I'm looking for suggestions for a 7 seater vehicle that can comfortably tow a 5.2m fibreglass boat. We want as modern as possible for about $20K. We have thought of Nissan Elgrand van - what would you rrecommend!
thunderbolt,
Aug 28, 5:05am
Territory.
feenix1,
Aug 28, 5:18am
3 ltr Honda Odyssey v6 Absolute Model4 wheel drive if you can find one . we have one and I tow a double horse floatthat is brakedabout 1600 ton with weight of horses .have done for the last year and the car tows really well. we can't afford a $30,000 dollar vehicle or above. The weight of our Honda Absolute is 2 Tonne, you need the vehicle to be heavier than what you are towing, cause if you are on a hill and your load is heavier than the vehicle towing it you will go backwards. not speaking from experience I read other people's misfortune . andbefore anyone gives me shit I can park our Honda Absolute on a hill fully loaded with horses and not go backwards. tried and was successful
countrypete,
Aug 28, 5:20am
Suzuki Grand Vitara / Escudo XL7.These are a 2.7-litre V6 with seven seats.It would tow your boat well and being 4WD will be excellent on boat ramps.A bit thirsty would be the only drawback.
thejazzpianoma,
Aug 28, 5:21am
Are you using 7 seats all the time or are a couple of passengers only occasional's!
What sort of boat ramp situations areyou using! Anywhere that needs 4WD!
Is this going to be your main run about car as well!
Any idea on the weight of the boat!
On what we know so far I would probably go for a Volvo XC90. You will hear stories about the transmissions not lasting in these but so long as you service them they last fine, even when towing. Other than that a good reliable comfortable well equipped vehicle for a great price.
If you are not going anywhere that needs a lot of traction on the ramp and the boat is say 1500KG or less incl trailer and the trailer has brakes I would also consider a VW Touran 2.0 Diesel. The Touran is going to be well under half the price to run day to day compared to some of the other options. Touran's from part way through 2005 have a trailer stability program which is a huge safety bonus if anything goes wrong. The 2.0 Diesel with its 6 Speed DSG will tow surprisingly well and the nature of the DSG means it dosn't get hot while towing like a regular auto.
Really lovely car, super safe, great around town and on the open road, super frugal and lots of nice features.
I wouldn't buy an Elgrand due to the absurd fuel economy. You may as well run a Maserati.
kazbanz,
Aug 28, 5:24am
I'd suggest you start saving for a new transmission-Honest commentapsolutely NO sarcasm involved. If you have an external tranz cooler you are part way there but the tranz is weak in the V6
kazbanz,
Aug 28, 5:25am
Id suggest a Nissan Presage 4wd 2003-2005 model Comfortable. able to tow and already has a reversing camera to make boat launching easier
feenix1,
Aug 28, 5:32am
Have our honda serviced transmission hasn't missed a beat had the car for 2 years now still on the same transmission so . no sarcasm here
specialk11,
Aug 28, 5:38am
Your lucky, the trans in the 3L Odyssey gets a real workout and are prone to Sh#ting themselves.
whqqsh,
Aug 28, 5:40am
they all do! . oh sorry, 'TOWS' I misread & thought you said 'BLOWS'
feenix1,
Aug 28, 5:50am
Ours is the Absolute Model V TECH not your typical 3ltr Odyssey, and yes any transmission will shit themselves if you do not have the pulling power and tow over your weight limit for your vehicle. transmission shits it self. Yes Iam LUCKY
vtecintegra,
Aug 28, 6:49am
They all have the same SOHC VTEC 3l (same transmission too)
I'd look at a newer Nissan Elgrand - big vehilcle
tarpguys,
Aug 28, 7:04am
i have a 2004 Nissan Presage and Honda Elysion coming that could be suitable
kazbanz,
Aug 28, 7:07am
Sorry feenix but you are talking to people in the trade. Reality is that the apsolute model was just a tart up -mechanicals are the same. Heck look good luck to ya if the tranz hangs in there. But the average is against ya
battleaxe,
Aug 28, 8:28am
Thanks for the replys - i am concerned that the elgrand is too big and thirsty for a usual run around car. We usually only launch from a boat ramp, so 4wd is more of a luxury. the 7 seats are only usued occasionally, so can be small fold away ones for kids. i was worried the Presage would be a bit small at 4 cylinder 2.5. i didn't really want to go euro as heard horror stories about servicing and repairs.
battleaxe,
Aug 28, 8:29am
Hi - is the Elusion the 3.0 or 2.4! What sort of kms! I heard bad things about honda gear boxes when you tow with them! What do you think!
curlcrown,
Aug 28, 8:54am
First thing that came to my mind too.
cowlover,
Aug 28, 8:57am
How many clydesdales you got in there!
IMHO people movers aren't made to carry a full load and also tow a boat.In some cases 7 people and their bits and piece can almost be an overload.You need to go to a van minibus type of thing.Other option buy a cheep ute or van to pull the boat and put the people in the car.If its once ina while the cost of running 2 vehicles is of no consequence plus you get to save the $20K that you wont need to spend on a compromise vehicle hich is not really right for any of the uses you want.
kazbanz,
Aug 28, 8:58am
Battleaxx Put simply you can't have everything. If you want economical and reliable and essy to park and able to tow basicly something has to give. Mehh if it was me I'd buy the car that works best MOST of the time. My thinking is. Buy a Toyota Wish/isis or one of the other smaller 7 seaters.Enjoy the comfort and fuel economy. Buy a big ol falcoon rear wheel drive towwagon as well and put the rego on hold. Rego it for the times you are taking the boat away.
neo_psy,
Aug 28, 9:06am
How heavy is a 5.2m boat!
battleaxe,
Aug 28, 9:15am
i'd guess the boat is about 1300kg. cheers for feedback.
cowlover,
Aug 28, 9:20am
+10
neo_psy,
Aug 28, 9:23am
That's the plan - ex taxi Falcon sitting on the side of White Swan Rd for $3300 at the moment.
battleaxe,
Aug 28, 9:34am
we currently have an old bighorn that tows, but were hoping to upgrade that. guess we'll keep thinking.if only the elgrands were reasonable on fuel.
msigg,
Aug 28, 9:35am
Toyota prado diesel would be my pick.
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