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BMW X5, X6 and X7 tow rating upped to 3.5 tonnes

BMW has its sights set on grey nomads, with a factory-fit package boosting the towing capacity of its X5 and X7 to 3500kg.


The option costs $2500 and must be installed at the factory, meaning owners will need to tick the right boxes to utilise their car's full braked-towing capacity. An Australian tongue, electrical connector and tow ball adds another $700 to the option price.

Cars without the factory option can still be fitted with a tow package at the dealer, but braked-towing capacity is limited to 2700kg. The new four-cylinder X5 25d won't be available with the 3500kg package.

The Mercedes-Benz GLS will tow 3400kg and the Audi Q7 is rated to 3500kg, while the ute-based SUVs popular with grey nomads and boat-towing families all tow around 3000kg. The strong-selling Isuzu MU-X will haul 3000kg, and the Ford Everest and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport can handle 3100kg.

"All X5s except for the four-cylinder 25d, X6s and X7s, we're able to get three-and-a-half-tonne towing from the factory. So the same [tow] bar they offer in the US, which is pretty good for us here," Brendan Michel, BMW Australia head of market planning and product, told media in New Zealand.

"Previously on X5 we've only been able to get 2700kg towing."

BMW Australia will welcome a glut of new models to its SUV line-up before the end of 2019, with a new entry-level X5 and petrol V8 X5 and X7 options joining the range.

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