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BMW 5-serie

BMW 520d aut. and Elddis

Jim Brown reviewed on 06 December 2021 a BMW 520d aut. (184 PS/135 Kw, Year: 2010 - 2016) with a Elddis Avante 840 of n.a. kg.

Having towed big twin axle caravans before with a Toyota Landcruiser and Nissan Navara we decided to get another big caravan but at the time had a 2015 520d. It’s a really big caravan (101% weight ratio) so thought I would need to get another 4x4. I thought I’d chance picking it up with the 520. Just to see and was totally blown away by how good a tow car it is. Much better than the previous 4x4’s. I have a TDI tuning box which gives about 240hp and it just tows effortlessly. It is much more stable than the 4x4’s with very little pitching and wallowing. I’ve towed about 3000 miles this year and just can’t figure how it does what it does. The self level rear suspension is excellent to keep her level and the rear wheel drive gives plenty of traction even on wet fields. Mpg when towing is about 28 and 55 solo. I have had it 3 years now and still love driving it. When the time comes I will replace it with a 530d xdrive, but really don’t need to. Thoroughly impressed.

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BMW Touring 525i aut. and Knaus

Chris reviewed on 15 August 2018 a BMW Touring 525i aut. (192 PS/141 Kw, Year: 2004 - 2005) with a Knaus Lifestyle 500 LD of 1350 kg.

Last year I wrote rather an unflattering review about the BMW as a tow car - you'll probably see it listed here.

Since then I've used it to tow the 'van on a few more journeys and I think I need to revise what I initially said about the car.

My previous tow car was a turbo diesel so changing to a naturally aspirated petrol was something of a shock, whether towing or driving solo. I think it's taken me a while to defamiliarise myself with the very different power delivery.

The 525i still lacks a bit of something for towing but on our recent journey to Dorset and back it performed very adequately. The 'van was incredible stable on the back of the car and only once, when being overtaken at speed by a large coach, did I feel the 'van move significantly.

The power in the car in most cases was very good for pulling the 'van. Motorway speeds were easily maintained on flat sections and slight inclines. On longer inclines dropping the outbox down into 5th helped keep things moving along.

At 60mph in 6th gear the engine is hovering around 2000rpm so for a petrol engine to pull well at this speed is pretty good. in 5th at the same speed it's about 2500rpm so it's not like I'm red lining it to keep the inertia going.

Some A-road inclines did make the car work hard, though, and it's on these sections that I did miss the lazy low down torque of my old TDi.

Fuel economy isn't as dismal as it was now I'm used to driving the car properly either. Bearing in mind that on both the outward and return journeys a lot of the time was spent sat in slow moving traffic on the M5 the overall average was 22.2mpg, including about 50% motorway and 50% A-roads. On a good run the old Volvo would average about 26mpg pulling the van so I don't think early 20s is bad for a big thirsty petrol engine. I reckon on a clear run it would have achieved a bit more.

In conclusion, I'm much happier about the performance of the 525i as a tow car than I was previously. It's not perfect and it still lacks a bit of low down grunt but it's not enough to make me want to change that car anymore for the amount of towing mileage we're going to cover.

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BMW 525i aut. and Knaus

Chris reviewed on 18 January 2018 a BMW 525i aut. (192 PS/141 Kw, Year: 2003 - 2005) with a Knaus Lifestyle 500 LD of 1350 kg.

I have to be honest in that I'm a bit disappointed with the BMW as a towcar. It does the job but it seems to have to work a lot harder than I think it should.
Flat motorway sections and slight inclines aren't usually a problem but longer uphill drags require me to either slow down, use a gear or two lower and really steep roads (The A38 south-west just after Exeter comes to mind) requires a combination of much slower road speeds and high revs in a low gear.
Fuel economy is dismal too, don't expect to get much above 20mpg on a good run - if you're uphill and down dale then expect that to plummet into the mid teens.
On the plus side the automatic gearbox handles towing very well. Pulling off from a junction is incredibly efficient with no hesitation at all even with the van in tow.
In fact at lower speeds the car does a much better job and accelerating up to motorway speeds is a breeze - it seems to be keeping it there that's more of a problem!

