Towing with an E320 4matic wagon...
01-14-2004, 03:17 PM
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Towing with an E320 4matic wagon...
I searched the web and this forum for information about the towing capacity of the '98 - '02 E320 4matic station wagon. The only information I uncovered was a thread from 2002 that mentioned that towing is not recommended. It was claimed that the unibody construction made it unwise to tow anything. This strikes me as a bit odd, because there are plenty of unibody cars that can tow; certainly not with the capacity of a body-on-frame vehicle, but a reasonable capacity, nonetheless.
Can anyone shed some light on this issue for me? I'm curious if an E320 4matic wagon can tow our < 4K lb boat & trailer. Many thanks!
Can anyone shed some light on this issue for me? I'm curious if an E320 4matic wagon can tow our < 4K lb boat & trailer. Many thanks!
01-14-2004, 06:45 PM
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209/W210 Estate /W211 modded by MBENZNL
Mercedes-Benz does manufacture an original trailer hitch for almost all of their cars. It can be factory ordered OR post-factory installed at any time (your E 320 T should be ready to have the system installed). See picture below for the post-factory kit. Sorry, but my catolog do not list any specific part numbers.
A. Rosich has attached this image:
__________________
Just to give you a bit of towing confidence, one of the members of my sister's pony club uses a 1998 E200 wagon (136bhp, 140lb/ft) to pull a horse trailer and up to two 500kg ponies! So your E320 should be fine. The only tips I'd give you are: look way ahead and keep your speed down so you don't have to brake hard, and use the gears as well as the brakes to slow you down. It is especially important to go down hill slowly.
Also, make sure the laden weight of your trailer is 75% or less of the laden weight of your car (stops the tail wagging the dog).
As for tow bars, MB manufactures a removable tow bar for the E-Class wagon. They are abut £150. Try part numbers Q3 90 11210, Q3 90 12210, Q3 90 13210, Q3 90 14210. You'll also need a wiring kit.
Whether or not you can get the parts in the US, this means the holes are already there for you to mount the tow bar: you should not need to do any welding or anything drastic (like cutting your bumber).
http://www.etrailer.com/fitguide.htm
A. Rosich has attached this image:
__________________
Just to give you a bit of towing confidence, one of the members of my sister's pony club uses a 1998 E200 wagon (136bhp, 140lb/ft) to pull a horse trailer and up to two 500kg ponies! So your E320 should be fine. The only tips I'd give you are: look way ahead and keep your speed down so you don't have to brake hard, and use the gears as well as the brakes to slow you down. It is especially important to go down hill slowly.
Also, make sure the laden weight of your trailer is 75% or less of the laden weight of your car (stops the tail wagging the dog).
As for tow bars, MB manufactures a removable tow bar for the E-Class wagon. They are abut £150. Try part numbers Q3 90 11210, Q3 90 12210, Q3 90 13210, Q3 90 14210. You'll also need a wiring kit.
Whether or not you can get the parts in the US, this means the holes are already there for you to mount the tow bar: you should not need to do any welding or anything drastic (like cutting your bumber).
http://www.etrailer.com/fitguide.htm
