How our new car performed towing 3.3t caravan from Adelaide to Katherine and Cooktown. Performance, economy, weight specs relative to our previous 3.2ltr Wildtrak Ranger.
I towed 3.5 T Carrier with lane keep on and did not at all feel anything that you described. Our Caravan is a lightweight 2700 ATM and you barely notice that behind it - concluding that it might as well be a matter of the trailer that you are towing. worth mentioning, we opted for the BP51 lift kit with 300kg constant load...
Thanks, we like it We’re thinking of doing a second review in next couple weeks, as we had the car 12 months and done 25,000 km in a number of situations, city/town, towing and 4wdriving
Congrats on the new vehicle. If it were me, I'd tow in a lower gear, e.g. 7th or 8th, just so that the engine revs higher. This will improve oil pressures to protect the big end bearings, and also keep EGTs (exhaust gas temperatures) on the low side.
@@jeffmorcombe9700 Higher revs (due to selection of a lower gear) will also mean the fuel to air ratio is leaner, and in a diesel this results in less soot produced. Which means the DPFs take longer to fill up, and subsequently fewer burnoffs overall, so less fuel wasted for regen. In conclusion, higher revs when towing does not necessarily equate to higher fuel consumption overall.
I'm in the same boat (Ranger) as you. Previously had a 2016 3.2l and it towed our 2.8t van with no problems. Got the new ranger in July last year and love it. We often travel the same road from the Barissa Valley to Newcastle and can compare the 2. On hills with the 3.2 the speed would be 95kph at the bottom of a hill and 65kph at the top. The V6 is at 95kph at the bottom of the same hills is 95kph at the top ( Providing Tow Mode is selected) Tow mode has the yellow screen that I don't like. Fuel consumption is 16.8lt to 17.4lts/ 100k depending on terrain when towing. I did a test at 80kph to check fuel consumption at lower speed and got 19.1lts / 100k. I know the argument about drive slower and save fuel but in the new ranger that is crap. Being a 10 speed auto it never gets above 8th at 80kph so rpm's are about 300 higher than at 95 and in 10th gear. I have done 36000k and am very happy I made the decision to change.
I agree - we also did some tests and most of the time we sit between 95 & 100 kms and dropping speed from 100 to 95 helps economy in a head wind but if no wind it makes no difference to economy If you set cruise control to 99 km it seldomly goes into 10 gear (using tow/haul mode)
Thanks Jef, Just got delivery of my new XLT to tow my 3 ton van. It's great to hear that you are happy with yours. Lots of helpful information as I was wondering if it needed a rear spring upgrade to keep the van level, Keep up the good work, cheer's
I found the rear suspension too soft when towing our van (3.3t & 300kg ball weight) and very uncomfortable on some of the more bumpy roads, especially at speed. We decided to go with the ARB GVM upgrade to 3.5t and it changed the way the car towed. Much Better... We also decided to put a dual core trans cooler as the trans did tend to get very hot very quickly when towing thru the hills. To the point, on multiple occasions, we have had to slow down and let everything cool down.
I have a ranger platinum on the way and was weighing up wether or not to put a lovells gvm 3700 kg upgrade under it as I’m towing a big van and you have convinced me I need it just wondering how rough the ride is when not towing. Great video only one I could find that addressed towing properly 👍
ARB suspension upgrade increased rear axial to 2025kg. This consisted of upgraded springs and air bags. The ride is not the same as from factory but it's still acceptable. I have a draw system, 200ah battery system, and 60 ltr fridge in the tub permanently, so that helps with the ride. To date I have not needed to load up the air bags more than the min 5-10 PSI.
Hi great to see real world reviews and feedback - thanks very much. I also have a V6 10 speed and tow a 2.9 ton 21.5 foot van. I have tried towing in Two Haul mode and in Normal mode. I actually find Normal Mode better - I find Tow Haul mode a little harsh on downshifts. Your thoughts?
Still exploring and have been experimenting with changing gears manually as we started having a few problems with high engine and trans temps Specifically towing in hilly and in low speed 4x4 situations Will definitely be fitting trans cooler in next couple weeks
I assume you would have an opening window of sorts at the front of the canopy? (sliding or hinged) - most canopies that I know of do - Open it just a bit to pressurize the canopy. I once had a Navara with an ARB canopy that filled the tub with dust until I started opening the front window about 50mm. The problem was predominantly solved - not completely but at least 90-95% better - just residual bits of dust around the tailgate edges.