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BMW Touring 530d aut. and Lunar

Rob Cranswick reviewed on 09 April 2017 a BMW Touring 530d aut. (258 PS/190 Kw, Year: 2013 - 2017) with a Lunar Quasar 544 of 1350 kg.

I tow a Lunar Eclipse 19/4 (Quasar 544 Wanderhome derivative) 1350kg with BMW 530d Auto Touring. Using the Towcar matching 'form' if you make sure the caravan payload correctly states 175kg, and for me increase the car payload to 200kg which is more realistic, the result is a Perfect Match.
And that's exactly what it is, a perfect match. The van never moves or twitches event in high winds, storm ( and tempest) so it is perfect.
My only problem is getting the caravan nose weight down to 90kg. The van is naturally nose heavy, and I have to trim just behind the axle to get it right. It is not easy getting it right without over balancing the payload.
I would prefer to have a car noseweight of 100kg which will give some headroom when loading the van, but it does not detract from the good combination.

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BMW Gran Turismo 520d aut. and Abbey

Sparky reviewed on 11 August 2016 a BMW Gran Turismo 520d aut. (184 PS/135 Kw, Year: 2013 - 2017) with a Abbey Vogue 600 of 1630 kg.

I have just used the BMW 520 gt to tow our Abbey down to Kent. I previously had a ford galaxy that I used for the same trip last year and this was good but the BMW was doing 30mpg were the ford did 26mpg. The BMW is auto and it sat at 60 on cruise nearly all the way and was a lot more stable than the front wheel drive galaxy ever was. This car is a dream to tow with.

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BMW Gran Turismo 530d aut. and Sterling

G Hunter reviewed on 11 June 2016 a BMW Gran Turismo 530d aut. (245 PS/180 Kw, Year: 2009 - 2017) with a Sterling Continental 580 of 1688 kg.

Purchased the sterling continental in April 2015 and towed with my Jaguar 3.0d XF. Whilst caravan was within the tow weight of the vehicle and the Jag had more than enough power I felt on occasions the caravan was wagging the tail of the car. Bought the BMW GT after researching for a more suitable car without having to move to a SUV. The extra qtr tonne of weight of the car has made all the difference. Coupled with the rear self levelling air suspension the combo is now solid as a rock. Pulling power same as Jag and achieving av 25-30 mpg. It\'s a big car being a half way house between the standard 5 series and the X5. A very practical and comfortable solution if you don\'t want a SUV. Have kept the Jag for my fun car!

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BMW Touring 530d aut. and Swift

Tony reviewed on 04 April 2016 a BMW Touring 530d aut. (235 PS/173 Kw, Year: 2007 - 2010) with a Swift Conqueror 565 of 1670 kg.


I have been towing for thirty years plus..this is the best tow car I have ever used,,so much torque and self levelling suspension..tows the swift conqueror with ease..and the m sport suspension keeps everything nice and firm..the auto box tows better in sport mode..i have managed thirty mpg driving steady..
you don\'t need a 4x4 with cars like these.....

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BMW Touring 520d and Bailey

Jason reviewed on 23 November 2015 a BMW Touring 520d (177 PS/130 Kw, Year: 2007 - 2010) with a Bailey Unicorn Barcelona of 1626 kg.

Tows super. Plenty of power, very stable on motorway highly recommended.

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BMW Touring 525d and Sprite

Derek Wood reviewed on 30 May 2015 a BMW Touring 525d (163 PS/120 Kw, Year: 2000 - 2004) with a Sprite Quattro FB of 1548 kg.

The BMW (automatic) feels like it has something in hand in every gear on all but the steepest of hills without breaking 3,000 revs. The caravan feels stable behind up to 60 mph, but feels better at 55mph in strong gusty sidewinds. The automatic air suspension on the rear of the car keeps the outfit level at all times.

