[john.wigley]

Having towed in period with both 7 and 9 series cars, 'wagonwheels', I can confirm that they make excellent tow cars. Personally, I felt that their RWD configuration made them better suited to the task than FWD, due to having more weight on the rear wheels.

I bought both my long term ownership 745GLE and 944GLE second-hand already equipped for towing. The 745 also had uprated (10%) rear shocks as the previous owner towed a caravan, but the 944 had standard rear suspension.

I did not experience any noticeable suspension sag when towing, but then I only ever towed a light trailer - not a caravan. Consequently, there was no noticeable effect on fuel consumption, either. My 745 returned 27 MPG overall and the 944 29. Talking to others who towed heavier loads, large 'vans, animal trailers and the like, I would realistically expect a 10 - 20% penalty in fuel consumption - so around 23MPG (?) depending on how you drive.

Both my cars were 2.3 Automatics. I feel that it is important (essential (?)) that you also have an auxiliary oil cooler on the transmission if you intend towing with an automatic.

As 'Rich850R' so succinctly put it: "Also think it might be a bit gutless by today's standards also". It is true that these cars were no balls of fire even back in the day, but I feel that is to miss the point rather. They excel in what they do do - i.e. provide refined, safe, comfortable motoring with adequate power for most people and situations. The low-down, flat torque curve of the 2.3 N/A motors also makes then ideally suited to towing in my humble opinion, but if you are looking for sports car performance then perhaps you should look elsewhere.

In conclusion, although I have done little towing in recent years with my V70, I have to say that, on balance, it does not feel as sure-footed as the RWD cars did - to say nothing of the limited steering lock of the FWD car!

Regards, John.