What CAN I tow with PHEV

[Bearhunter]

Manual says 1500 lbs, Canada site says 1500 lbs, but in Canada we deal in KILOS
in England the official Mitsubishi site says 1500 KGS many there speak of those numbers too. Anyone really know or have any experience towing anything ? I'm looking at a small tent trailer.

https://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.uk/car ... ed%20limit.

It would not be the first time there has been a royal screw up over kilos or pounds !

[SilverD]

It may be 1500lbs with an unbraked trailer but 3300lbs with trailer brakes.
In Victoria Australia I can legally tow an unbraked trailer up to 750kgs, I also legally tow a 7x5 foot trailer rated at 1500kgs with hydraulic override brakes and a 17 foot caravan with electric brakes. All quite comfortably.

2020 Exceed Red

[greendwarf]

What you can & can't tow is bound by the legal requirements of each country not the car. So the limit given in the UK manual, or applied in Australia is irrelevant to you in Canada. I'm sure there must be Canadian websites which will tell you what your legal limit is and the units it is expressed in.

[Bearhunter]

unfortunately the legalities seem to defy the laws of physics
so either the Canadian government are a bunch of wimps, or the British roads are full of suicidal drivers towing twice what they safely can !
Absolutely insane here that a capable vehicle is so restricted.
I am not one for braking laws, I even paid the three in forty years parking tickets, but even though I will be within the Canadian limits too, I sure am not going to be concerned about a few kilos here or there if I follow the plan I'm looking at.

OR screw it all and buy a Ford F350, tow the car AND the trailer !

[greendwarf]

This is a complaint shared with Land Rover owners in the UK, when the law was changed here, so that a vehicle was not allowed to tow a weight greater than itself - presumably to prevent jack-knifing etc. However, the real Land Rover was design specifically to do this and many people, like farmers who tow large equipment, complained long and hard to no effect.

[msmatt]

I have the OEM trailer hitch . I mainly wanted it to mount a bike carrier, but I was surprised that it has a 2" receiver. That size is usually associated with Class 3 hitches which go well above 3500 lbs. I suspect the OEM hitch is quite capable of 1500kg, but for some reason Mitsubishi decided to de-rate the system in North America. I doubt you would have any issues with a tent trailer. Just keep it in Charge Mode when towing, according to other threads in this forum.

[Bearhunter]

just got this reply today from them :

Thank you for contacting Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, INC. We appreciate the opportunity to respond to your queries and comments.
Please be advised that the Canadian version of the Mitsubishi vehicles are specific to the Canadian Market and 1500 lbs were approved for a trailer with brakes. There are various factors that are taken into consideration for the approval of the towing capacity like vehicle capacity, land topography, weather, etc.
We remain at your disposal for any additional information and thank you again for contacting Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc.
Sincerely,
Kam R, Customer Relations /Relations à la Clientèle
Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc. I Ventes de véhicules Mitsubishi Du Canada, Inc.

CYA at its finest

[ChrisMiller]

Just keep it in Charge Mode when towing, according to other threads in this forum.

I think that's a misunderstanding. You only need to use charge mode if you're towing and you know your journey is going to involve substantial climbing. The reason is that on long steep climbs (as in the Alps or the Rockies) while towing, the power available from the ICE is insufficient to maintain road speed and so battery power is also required. If the battery hasn't enough charge to support this, you will drop into 'crawl' mode. But for normal driving (even while towing) the use of 'charge' is optional.

[Disclaimer: I don't tow stuff - feel free to ignore me ]

[oscarmax]

Just keep it in Charge Mode when towing, according to other threads in this forum.

I think that's a misunderstanding. You only need to use charge mode if you're towing and you know your journey is going to involve substantial climbing. The reason is that on long steep climbs (as in the Alps or the Rockies) while towing, the power available from the ICE is insufficient to maintain road speed and so battery power is also required. If the battery hasn't enough charge to support this, you will drop into 'crawl' mode. But for normal driving (even while towing) the use of 'charge' is optional.

[Disclaimer: I don't tow stuff - feel free to ignore me ]

You are correct Chris you don't tow, I am going to take the ignore me option

[zzcoopej]

I suspect the OEM hitch is quite capable of 1500kg, but for some reason Mitsubishi decided to de-rate the system in North America. I doubt you would have any issues with a tent trailer. Just keep it in Charge Mode when towing, according to other threads in this forum.

The PHEV is designed to be a low energy vechile first and tow vehicle 2nd, and Americans are very unforgiving. The lower tow rating in US/Canada would be to avoid complaints & litigation.
I have done approx 4000km towing a 1280kg Adria 402PH 15ft caravan from Jindabyne to Mooloolaba. The PHEV is not an ideal towing vehicle and needs all the power you can give it when towing, hence the use of charge mode. I average around 15 litres/100km when towing at about 95km/h, which is about double what I get without towing. The extra weight and air resistance are significant, approx doubling the energy requirements.