A totally stress free journey most of the time.

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BMW Gran Turismo 520d aut. and Bailey

Paul vickers reviewed on 29 March 2015 a BMW Gran Turismo 520d aut. (184 PS/135 Kw, Year: 2013 - 2017) with a Bailey Pursuit 430-4 of 1229 kg.

First impression after return journey to the new forest are the car and van are perfectly matched towing combination.the BMW performs effortlessly with the caravan on the back and both were very stable with plenty of power in reserve and the fuel was 32mpg which was a big improvement over the Audi A3 1.6 diesel I had previously towed the caravan with. There were gale force winds on the return journey and the combination never swayed once.

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BMW 525d aut. and Sterling

John Gardiner reviewed on 04 March 2015 a BMW 525d aut. (163 PS/120 Kw, Year: 2000 - 2003) with a Sterling Europa 500 of 1375 kg.

BMW525d auto saloon & Sterling Europa 500 - excellent combination, very steady and great pulling power.

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BMW Touring 520d aut. and Sterling

Ritchie nield reviewed on 05 August 2014 a BMW Touring 520d aut. (184 PS/135 Kw, Year: 2010 - 2017) with a Sterling Eccles SE Coral of 1769 kg.

Great car and great tow car ,better than my earlier skoda elegance estate although good , BMW great and only charities ism the clutch can smell in reverse, just done 1000 mile trip to Bruges , if experienced tower and sensible the outfit is fine ,with BMW 5 saloon and soda superb estate , had 06 Kia sore to which great but these are as good .

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BMW 520d and Bailey

Malc B reviewed on 07 May 2014 a BMW 520d (184 PS/135 Kw, Year: 2013 - 2016) with a Bailey Unicorn Cartagena of 1679 kg.

The car and caravan feel like a perfect match, no problems on Motorways or single tracks. First class performance hit 34mpg with a top speed of 60mph.

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BMW Gran Turismo 530d aut. and Sterling

Jeff reviewed on 22 April 2014 a BMW Gran Turismo 530d aut. (245 PS/180 Kw, Year: 2009 - 2017) with a Sterling Eccles Sport 586 of 1557 kg.

I have now used this pairing and have found that the report is perfect, there is plenty of power from the car and you only know the van is on the back due to undulation from the road.It handles like a dream and feels me with so much confidence in all road conditions. A Warning: It did not buy the tow bar from BMW as they wanted £2400 just for the parts as they said it would need the cooling system upgraded ? have made some enquiries I was told this was normal form BMW,Audi & Merc due to warranty claims. Unless I was to drive in desert temperatures up steep hills thrashing the car it may overheat the gearbox. Well I don't have to worry about that and purchased mine for £400 pounds.

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BMW Touring 525d aut. and Bailey

The wandererers reviewed on 23 January 2014 a BMW Touring 525d aut. (177 PS/130 Kw, Year: 2004 - 2007) with a Bailey Discovery 400 of 1159 kg.

Well were shall we start our first BMW and its fantastic we are almost finished a 3 month tour total will be over 3500 miles with our Caravan from minus figures high up in France to 30s in Spain and the car just keeps coming back for more it is only a small caravan. Fuel has returned 27.1 overall and I am happy with that as some of the terrain has been very challenging . are We pleased a very big yes

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BMW 520d and Ace

Lofty reviewed on 07 December 2013 a BMW 520d (184 PS/135 Kw, Year: 2013 - 2016) with a Ace Jubilee Courier of 1400 kg.

Firstly I must explain that this is my first caravan, and i don't think I could have picked a better saloon towcar. I used 6th gear the vast majority of the time and most of the time have to remember that I have a carvan on the back MPG on the computer shows 28 on a 40 miles plus journey. I could ask for a better combo.

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BMW 535d aut. and Bailey

Wayne reviewed on 01 November 2013 a BMW 535d aut. (313 PS/230 Kw, Year: 2013 - 2016) with a Bailey Unicorn Barcelona of 1686 kg.

