| We have several vehicles in our towing fleet and I often write about them when they first arrive, but I rarely update the longer term results, so here is a report on how we’ve done with a selection of our favourite rides.
2004 Ford Freestar:
The Freestar has been discontinued by Ford we returned ours at the end of its lease with 75,000 kilometers on it, approximately 50,000 of that was towing.
It was a very convenient vehicle that I drove personally a great deal but also was a favorite of others in the store for any towing duty with Lites and Airstreams. Handling was very precise even at the end of its run and even though the shocks were starting to loose some effectiveness the combination of ride and handling was nicely balanced.
It never needed a warranty repair and the only non warranty repair was a set of tires and a brake reline at 62,000 kilometers. We did add air bags to the rear springs at 50,000 kilometers as they were starting to sag a little. These are a great value in a used tow vehicle. Since 1998 we set up over 600 Windstars and Freestars so they are very well proven. The other day I was speaking with a customer who full times in their Airstream their 2001 Windstar has 230,000 kilometers on it and is still going strong.
Our Freestar’s replacement arrived this week - a new Chrysler Town & Country Van with more bells and whistles than I will likely ever figure out. We have not towed with it as yet but I expect great things from the 24 valve 4.0 Litre V6 and 6-Speed transmission. My first thought is that the suspension may be a little on the soft side but we shall know for sure shortly.
2005 Chrysler 300C
Our resident hot rod, the 300C, continues to put a smile on the face of anyone that opens up the throttle on the Hemi engine. Fuel economy is maybe slightly better than when it was new, but still drops in a hurry if you start using all the horsepower. This was one of the first 300’s off the line, so I expected some teething problems with it but it has been very reliable. The only problem was defective rubber boots on the rear axle which were improved shortly after this one was manufactured. None of our customers have had a similar problem. Interestingly, the first one went at 14,000 kilometers and the dealer wanted to change both as he felt the other one would go soon however that meant waiting for a part and we were going somewhere so we said we would do it later. The second one went on December 22nd last year, 100 miles from Orlando and I kicked myself for not changing it earlier as we were planning to leave Orlando on the 28th. I took it into Orlando Dodge the next morning and they ordered the part and booked and appointment for the 27th. I rented a car for the day and the next morning picked it up. I was impressed with the service and it was nice to see what the experience was like as new vehicles don’t break down very often.
Presently, the 300 has 62000 kilometers on the clock, most of which is towing. On the trip to Florida I was trying out a new disc brake system on a 34’ Airstream – the braking system proved to be less than ideal so I punished the 300 brakes quite severely and I felt I would likely have to replace them when I got home. However it still has the original brakes on it with lots of life left in them. Again, on this vehicle we found the rear springs to be a little soft by the time it had 30,000 kilometers on it. It was not too bad towing where you can use the torsion bars to distribute the weight, but solo with 4 people and some stuff in the trunk it was getting pretty low. We changed the springs to Dodge Charger Police car springs which had 400 lb. higher spring rates. They are a touch stiff when the car is empty, but ideal once some weight is added.
The only other situation we ran into was that the stock 225/60 x 18” tires did not last very long and the traction was poor, and terrible in snow. I did not like them at all, however there was no other producer of a 225/60 tire. I would not normally go to a wider tire but there was no choice, so at 20,000 Kilometers we changed them to BF Goodrich KDWS 245/55R x 18” Tires. These tires are very smooth yet more precise handling. The car was now usable in the snow, and the tires are still on it with pretty good tread life remaining, which again is good considering the use this car gets. New 300’s no longer use the offending tire.
One thing I was curious about with this car was how the body structure would hold up. The entire body is heat treated 3 times to make the structure stiffer without adding weight. So far, the structure feels virtually as tight as it did new.
In Europe the 300’s get the 3.0 Litre Mercedes diesel with 400 lbs. of torque and 230 HP. This would be an ideal tow vehicle if they could just divert a few out of Brampton to local dealers. No word yet on when it may happen but if Mercedes can supply enough engines it would be a fantastic combination.
2006 VW Jetta Diesel
The Jetta Diesel has made countless trips to Indiana and Ohio picking up new Airstreams, Trail-Lites, and Surveyors, so it has 55,000 kilometers on it in only 15 months. The fuel mileage continues to amaze everyone. I was in Indiana in August and was planning on bringing back a 19’ Trail-Lite, which turned out not to be ready, but a 28’ Surveyor with 800 lbs. of parts loaded in it was. I would never recommend this combination, but since I was there anyway I towed it home with 4 people in the car. Getting it rolling on an uphill grade took judicious use of the clutch, but other than that there was not much to complain about. With a considerable cross wind it was completely stable and still turned in 23 MPG at 100 KPH.
We have not made a repair to the VW and it has been completely reliable. The springs and shocks still feel as good as new.
Currently the Jetta Diesel is not available but it will be reintroduced next spring. Our Jetta produces 100 HP and 177 lbs. of torque. The new 2.0 Litre engine will be considerably more powerful with 140 HP and 235 Torque. To put this in perspective, the 3 times as large 6.2 litre GM diesel that we towed with in the 1980’s produced 132 HP and 240 lbs. of torque. Even with the additional power, Volkswagen claims it will get better fuel economy than the current engine. It is amazing where technology is going.
It looks like I am out of space, so I will have to leave the other vehicles for another time.
Andy |
