GEN4 towing a caravan review and MPG

I thought it may be of interest to give my experience of towing a caravan with a JB74  (GEN4). I was incredibly hesitant to buy the new Jimmy  last year after having 4 GEN3s and found them a bit lacking in power (torque) for long journeys when towing.
The GEN4 has a bit more torque however it delivers it's optimum power in lower revs than the GEN3,  my caravan weighs approximately 920kgs and in the car I put in the awning, chairs and other bits which weigh about 45kg plus also my wife which I won't disclose how much she weighs as I would like to keep my teeth.
pulling away from a standing start is ok, it won't win any medals as the car isn't fast off the mark anyway, however it is important you can pull out at junctions quick enough as not to slow down oncoming traffic. I could keep up with the flow of traffic, on the motorway 53/55mph was achievable most of the time (60 is the max for a trailer/caravan) Steep hills required dropping to 4th gear and it is important to try and keep the revs in the 3000/3500 band as to not lose momentum. I had no brake fade going down the hills however the caravan also has brakes which assist with slowing the outfit down. Noise in the cabin is high as we all know that the Jimnys have no sound proofing, my ears are not the best and I found having a conversation with the wife difficult. MPG was good, I did a 113 mile trip, going up it managed 34.6mpg and coming back it did 36.8mpg. You do get sucked in a bit by lorries overtaking which can take you by surprise if you don't see creeping  up on you, that's probably due to the slab sides of the car
The Jimny would not be my first choice as a tow car as it is noisy, busy and has limits, however if you match your outfit carefully it is possible to be used to drag a caravan.

 




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Which Eriba are you towing? Ours is a Familia Touring 320 GT, but our Jimny G4 is an auto, so is perhaps less suitable for towing.

Mine is also a Familia 320GT, it was replated to 1050kg, however I do try and keep as close to the 900kg as possible, I am not too sure about the automatic as I found it best to keep the revs up. The low profile of the Eriba also helps with the towing..
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I agree with that, it's a similar experience with a G3 if you match the load. I tow about 650 to 700kg with all the bits loaded, so lighter but similar mpg (34) and speed range. Its not the best tow vehicle (for speed) but it's still does it without too much fuss if you don't mind the odd high rpm moment.

Is it mandatory that Eribas go with Suzuki's? Let's start a splinter forum

 

Any excuse to post a picture of the caravan and car you will be stuck behind soon

wrote:

I agree with that, it's a similar experience with a G3 if you match the load. I tow about 650 to 700kg with all the bits loaded, so lighter but similar mpg (34) and speed range. Its not the best tow vehicle (for speed) but it's still does it without too much fuss if you don't mind the odd high rpm moment.

Is it mandatory that Eribas go with Suzuki's? Let's start a splinter forum

 

Any excuse to post a picture of the caravan and car you will be stuck behind soon

Hahaha, they love the Jimny and the Eribas on the other side of the channel. I did have an Eriba Puck @ 500kg MTPLM and a GEN3 and that was great.

 

well you're all brave and or patient, to pull even a light weight Eriba with a Jimny. We tow our 320 GT 1050 kg with our Suzuki s-cross 1.4 auto allgrip.

We went up to the Lake District via the M6 (traffic jam) so decided to travel home by cutting across and popping down the M1. I didn't notice the satnav directed us to the steepest, longest road in Cumbria. Pretty scary crazy stuff, but the s-cross was magnificent. Into 4 wheel drive and off she went. Only weighs about 1250 kg so well matched.

Another excellent Suzuki. I suspect there's few on the road since they're so ugly ... a hidden gem.

wrote:

well you're all brave and or patient, to pull even a light weight Eriba with a Jimny. We tow our 320 GT 1050 kg with our Suzuki s-cross 1.4 auto allgrip.

We went up to the Lake District via the M6 (traffic jam) so decided to travel home by cutting across and popping down the M1. I didn't notice the satnav directed us to the steepest, longest road in Cumbria. Pretty scary crazy stuff, but the s-cross was magnificent. Into 4 wheel drive and off she went. Only weighs about 1250 kg so well matched.

Another excellent Suzuki. I suspect there's few on the road since they're so ugly ... a hidden gem.

Yep patient is the right word, the Jimny would not be your first choice for a caravan  tow car, I have had a diesel Duster and Vitara (new shape) which were fantastic. However as I am back to a Jimny a very different type of driving technique  and expectations are required,  It can get very busy keeping the revs up to achieve the best out of it.
The GEN4 1500cc engine does have more power than the GEN3 1300cc which is noticeable when towing, the big test for it dragging the Eriba was the  big hill going North towards Huddersfield, the GEN3 was in 3rd year in the mid 40s where as the GEN4 can get up in 4th and in the mid 50s.

 

I haven't been on the forum for a while hence the late response.
Some years ago I did the NC500 in my 08 Jimny and Freedom caravan. Much of what you say applies to all Jimnys 
I'm not sure why you can't see trucks as you are supposed to be legally able to see straight down the side of the caravan when towing. Do you not have towing mirrors??
If you can't see straight back behind the caravan in the car mirrors  then you need towing mirrors.
blueskyrecreation.wordpress.com/2017/06/...ick-look-at-the-law/
Here is mine on the North Coast near Durness
 

We've got a Basecamp 2 on order which is a small
adventure type caravan and weighs around 1,000kg loaded up.

We plan to use the Defender for towing but will be interested to see how the Jimny copes with it. We'll give it a try, it's got the Suzuki OE tow bar fitted.

I like the Basecamp, nice sized van.
Your Jimny will be fine with it on the back. Stability is not an issue, it's simply lack of power. 50mph is no problem unless you get a gradient, then it's time to play with the gearbox. Hills can see you down in 3rd, but it will keep going and still has 2 gears left before you are rolling backwards down the hill.
This is the only issue, and it's other impatient road users that cause the problem. You need to keep an eye out for the idiots buzzing around you and be the better driver.
The Jimny would be perfect tow vehicle with 2ltr, your 1.5 may just make the difference, my 1.3 is just a little slow on the hills.
But I don't care, they can all wait