TOWING W/ ML 320

H

hank schneider

New member
HAPPY HOLIDAY
I have a Cape Cruiser 23. I have been towing it with a 2002 Toyota 4-Runner (2WD). I go from Hickory NC to Wilmington and back on I-40 and it does pretty good. The car does not overpower the boat. I'm setting my ML 320 up with a hitch and wiring harness and it may do better based on weight and being all-wheel drive. Any of you folks tow with an ML 320?. How does it do? The towing weight for the boat is 4700, both cars are rated at 5000 but the 320 is listed at 7200 in Europe.
I looked at older Ford & Chevy pickups but the basic models didn't have very high towing capacity.
Any thoughts? - I may better of buying old heavy SUV, but was thinking a truck would do double duty.
Thanks
Hank
 
Hi Hank I tow my cc-23 with out any water and very little gas with a honda Pilot 4whl drive its rated for 4500lb plus up to 660 lb in the car . This is towing with an alum tandem axcel trl with disc brakes (1000lb)boat about 2900lb with 400lb eng yamaha f-115 3300lb's plus 200lbs of boat stuff. so without anything on the boat about 4500lb towing in flat florida so far so good .We only tow about 4-5 times a yr so until I start towing all over i'll keep the Pilot. im waiting for diesel Pilot or maybe buy a ridgeline? The Mercedes should do Ok I would keep towing with the toyota or trade for a newer toyota tacoma 6500lb rating with 4 litre eng.
 
SENSEI":3ns5atlg said:
OK, I have to ask, what is a ML 320 ??????????
Click to expand...

It's a Mercedes vehicle, a sedan, I think!

Or a Miller Lite born on 3/20/0?

Or a Monica Lewinski 320 whatever (320/360 = 8/9ths.... )

The possibilities are endless, I had to look it up on Google, finally!

Joe. :lol:
 
the ml320 is one of the older mercedes SUV's it had a v-6 I believe 5000lb tow rating very short wheelbase all wheel drive held 5 passengers had lots of problems 2 of my friends had them and sold them pretty quickly
 
hank schneider":aq0liqw6 said:
HAPPY HOLIDAY
I have a Cape Cruiser 23. I have been towing it with a 2002 Toyota 4-Runner (2WD). I go from Hickory NC to Wilmington and back on I-40 and it does pretty good. The car does not overpower the boat. I'm setting my ML 320 up with a hitch and wiring harness and it may do better based on weight and being all-wheel drive. Any of you folks tow with an ML 320?. How does it do? The towing weight for the boat is 4700, both cars are rated at 5000 but the 320 is listed at 7200 in Europe.
I looked at older Ford & Chevy pickups but the basic models didn't have very high towing capacity.
Any thoughts? - I may better of buying old heavy SUV, but was thinking a truck would do double duty.
Thanks
Hank
Click to expand...

Hank,

If going slow and watching the grass grow isn't your thing, then neither of the vehicles you mentioned are going to cut it; literally or figuratively. If you want it to tow like a truck, then you need one. I think you should buy a low miles f-250 or something to tow it with. My brother's 4-Runner is a beautiful little SUV, but like you pointed out, it is gutless. I can't imagine an SUV of similar size, with a similar sized engine like the ML 320 has doing any better at all. In fact, it may do worse, the 4 Runners are pretty good rigs.
 
Or get the new ML320 BlueTech. With about 400 lb feet of torque, it should tow the 22/23 well and still get decent mileage.

Regarding towing with the current ML320...it will work. I've heard they actually make a pretty decent tow vehicle. The chassis and breaks are strong, but the engine isn't. We have an E320 and it certainly doesn't have lots of extra power. Add in the extra weight of the SUV and a boat, and you wouldn't be moving quickly.

OTOH, the 4runner isn't too quick either. We had an early 90's Land Cruiser that was unbelievably slow with its six cylinder. I think your 4runner should be a bit better, but it will still be slow.

If I had my choice between the 4runner and ML320 for towing I'd probably choose the ML, but either will function if not excel.
 
Merry Xmas and thanks for the ideas - the boat will only travel 200 road miles between now and summer - I'll be leaving it down by the coast - I'm going to look for an older 4X4 truck -- not that I need a truck but simply for towing safety(any excuse for a new toy). Leaving out on Sat from Wilmington into SC for about five days - weather permitting.
Hank
 
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