pulling away/braking


I Wouldn't worry too much about the running in issue, as your not really overstretching the engine

Mark Freelander 2
TD4 GS
Shiney fantastic Baltic Blue
Detachable Witter Towbar

chicken george wrote:

waaxh03 wrote:

chicken george wrote:

600,000,000 miles or one lifetime which ever comes soonest

HE IS AT IT AGAIN!!!!

WAAXH03

Shall I call in for a cuppa when I'm in Wales Mr Wax?

CG, Mr Wax is like all good caravanners, no need to wait until you are in his area, he can come to you and can enjoy tea in the caravan  p****d off with a Digital Keyboard Warrior

Hi,
Towed (gently) with mine after 500 miles, that was an empty caravan to/from the dealers.
First proper tow was after about 2000 miles that was with a 1500 kg van, and yes I also had to keep the speed down. Also no problems with the clutch.
John.

I'd echo all of the serious towing comments. I have towed caravans for many years over many thousands of miles and the FL2 is, in my opinion the best towcar I have ever had.
Now have 45000 miles on mine and have towed about 7000 or 8000, with a 1500kg van Easy to travel at 80ish on Foreign Motorways never really feels stretched, Cruise control in 6th gear for Hundreds of miles at a time. No sign of clutch problems and 40 ish mpg solo and 25ish towing
Very stable even in strong crosswinds, cannot recommend the car highly enough.

Not wishing to sound at all facetious but all you will need to know about running in is in the Owners Manual. Even me, a slow reader, covered it in 15 seconds. Basically don't use full acceleration nor exceed 3000 RPM for the first 500 miles. Unless your thinking of dragging your caravan up, say, Hardknott or Whynose Passes you should be able to make decent progress anywhere whilst running in and towing. IMO. Also available in Clean.

No, no, no. I've read somewhere that the FL2 is completely unsuitable for towing caravans. Best not to bother with a van tbh. Don't want to damage the car. Plus, your rear parking sensors don't work and there's no fix. None at all.

Chicken Ranch Enterprises will agree with me. 09MY FL2 Td4 XS, Style Pack, Privacy Glass, Martinique Blue.. oh so very blue..

Its only Black chicken breeders and Bright Blue Freelys that can't cope with towing - all the others dont seem to have a problem  2007 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Manual with Premium Pack & Moonroof.
Stornoway Grey with Ebony Black Pleather, Clear Indicators, Body Side Mouldings etc.

Last edited by AndyC on 7th Apr 2009 11:31 am. Edited 1 time in total