Well had a F10 525d SE Auto, now changed to F10 535d M Sport. This car is in my opinion one of the best tow cars I tow a Bailey Pegasus 546 and this car really does not know its there. It has so much torque that it just pulls seamlessly and the fuel consumption towing far exceeds the 525d.
Only down side as with all modern non 4x4's is the weight that you can tow. Lighter cars heavier caravans......

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BMW 520d aut. and Bailey

Steve Roberts reviewed on 18 August 2013 a BMW 520d aut. (184 PS/135 Kw, Year: 2010 - 2016) with a Bailey Pageant Auvergne of 1385 kg.

Towing a 2005 Bailey Pageant Auvergne with motor mover with a 520D Auto, for me it tows best in sport mode where revs are held longer and lower gears used and it tows beautifully. At 81% it is a reasonable car/van combination. I have the factory fitted electric tow bar which flicks out from under the car and activates stability control, but that option also includes a beefed up cooling system which is good value as an option compared to a retro fitted quality tow bar.

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BMW 535d 3.0 Twinturbo aut. and Coachman

Christopher Fox reviewed on 25 October 2012 a BMW 535d 3.0 Twinturbo aut. (272 PS/200 Kw, Year: 2004 - 2007) with a Coachman Pastiche 520/4 of 1575 kg.

I've been towing with this car / caravan arrangement for the last four years for short trips up to 2000 mile continental trips. There' s never been any instability and the car tows like a train. It really is easy to almost forget that the caravan is there.

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BMW 530i aut. and Bailey

PhilT reviewed on 02 October 2012 a BMW 530i aut. (231 PS/170 Kw, Year: 2003 - 2005) with a Bailey Unicorn Seville of 1350 kg.

This review is based on the Bailey Pegasus II Genoa with the same bodyshell as the Seville but a 100kg lighter at max weight. For one reason or another I changed from a VW Passat 4Motion 130 Sport was towed pretty well, but after a long look for a replacement car we decided on the 04 BMW530i and this is a perfect match. The 6sp auto learns the extra weight of towing and adjusts its shift pattern to match. We have just towed over 100miles on a very blustery day and the outfit was steady throughout. The car does feel as though it would tow the 2000kg limit with ease. Where we did feel the pinch was in the pocket, plowing through the wind got us only 20mpg, but solo I can manage 37mpg on my commute. Yes the 530d might be more frugal and have more torque but do some maths on fuel costs over your annual mileage before you dismiss a petrol version.

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BMW Touring 525d aut. and Bailey

Terry Wilkinson reviewed on 16 August 2012 a BMW Touring 525d aut. (163 PS/120 Kw, Year: 2000 - 2004) with a Bailey Pageant Champagne of 1407 kg.

We were new to towing when we bought this outfit and are we glad that we took advice from our local caravan dealer who encouraged us to buy the 5 series instead of the 3 series BMW that we were looking at. This car tows the van absolutely fantastic, we have been on a couple of long hauls to Newquay and the Isle of wight and the car is a dream to drive with hardly any dramas at all. We average about 24 to the gallon when towing which seems good compared to others, The car is automatic so i guess a manual might give a few more miles to the gallon but i can live with that. Overall i would rate this match as 10 out of 10

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BMW 520d and Bailey

Phil reviewed on 18 September 2011 a BMW 520d (163 PS/120 Kw, Year: 2005 - 2007) with a Bailey Senator Indiana of 1364 kg.

This is not the caravan I have but the weight is about right. I noticed that this car had no reviews, I got the 2ltr version of the car as i felt the 2.5 only offered a fraction more power but suffered on fuel economy, although I'm only basing that on the book mpg's. I'm very happy with the car and i can say it tows amazingly well. The caravan did sway quite a bit with my old car (Skoda Octavia vrs) even with a stabiliser, but I've had no swaying at all with this car, just stick the cruise control at 60 and away you go. I get over 50mpg solo motorway, 37 solo town, 37 average towing on mostly winding A/B roads. Would thoroughly recommend. Plenty of power and torque.

