I notice from looking at the gallery that there are a few caravanners on here so I thought I would ask the following question.I have only towed a couple of times with my SD4 and although there is plenty of power I find that the autobox seems to rev very high before changing gear, just wondering if you caravanners feel the same and do you just let the auto box do what it wants or change up manually.I towed with a Touareg V6 before and it's a totally different feel,loving the freelander though.

I found that 1st 2nd and 3rd in auto was fine with changes happening about 2100rpm but from then on mine seemed to want to change up at around 3000 to 3500rpm so resulted to going into command shift after 3rd for much more civilised towing experiance. After having a manual in the past I think the gearing is slightly higher with the auto box normally 70mph was 2000rpm but now at 70mph yout only turning just over 1800rpm so 6th is now more for flat work with a pull on the stick to maintain 60 for the hills. Consumption is strange though at the weekend on the way down to Dorset 150 miles and the end result was over 21.7 but on the way back was barely over 19 More than happy with it though nothing towing passed me on the hills.

ad210358 wrote:

More than happy with it though nothing towing passed me on the downward hills due to the massive speeds wobbles

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I have a 160bhp TD4 and tow a 1600kg swift, consumption varies between 21 and 24mpg, I think it depends on wind direction and if you are in a hurry and stick at 60ish or a more sedate 50. Being a square box the consumption will increase expotentially to the slight increase in speed.
As to the revs when it changes, its normally at about 2100/2500 on a gentle throtle, I have never tried foot to the floor so cannot comment if it will hold the revs. I can say the FL" is one of the few autos I am happy to let do its own thing without the need to contantly help it.

AD if you can't stay in 6th for hills on the motorway I'd be worried, I never drop out of 6th in Command when towing, regularly up to 2 tons and it never slows down! Mine: 2012 Golf GTI Edition 35
Family's: 2009 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Auto, Stornoway

Yorkshire - God's County

Hi mate, I heard a different angle, in that we should not concentrate too much on command shift. The auto is so good that it decides the optimum gear (for mechanical longevity perhaps not economy) so we should not change it up too much. Of course an exception in my case is if you are on a long flat road then it sometimes needs a shift up to cut the revs. I personally would not take a Devon / Somerset type Hill in 6th.

MPG command versus MPG normal auto, for me, towing, do not show much difference, so I am happy to let the auto think for itself.

Each to their own though of course. SD4 HSE Lux
Yeti 170 DSG L&K
Freelander 1 Td4 Overlander

Past: Freelander Metropolis, D3, D3, D2, Series 3, Series 3, Freelander 1 (still have this one bought new, the Monte Carlo blue kid)

Big Dave wrote:

AD if you can't stay in 6th for hills on the motorway I'd be worried, I never drop out of 6th in Command when towing, regularly up to 2 tons and it never slows down!

It may go over in 6th if I wanted to make it to lug but I prefer to keep it in the torque band. I am only towing 1500kgs but the trailer is not very aerodynamic as it has a large frontal area but if it was a Iffor Williams flat with two tons on it would be different. Most of the gadiants I can take in 6th but hills such as the drags up to J37 M1 Northbound or the Southbound drag up to Tibshelf no way in 6th.

Fair enough, I haven't actually towed a large-frontal-area'd-van...usually a track car and spares! I agree with the junc 37 drag on the M1, it's near me and tests the torque of a vehicle. Freelander can hold, he-hem, more than 70 whilst towing up that hill (so I've been told ) in top.

I've always taken the advice of 'use command when the 'box starts hunting', and it always seems keen to shift down on any form of incline on the motorway. 1800rpm's right on the fattest part of the torque band though so it seems to cope just fine. Funnily enough i leave it in auto off the motorway. Mine: 2012 Golf GTI Edition 35
Family's: 2009 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Auto, Stornoway

Yorkshire - God's County

ad210358 wrote:

It may go over in 6th if I wanted to make it to lug but I prefer to keep it in the torque band. I am only towing 1500kgs but the trailer is not very aerodynamic as it has a large frontal area but if it was a Iffor Williams flat with two tons on it would be different. Most of the gadiants I can take in 6th but hills such as the drags up to J37 M1 Northbound or the Southbound drag up to Tibshelf no way in 6th.

Google translation
"The caravan is basically a huge air brake and costs loads of lost fuel economy. never mind the effect on my carbon foot print. Also I know every inch of UK's motorways intimately as I go so slowly I get time to count the cats eyes, I should sell it and embark on proper holiday" At work
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"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Big Dave wrote:

Fair enough, I haven't actually towed a large-frontal-area'd-van...usually a track car and spares! I agree with the junc 37 drag on the M1, it's near me and tests the torque of a vehicle. Freelander can hold, he-hem, more than 70 whilst towing up that hill (so I've been told ) in top.

I've always taken the advice of 'use command when the 'box starts hunting', and it always seems keen to shift down on any form of incline on the motorway. 1800rpm's right on the fattest part of the torque band though so it seems to cope just fine. Funnily enough i leave it in auto off the motorway.

I reckon you may be surprised at the amount of drag the frontal area creates I try to keep the speed around the 60 mark and it can be difficult to hod it their as it does tend to creep up a bit if your not watchful perhaps if you were to be coming up that bank at the plus 70 mark you have also have it singing well in the torque band where as on mine when in 6th at 70 it is ony turning over at a slow steady 1800rpm.

Good point...I forgot how slowly the engine's turning at 60...  Mine: 2012 Golf GTI Edition 35
Family's: 2009 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Auto, Stornoway

Yorkshire - God's County

60 vaners resort to kph, real drivers use mph. always ask a vaner which 'currency' he is talking  At work
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"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

chicken george wrote:

60 vaners resort to kph, real drivers use mph. always ask a vaner which 'currency' he is talking

60 vaners