Anyone towing a 19 or 21 with a BMW x5? - Escape Trailer Owners Community
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Old 08-27-2022, 11:07 PM   #1
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Anyone towing a 19 or 21 with a BMW x5?

On another forum, someone came up and posted a situation where he intended to make a great circle of the country in "3 months" with his wife and 4 yo daughter. He totally knew nothing and everyone was polite but pointed out to him that what he proposed to do was basically impossible.

in any case, he had the newbee thinking that if it has a 6600 lb towing capacity, I can tow that, and then we got into the explanations of tongue weight actually being a limiting factor that would keep him from towing what BMW says it will tow, plus the loading of the vehicle..............................

Long story short, I suggested an Escape as he was looking for a 4 season trailer, and I felt he needed something narrow, and not as wide as my Bigfoot, and the Escape had floor plans that would work, and resale was not a problem........

But what I need to know is, as the title says, anyone towing with an x5? Is it workable, do they feel the need for more tow vehicle, yada yada.

Charles
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Old 08-28-2022, 02:35 AM   #2
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I’m towing my 2019 e19 with a 2017 X5 50i, a 4.4l turbocharged V8, Most X5 come with the 3.0l turbocharged V6. I have over 25,000 with this combination including some long, 800 mile days. Never had a problem in the steepest climbs/descents and some long drives in extreme heat. I never felt the need for a weight distribution hitch, the vehicle is about 5100 pounds, probably helps with stability, the rear air auto-leveling prevents squatting (and yes, I know it does nothing to distribute weight). The only downside with my X5 is the 12mpg I’m getting while towing.
A couple of month ago while in Devil’s Garden campground in Arches I met a guy towing with a few years older X5 35D, the diesel engine that’s no longer available in the US. He had a lot of miles towing a large heavy trailer, around 30 feet long, close to 7,000 pound and he was very pleased with the experience, he was using a weight distribution hitch and had his BMW hitch mount strengthen by a company specializing in European vehicles. Personally I would not hitch such a large trailer to the X5.
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Old 08-28-2022, 06:02 AM   #3
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I'd be very concerned about expensive drive train repair bills, plus excess suspension wear.
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Old 08-28-2022, 08:39 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlesinGA View Post
On another forum, someone came up and posted a situation where he intended to make a great circle of the country in "3 months" with his wife and 4 yo daughter. He totally knew nothing and everyone was polite but pointed out to him that what he proposed to do was basically impossible.

in any case, he had the newbee thinking that if it has a 6600 lb towing capacity, I can tow that, and then we got into the explanations of tongue weight actually being a limiting factor that would keep him from towing what BMW says it will tow, plus the loading of the vehicle..............................

Long story short, I suggested an Escape as he was looking for a 4 season trailer, and I felt he needed something narrow, and not as wide as my Bigfoot, and the Escape had floor plans that would work, and resale was not a problem........

But what I need to know is, as the title says, anyone towing with an x5? Is it workable, do they feel the need for more tow vehicle, yada yada.

Charles
Just a quick point - the Escape is not a 4 season trailer. I spend the winter in my 21C, but that is in southern Arizona where the temperature rarely goes below 32°F.
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Old 08-29-2022, 12:06 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Vermilye View Post
Just a quick point - the Escape is not a 4 season trailer. I spend the winter in my 21C, but that is in southern Arizona where the temperature rarely goes below 32°F.
True but neither is my Bigfoot. It has a very high heat loss rate, but it has heated waste tanks (if you run the furnace).

To be honest, I don't think the person posting on the other board realized what all is involved in a trip like he suggests. I did think the Escape was a better choice than virtually anything else however.

Charles
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Old 08-29-2022, 10:51 AM   #6
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I have towed a 17 and a 21 with 2017 Audi Q7 standard suspension (not air suspension) and no WDH, tow rating is 7700 and 770 on the tongue. I have not had any problems other than with the 17 dragging the power jack when crossing steep gutters or sharp break driveway approaches. I ordered the 21 with manual jack and have not had a problem because it doesn't stick down as far. Air suspension would be my choice if doing over. My tongue weight is over 500 lbs.

I agree that the car takes a beating from towing and parts wear out quicker. The manual even says this will happen. This could lead to an expensive repair if out of warranty. I have been looking for a pickup but among other things, it is hard for me to give up the car. I like the secure storage with back seats down, I like the handling and driver assist stuff on the highway as well as the ease of parking and maneuvering when in town as an every day car.



I don't particularly like the idea of maintaining 2 cars nor the expense of 2 cars. My thoughts are to trade for a pickup guaranteed to be delivered with the options ordered. Right now the dealers I talked to don't want to quote a trade-in value until I take delivery of the ordered truck. This detail needs to be worked out.

I averaged 15.3 mpg towing the 21NE last winter (6500 miles not all 100% towing) and 17mpg towing the 17 three years ago. When not towing I get 27+ mpg on the highway and 17 mpg in town.
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Old 12-01-2022, 07:47 PM   #7
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We just retired our 2011 x5 3.5d at 190k miles. We towed our 21c with it for three years. It was a great tow vehicle.
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Old 12-01-2022, 10:41 PM   #8
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What's your replacement?
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Old 12-21-2022, 08:20 PM   #9
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2017 Nissan Armada.
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