Hi Steve S. Thanks for your thoughts and advice on your Ranger. As mentioned in another post mine will arrive later this year, the suspension upgrade is interesting as we have a 19.6m, 2650kg van, also the oil cooler. Iam going to get the long range fuel tank 140 lt. How does your partner ( film director) feel about the vehicle, does she drive and in towing. Cheers Steve
Hi Steve, Michelle here, in response to your question, I love the new Ranger, we previously had a Wildtrak and I loved driving that, but the new v6 is even nicer to drive, so quiet and very comfortable, except I want my heated seats back 😜 I’ve only towed the van a couple of times with this car but no problems at all, you really don’t feel the van too much, hope this helps 😊
@@jeffmorcombe9700 Hi Michelle. What's with the heated seats, my partner loves them as well, one reason why we have gone for the wildtrak. We are thinks of doing a tow drive training coarse for her and me.
Mich: I have a Wildtrak on Oder and will get the ARB GVM done pre-rego. Did you go with the Nitrocharger or BP-51 shocks, and what influenced your decision?
We didn't go with the BP-51 shocks for a couple reasons. Cost and ARB said at the time the cheaper shocks were probably better when carrying heavy loads. They were probably just saying it to get me to buy. We have done a couple 1,000 kms of long corrugated roads whilst towing the shocks fine fine. (mind you I have nothing to compare it to)
I am surprised that the seal kit has not worked well I have a 2021 wildtrack and while it does let the fine dust in eventually on the whole it works pretty well.
There should be a roof hatch in the canopy to pressurize it to keep the dust out. yeah I know the tail gate gap is very large. Alice springs ford told my mate this with his ranger and it did help. I would of thought that the V6 would of got better economy but 100kph hitting a big van dosen't help. have you tried tow mode and compared it with just Drive. Safe travels
Hi Jeff, Most honest and realistic review I’ve read to date. I’ve done 21000kms in my V6 Wildtrak (11500km towing) and have stuffed around with suspension but now booked in for 3500 GVM like you. What was the circumstances that made you decide you needed a trans cooler as your scan gauge numbers looked ok I thought. Thanks again…
@@graemegrieve1953 we found that towing thru hills very quickly pushed the trans temps up to around 110 degrees. Had to back off and give it a chance to cool down. We have fitted a new dual trans cooler but it has not been warm enough to see a big difference.
Hi Jeff, We haven’t seen above 96 deg yet in 11600km towing but I think the highest ambient so far has been low 20’s… I’ll monitor towing in hills in hotter weather and in those conditions I may lock our 9 & 10 as I have spoken to a person who did that. The only time we got hot was towing 3.2T up a 20% grade into a bush camp but next time I’ll use 4L and if we do see higher trans temps I’ll do as you have done. Thanks for you reply.
I believe you said that you’re towing in 10th ? On handover with my v6sport I was chatting to the Ford mechanics and they mentioned the quickest way to Fu(k your tranny is tow in 9th and 10th as they are over drive gears not designed for towing. FYI
I find this an interesting discussion whether to use 9/10th gears when towing. Whilst I am not a mechanic, I do take your point of not towing in overdrive gears but feel that this is more of a blanket comment and I don't see a problem with towing in overdrive gears, as long as you show a degree of mechanical sympathy. For example; whilst I may drive using 9th & 10th gears, I also regularly disable 9th and/or 10th or even drive in sports (manual) mode if I feel the car is working too hard or getting too hot (i.e. head winds or hills). I have fitted a scan gauge 3 to monitor engine & trans with multiple alarms enabled to warn of anything excessive. This is a risk I am prepared to take as long as I keep a close eye on temperatures etc, and make sure the RPM's high enough to keep oil pressures up under load. This technique has successfully worked for me previously and I have travelled an 100,000+ km towing a 3.3t van around Australia. I guess I'll see how this new car goes over the next couple years. I think, Tow Haul mode really helps by keeping revs up and altering when the trans changes gears. If you have any knowledge to shoot this technique down, please let me know as I am not an expert.
Had 2 x rangers same problems suspension 💩 & had to get GVM upgrade & cooling kit for radiator & gearbox also used scan gauge 3 temperature still went up high had a tub on the first one same problem dust seal kit never worked & were to hard to get stuff in & out so next time got a XLT 2L biturbo cab chassis & toolbox/canopy more cost buy the time U get it ready for towing im looking @ a Land Cruiser GX 300 & just but a cargo barrier & it’s touring ready the V6 ranger engine (Lion) is an old engine from the Land Rover & many other European cars it used to snap crankshafts & do in its 3 x main bearings how long will it last before it’s another 💩 ford engine 🤔
