Towing with a G320?

[poseidon]

Hello,

I have an opportunity to buy a 97 G320 with the inline 6. Over the years I have owned many land cruisers but never had a chance to be around a G-wagon. I am shopping for a vehicle to tow a travel trailer for summer camping fun and some everyday driving when my other car, that loves to spend time in the shop, is being worked on. I also know I would use the 7 passenger option from time to time. When I came across this vehicle I was shopping for a late 90s early 2000 lx470 or Land Cruiser(4.7l) Info on the g320 has been hard to find but if what I have come up with is right on paper these 2 vehicle are similar G320: 220HP 310 torque, LX470: 230HP 320torque.

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CORRECTION: I have discovered I got some bad info and the G wagon has 210ftlbs of torque NOT 310ftlb so it is not comparable to a LX470.
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This particular vehicle already has a tow hitch and an electronic brake controller installed. I asked the owner and he said that he has never towed with it but the original owner did. He didn't have many details about towing beyond that. It is an automatic if that makes a difference.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any real world experience with towing with this engine/vehicle combo. It is a very cool rig and I want it to meet my needs but my searching has yielded nothing fruitful, mostly info about the newer v8s which would presumably have a very different power delivery. I test drove it but couldn't really get a handle for how it would perform under load. I have owned a variety of land cruisers for several years so I know what I am getting into drooling on a rig that is huge, inefficient, slow lane hogging, and as aerodynamic as a shoebox. I am very curious how it handles a heavy load.

The vehicle is rated for over 6k lbs and I will of course be under that and using trailer brakes, an equalizer hitch, and all that stuff so please leave the discussions of load safety, GVWR, GCVWR, curb weight, etc, etc, etc for a different thread.

 

[DUTCH]

How much does your travel trailer weigh?

 

[poseidon]

Dutch, If you have or could direct me to first hand experiences towing or carrying heavy loads with this vehicle I would really appreciate it.

 

[calicamper]

I think your wheel base length will be a bigger factor in your interest in towing large trailers vs the power. The shorter your wheel base the more tail wagging the dog effect you experience when your towing sizable trailers. I towed close to max rating a few times with my 93 Landcruiser which was slow to start with even slower with the trailer, but the factor that you learn fast is the loaded weight vs wheel base length and the stability factor may have you re thinking your plan especially if the destinations have enough pavement and higher speeds for you to experience the short wheelbased vs heavy trailer argument that can happen between the tow rig and the trailer. Been there done that not very enjoyable and it will have you contemplating down sized trailers if your trailer choice is really pushing your luck and upsetting that short wheel base stability factor.

 

[DUTCH]

Dutch, If you have or could direct me to first hand experiences towing or carrying heavy loads with this vehicle I would really appreciate it.

You didn't answer my question about the weight of your travel trailer.

That being said, I tow a 4,400 lb camper with my G500. It tows just fine, but fuel mileage is about 8 mpg with premium gasoline. I would expect the G320 to be about the same.

The heavy tongue weight on my camper does drop the rear of the G considerably; but other than the fuel mileage, it tows A-OK. I do not have a weight distributing hitch. If you need first hand experience with that, contact 512bbi on the Pointedthree.com G-Class Forum.

 

[poseidon]

Dutch, thank you so much. You pointed me in the direction of some great info that was on point. http://pointedthree.com/disc/forums/showthread.php?tid=22344&start=1 was a good read. I am still wondering how the power of this engine is delivered under load and of course how the transmissions holds up to a load. If I buy this vehicle I will certainly be getting a transmission temp sensor and watching to see if I need a cooler as well.
Sorry for not answering your question. There are too many towing threads that devolve into chaos over what should be towed with what vehicles. Internet forums attract people that talk about things they know little about. Most of them can be spotted by the huge post count number. I have kept quiet about what I am towing and what I currently tow it with because I don't want to bait the trolls in. I do use and strongly recommend a good weight distribution hitch and trailer brakes.
Some amazing towing videos by some knowledgeable guys are here:
http://www.canamrv.ca/towing/

 

[ILIAN]

The transmission on these cars has a cooler integrated in the radiator and another cooler behind the front bumper in the center so transmission temp shouldn't be a problem.

 

[DUTCH]

The transmission on these cars has a cooler integrated in the radiator and another cooler behind the front bumper in the center so transmission temp shouldn't be a problem.

Yes, on the G500; but also on the G320? Are you sure?

 

[Scott Brady]

The G320 will tow like any 80-series, Discovery, etc. from the 90s. Low on power but plenty of stability. I have a 320 and I tow with it. Just don't be in a hurry. . .

 

[ILIAN]

Yes, on the G500; but also on the G320? Are you sure?

Not sure. Maybe somebody here can verify on a G320 with 722.6 transmission?

 

[poseidon]

The G320 will tow like any 80-series, Discovery, etc. from the 90s. Low on power but plenty of stability. I have a 320 and I tow with it. Just don't be in a hurry. . .

Have you ever towed anything heavier than the adventure trailer pictured? I am considering something twice that heavy with a load distribution hitch. As in my first post I would be comparing the power to a 2000s 100 series landcruiser. As all too often the two rigs look very similar on paper, I just want to know if that is true in real life applications.
I want the Gwagon because it is really cool. I just don't want to kid myself into thinking it is something that it is not.

 

[Mdan]

I have both a series 100 and g320, the landcruiser tows my single axle trailer/ nautique boat much easier than my G320. But I get more comments when I tow with my G wagon.....
I am in the process of upgrading my motor to a amg 3.6 with a 722.6 tranny, so we will see how it handles the boat.
Regards,
Mike

 

[Scott Brady]

A UZJ100 will have much better towing performance than a G320. My 320 has an AMG head and Brabus exhaust, and I would dread pulling a big trailer with it for any distance...

 

[cols110]

If you are after a tow vehicle why not go for a G500 or G55 instead of the G320.

My 2000 G55 is a fantastic tow vehicle, I just wish it had the later model G55 brakes.

It also has a 40mm lift with ORC springs which work a treat full loaded, they are a little stiff when empty but with a trailer on the back & a fully loaded vehicle they are perfect.

Over the years I have doe quite a bit of towing and without doubt my G55 is light years above anything else I have used, admittedly I have never used a 100 series cruiser.

I used to tow ski boats up & down the east cost of Australia regularly but now drag our club trailer full of 6 meter surf skis, the trailer fully loaded is not all that heavy but is effected with a cross wind when used with a light vehicle, but with the weight of the G55 it tows like a dream. I used to tow the trailer with my TD5 LR Defender which also is a great tow vehicle but nothing compare to the G55 where you hit the cruise at 120kph and you barely know it is there apart from when it comes to braking.

http://cdr.smugmug.com/SurfSki-1/Musandam-2014/

 

[poseidon]

If you are after a tow vehicle why not go for a G500 or G55 instead of the G320.

I am realizing that a 500 would probably be the better route. What got me thinking about a 320 is there is one for sale in my town. The owner has been using the same independent German auto mechanic I have been using for years and the mechanic said it is in good shape. I have a lot of trust in my mechanic, he has treated all our rigs so well and has been doing all the work and maintenance on this particular Gwagon for years too.