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BMW 525d and Elddis

Wolf Rebel reviewed on 03 September 2011 a BMW 525d (177 PS/130 Kw, Year: 2005 - 2007) with a Elddis Avante 636 of 1657 kg.

Weight is on the limit but the eldis tows very well. Excellent in all weather conditions and still stable when passing HGV's. Plenty of power from the beamer (dtuk tuning box fitted) Averaged 28mpg over 1000 mile round trip and cruised motorways at 56 - 60 mph.

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BMW 520d aut. and Lunar

Ian K reviewed on 17 May 2011 a BMW 520d aut. (177 PS/130 Kw, Year: 2007 - 2010) with a Lunar Stellar of 1200 kg.

The Bimmer treats the extra load of the Lunar Stellar with haughty disdain, so that cruise control is useful on the motorway as speed can drift up in excess of the speed limit towards 70mph without any noticeable ill effects other than to your licence. On B roads the firm ride can transmit the fussiness of the extra set of wheels making for a slightly uncomfortable joggling which is similar to the Volvo V70s solo characteristics.

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BMW 520d aut. and Abbey

Mike Hughes reviewed on 12 April 2011 a BMW 520d aut. (184 PS/135 Kw, Year: 2010 - 2016) with a Abbey GTS 416 of 1545 kg.

Had the New 520d BMW in dec 2010, the car is excellent and giving +50mile to gallon on a steady run.
Went for the option of having the tow bar fitted when being manufactured at BMW which gives the benefit of being electrically moved from under the car and being electrically driven back under the car when not in use.The car also recognises that a traler is attached and turn off the rear parking sensors and activates the stability control of the car for towing.A 13pin socket is also fitted to the bar.
My caravan is an Abbey 416GTS 2009, which is one of the best the swift group have acheived.
Towing is made very easy with the 520d, the caravan is slighly heavy for the car at full load (90%)but as I do not load the caravan to it's maximum (heavy stuff in the car) I am well within the 85% rule.On my last run out I acheived 35mpg.
I followed the guidance of the CC technical leaflets in selecting automatic gearbox(8speed) and combined with the parking auto hold is absolutely perfect.
I have been towing for over thirty years and have just found the best outfit to date.I am not keen on a 4x4 as I also need to travel in my work and the car really suites my need, certainly with its mpg performance.

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BMW 520d aut. and Sterling

Neil farragher reviewed on 23 February 2011 a BMW 520d aut. (184 PS/135 Kw, Year: 2010 - 2016) with a Sterling Europa 495 of 1469 kg.

Outfit is great together, I went for the manual gearbox and this gives better control, outfit is real steady

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BMW 525d and Bailey

Steve reviewed on 01 September 2010 a BMW 525d (163 PS/120 Kw, Year: 2000 - 2003) with a Bailey Pageant Bordeaux of 1321 kg.

TOPS used twice whitby+newquay 180+ 700+ round trips at 37 mpg at allowed speed,45mpg+ unloaden lots of power total comfort

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BMW 535d aut. and Tabbert

Allan Jensen reviewed on 18 August 2010 a BMW 535d aut. (286 PS/210 Kw, Year: 2007 - 2010) with a Tabbert DaVinci 540 DM (2,50) of 1605 kg.

I used to have a 2008 bmw 520d sedan which had plenty of power and got 9.5 km/l with the caravan but often got unstable when overtaken by vans and trucks. The 535d touring has oodles of power and still gets 9.0 km/l and with the automatic transmission, it's always comfortable and well matched on revs yet ready to accelerate immediately; the manual 520d wasn't able to use 6th at 90-100 km/h and I often oscillated between 4th and 5th. Great car for a 1.7 ton camper; smooth, powerful, quiet.

