Rx 400H Towing

[phil m]

Just had a towbar fitted at Lexus, yes £1000 ---- arghhhhhh Anyway, I've recently been towing my caravan with an '02 Mercedes E320 for the past year -- superb, pulled easily, level ride and 22--- 25 MPG.

Now of course I'm towing it with my rx 400h that I bought thinking 4 by 4, must be a good tow vehicle ? Well yes, it tows ok but compared to the Mercedes it;s a 'bucking bronco" and the suspension wallows quite a bit specially on corners, the Lexus has done 90,000 miles and i'm wondering whether or not a change of rear springs and shockers will improve things enough to warrant the cost or are there any 'add ons' available to stiffen things up.

Any ideas or suggestions welcome.

[luckyduck]

Hmm - I had a full towbar and twin electrics fitted to my 400h (08 reg) just over a year ago for about £200 - in West Sussex. Lexus prices were just off the planet. I tow about 1.5 tons of caravan, and it is a dream - no bouncing, bucking, or swaying. Suspension barely moves down even with full load, and driving off a wet slope with the caravan, the 4 wheel drive pulls away easily. Best towcar I have had.

[phil m]

That has really cheered me up -- how much nose weight do you have, I have 70 kgs

[nelmo]

Hmm - I had a full towbar and twin electrics fitted to my 400h (08 reg) just over a year ago for about £200 - in West Sussex. Lexus prices were just off the planet. I tow about 1.5 tons of caravan, and it is a dream - no bouncing, bucking, or swaying. Suspension barely moves down even with full load, and driving off a wet slope with the caravan, the 4 wheel drive pulls away easily. Best towcar I have had.

Can I ask where you got the towbar from?

[phil m]

Problem now sussed ( silly boy ) Checked well under inflated rear tyres, now tows as 'Luckduck' says

However the car 'Tramlines' a bit and I think it probably needs tracking. Has anybody had this done on a RX400H without problems and where is the best place to go, Lexus?

[Meakesmyster]

Hi im looking at a lexus rx 400h or a kia sorento to tow my van weighing 1550kg. I really prefer the lexus but want to make sure its excellent for towing my van before i buy one.. the sorento has won awards for towing but i much prefer the lexus.

Please can you give me lots of feedback on this one as need ti get a car asap

Mike

[Brian D]

Hi Mike, I towed a 1550 Kg caravan with my RX400h for 2 completly trouble free years and I would recommend it without any qualms. Fuel consumption wasn't anything to write home about at 18 MPG when towing but that was expected. It was an extreemly stable towcar even in sometimes very poor weather, load capacity was great with plenty of room to get the awning and associated stuff in. I had a local car electrician fit a Westfalia detatchable tow bar for around £650 and towed with a noseweight of 75-85 Kg.

Unfortunatly I swapped it for a Mercedes ML350....just wish I had kept the RX.

Hope this helps.

Brian

[Meakesmyster]

Thanks for alk your feedback. Its giving me confidence of buying one tow.

I have read a towing package is required. Ie special radiator and cooling system

Mike

[phil m]

Mike, ditto what Brian says. Very stable, I"ve never had any special bits put on mine for towing but i hear there are two types of grill badges, one open like mine ( lets a bit more air to the rad ) and a closed one. MPG i've found depends as much on head wind as weight, I've had as much as 24 MPG at 55 MPH with the wind following me and only 19 MPG into a headwind, once you go over 60 it changes for much worse as you may imagine. Overall I'm very happy with mine, it's really my best car yet.

PHIL.

[nelmo]

I test drove an old model Sorento a few years ago and didn't like it much - very floaty suspension (without the caravan) and very plasticky inside.

Unless you're looking at a very new Sorento, I would personally go for the more luxurious Lexus which will stay more luxurious and refined long after a Kia has rattled itself to pieces :).

I had a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe (very similar to the Sorento) and I swapped to my 2007 Lexus, which was a huge improvement in refinement and comfort. To be honest, it doesn't tow as well as the SF (little bouncier) but I only tow a few times a year for a few hundred miles, so I'm happier to have the better car for the rest of the year.

[Meakesmyster]

Hi neil,

I am only getting rid of my car so i can get a car which will tow well to enable me to tow all over the country in comfort and with confidence without the feel of a heavy caravan on the back.

In what way do you mean it doesnt tow as well as the santa fe?

Mike

[patrick264810]

On 6/9/2013 at 4:43 PM, luckyduck said:

Hmm - I had a full towbar and twin electrics fitted to my 400h (08 reg) just over a year ago for about £200 - in West Sussex. Lexus prices were just off the planet. I tow about 1.5 tons of caravan, and it is a dream - no bouncing, bucking, or swaying. Suspension barely moves down even with full load, and driving off a wet slope with the caravan, the 4 wheel drive pulls away easily. Best towcar I have had.

200£ bargain you must have had the wiring package already prev

installed

 

[Gliderpilot]

I had a 400h before the 450 I have now, fitted the tow bar to the 400 myself, a bit of a fiddle with the wiring but managed it. I had a Westfallia detachable bar fitted to my 450 by PF jones, they did it on my driveway. Both vehicles tow my 1700kg caravan without any issues. As has been said fuel consumption is not great while towing but this is offset by good economy (for a vehicle of this size) when not towing. I've had three discos a Merc ML270 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee before the Lexus and The Lexus are the best overall.