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BMW 520i 2.2 24v and Bailey

Nick reviewed on 29 July 2010 a BMW 520i 2.2 24v (170 PS/125 Kw, Year: 2000 - 2003) with a Bailey Senator Indiana of 1464 kg.

this car and caravan tows extremely well together,however hit a hill not so good, 3rd gear above 3500 rpm should be ok any less will need to change down,average mpg on 62 mile run would only return 23 mpg.go for 525 deisel tows no problem at all.

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BMW 530d and Bailey

Campbell Morrison reviewed on 25 July 2010 a BMW 530d (245 PS/180 Kw, Year: 2010 - 2013) with a Bailey Pageant Sancerre of 1415 kg.

Changed from a BMW 330i Touring to the 530d auto in May. I thought the 330i was good but the 530d leaves it for dead. I was not sure about the 8 forward gears on the auto but they work very well indeed, so much so you would not think there was a van on the back. The fully electric towbar is amazing no more getting down on my knees when it is wet or muddy to attach a detatchable towbar! This is my dream set up.

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BMW 525d aut. and Bailey

Wayne Miles reviewed on 21 July 2010 a BMW 525d aut. (204 PS/150 Kw, Year: 2010 - 2013) with a Bailey Pegasus 546 of 1461 kg.

Well changed the 320dse auto for the 525dse auto and wow what a difference, had to check the caravan was still there. The torque of this engine makes it a great towcar.
The optional towbar is an engineering marvel.

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BMW 520d and Abbey

Chris Lord reviewed on 15 May 2010 a BMW 520d (177 PS/130 Kw, Year: 2007 - 2010) with a Abbey Vogue 540 of 1469 kg.

Even at 93% ratio, this car is an excellent towcar. Great torque, performance. It just seems to smile at hills. I would urge anyone wanting to tow a caravan, to consider a BMW as the engines are so well suited. Usually get between 25-30mpg.

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BMW 520d and Swift

Not impressed reviewed on 06 May 2010 a BMW 520d (184 PS/135 Kw, Year: 2010 - 2013) with a Swift Conqueror 645 of 1732 kg.

i brought this car after looking at this website saying it was a 5 star match and now i am selling the car because it isnt up to the job and will end up loosing 2 to 3 k on my car as a result

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BMW 530i aut. and Swift

Steve Klimaytys reviewed on 25 April 2010 a BMW 530i aut. (231 PS/170 Kw, Year: 2000 - 2003) with a Swift Challenger SE 480 of 1366 kg.

Forget a diesel!!! Get a BMW 530i. (2001 auto sport) The torque is excellent (280 Nm) and cruises along motorways and most other roads including mild inclines without changing the auto box down. Steeper hills and the auto box does not over rev the engine like many cars.
The 3 litre engine delivers around 23mpg fully loaded which is excellent for a petrol engine. There is another advantage to the BMW 530i - a new tow hitch costs circa #340 with single electrics. BMW quoted me #1200 What??
I cannot fault this vehicle, Minor service is #120 at BMW and major service every 3 years is #450.
Excellent

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BMW 530i and Coachman

ALAN WHITE reviewed on 10 January 2010 a BMW 530i (272 PS/200 Kw, Year: 2007 - 2010) with a Coachman VIP 545/4 of 1635 kg.

This combination seems perfect for me effortless towing

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BMW Touring 530d aut. and Avondale

Mr j spalding reviewed on 21 November 2009 a BMW Touring 530d aut. (184 PS/135 Kw, Year: 1998 - 2000) with a Avondale Dart 545-4 of 1227 kg.

very well matched outfit .will tow all day at 60mph no problem. only getting 23mpg though. will do over 40mpg av otherwise.

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BMW 530d aut. and Coachman

Jeff Allen reviewed on 12 October 2009 a BMW 530d aut. (235 PS/173 Kw, Year: 2007 - 2010) with a Coachman Pastiche 460/2 of 1400 kg.

Towed the 2009 Coachman Pastiche 460/2 all summer behind the 2009 BMW 530D SE (with the new i-drive & hard disk sat nav) and have been extremely happy. Occantionally the auto box hangs on too long before changing up but other than that no complaints at all. The BMW tow bar is electric and stows neatly away behind the bumper when not in use.

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BMW 530d aut. and Swift

Cliff Bright reviewed on 04 June 2009 a BMW 530d aut. (193 PS/142 Kw, Year: 2000 - 2003) with a Swift Challenger 540 of 1490 kg.

The 2002 BMW 530D auto pulls the 2008 swift challenger 540 fully loaded and with 4 adults like a dream. the suspension is rock solid on the car (sport model) and the excelleration is very rapid. there is no snaking of the van at all. suggest the westfalia detachable towbar as this looks best when not towing.

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BMW 525d and Sterling

Rowat reviewed on 15 May 2009 a BMW 525d (177 PS/130 Kw, Year: 2005 - 2007) with a Sterling Eccles SE Moonstone of 1545 kg.

525D Sport Auto is absolutely brilliant with Swift Challenger 530 (2005). Towing long journeys or short is so easy, and safe.

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BMW 525d and Bailey

Smooth operator reviewed on 18 March 2009 a BMW 525d (177 PS/130 Kw, Year: 2005 - 2007) with a Bailey Pageant S6 Bordeaux of 1300 kg.

What performance and you don't even know the baileys on the back superb ride gets you there before you know it

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BMW 525i aut. and Bailey

Phil park reviewed on 01 February 2009 a BMW 525i aut. (192 PS/141 Kw, Year: 2003 - 2005) with a Bailey Ranger 500/5 of 1244 kg.

this is the second 5 series I have used as a towcar the first being a 520 which was a bit sluggish hence the change to the 525i. the car is a great towcar although given the choice over I would pick a manual as the auto doesn;t like going into top gear although I tend to use the steptronic box while towing to overcome this. The only major drawback for the 5 series for towing is the fuel economy which depending on the terrain can be anything from 15mpg to 22mpg while towing. and the best thing about the car is pulling onto a site setting up the van taking off the removable towbar and exploring all the new twisty roads as the 525i is the best car I have ever owned or driven

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BMW 520d and Bailey

Andy Peat reviewed on 23 January 2009 a BMW 520d (163 PS/120 Kw, Year: 2007 - 2007) with a Bailey Senator Wyoming of 1635 kg.

Although a large heavy caravan , this outfit works really and is very stable

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BMW 528i aut. and Sterling

Daren & Kate reviewed on 01 December 2008 a BMW 528i aut. (193 PS/142 Kw, Year: 1998 - 2000) with a Sterling Eccles SE Moonstone of 1545 kg.

We have purchased a 2007 Sterling Eccles Moonstone and tow with a BMW 528i SE '99 Auto
With 190bhp thru an Auto box I thought this would be a perfect partnership.
Altho new to towing, I was surprised by the amount of "surging" I get when pulling away in mid speed terms (30 - 55mph) which is a bit annoying but probably normal for an auto box towing.
No worries with hills or anything but the box stays in 3rd at 4000rpm when motorway hills appear but sits at 60mph easy enough.
Other than that the mirror extenders are awful !! Who can recomend good ones and where from ? The amount of vibration is a waste of time and I can't see a thing above 10 mph !

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BMW Touring 520i 2.2 24v and Elddis

Adam brown reviewed on 09 October 2008 a BMW Touring 520i 2.2 24v (170 PS/125 Kw, Year: 2000 - 2004) with a Elddis Avante 524 of 1362 kg.

Towed this for the first time last week. Never towed a caravan before so was apprehensive. First impression was that I could feel something was behind me. I drove on B and A roads including the A303 dual carriageway. On the B and A roads the performance of the outfit was nice and rock solid. on A303 the 520 was able to accelerate briskly to 60 mph and apart from the windy conditions catching the van every now and again the unit was solid and stable. I had to use 4th gear more than usual when cruising up hills. I suppose this is to be expected. Very pleased with my 520. Still would like a 530D

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BMW Touring 530d and Sterling

Darren McGregor reviewed on 25 July 2008 a BMW Touring 530d (193 PS/142 Kw, Year: 2000 - 2004) with a Sterling Eccles Elite Trekker of 1646 kg.

Fantastic towcar - self levelling rear suspension on the BMW touring a godsend. Will pull this twin-axel van anywhere. Very smooth power delivery. Makes a mockery of the 4x4 owners struggling up the hills in their Disco's and Nissan's.

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BMW 530d aut. and Swift

Philip Reid Esson reviewed on 14 April 2008 a BMW 530d aut. (235 PS/173 Kw, Year: 2007 - 2010) with a Swift Conqueror 580 of 1527 kg.

The BMW is a brilliant car although it seems to be a bit low on the suspension for the twin axle. Seems nose low really but that could because of the m-sport susp. Pulls like a train up hills tho and does 30+mpg when brand new!!! CAr is comfy for long runs quiet, effortless and relaxing. Cannot emphasise how superior this car is for towing with over my Audi A63.0 tdi quattro!!

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BMW 530d aut. and Lunar

Shaun shilling reviewed on 26 March 2008 a BMW 530d aut. (235 PS/173 Kw, Year: 2007 - 2010) with a Lunar Delta 640-EW TA of 1640 kg.

pulls like a train a dream to drive and to tow with

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BMW Touring 520d and Swift

David Morison reviewed on 17 March 2008 a BMW Touring 520d (177 PS/130 Kw, Year: 2007 - 2010) with a Swift Conqueror 640 of 1619 kg.

I have towed a number of Conquerors with diesel Mitsubishi Shoguns (LWB) and diesel Chrysler Grand Voyagers. My current BMW 2.0d Touring Estate is the perfect balance a driving car and for towing. The performance of the 2.0d BMW is well acclaimed, and it gives excellent performance in all conditions. The only 2 things I would mention are the weight ratio, which you have to be aware of, which comes with experience, and the site conditions when you arrive/leave. It is not a great combination in mud!
The BMW 2.0D is definately the best car I have had for the balance between driving and towing.

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BMW 528i and Ace

Mark reviewed on 13 January 2008 a BMW 528i (193 PS/142 Kw, Year: 1995 - 2000) with a Ace Jubilee Envoy of 1266 kg.

I have towed with a few different cars in the past, but none compare to the 5 series. Towing is effortless. Motorway driving is easy, cruises along great. Fuel consumption isn't much different to when driving solo. There seems to be very little drop off of performance when towing. Also both car and caravan sit perfectly level. By far the best tow car I owned and because it's a heavy car I haven't had problems with snaking and it's great under braking. its a pleasure to tow with. Only grumble, whilst driving in auto it tends hunt for gears on even slight inclines, this isn't a major issue as I just switch to manual.

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BMW Touring 530d aut. and Swift

John Morgan reviewed on 30 November 2007 a BMW Touring 530d aut. (193 PS/142 Kw, Year: 2000 - 2004) with a Swift Charisma 570 of 1452 kg.

Very comfortable towing. Power not an issue. Great load space in the car to take weight out of the van. Heavy car makes braking safe once driven with manners.

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BMW Touring 530d and Swift

Owain Herbert reviewed on 11 April 2007 a BMW Touring 530d (193 PS/142 Kw, Year: 2000 - 2004) with a Swift Challenger 480 of 1360 kg.

The best towcar I have had in 35 years of towing. Good noseweight, extremely stable,and instills confidence. Gives over 30 mpg when towing, better than my previous car running solo. My only concern is keeping within the towing speed limit. I travel,on long journeys, extensively with my caravan,300 miles plus. This used to be tedious.esp on M25,behind a long colum of HGVs. Now I am able to overtake them, without holding up others. A truly first class towing car.

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