Having recently bought a new Suzuki Jimny, I was just wondering if it is capable of towing our Eriba Troll (2019 anniversary model). The Jimny is the new model with the 1.5ltr engine. Any advice or information would be very much appreciated. Thanks

According to What tow car, it will tow it but not a good match
Dave

In a word no, I had the new 1500cc Suzuki Jimny to tow my Familia 320. It was very slow, noisy and an unstable towing platform due to it's lack of sound insulation, short wheel base, high profile tyres/high ground clearance and it only has130Nm of power from it's naturally aspirated engine, the fuel tank is very small which compromises the towing distance. I would say a Puck is about the only Eriba it can comfortably tow which I also use to have. The 1500cc has only an extra 20Nm of power more than the 1300cc.

IMG_20200905_121621.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

pictures_u1373_pfuPKBGW.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Thanks Mr Poptop and Dave, and Colin for all your replies - much appreciated, and kind of expected. Although I was hoping (with everything crossed) that there would be a collective - Yes, it will pull it easily. I have to confess that for a moment I ventured to the dark side and looked at a much smaller unit to tow (name begins with t - - and only weighs 650kg).

Thanks Colin, I love my Troll, but have been wondering about selling it and getting the t@- 320 off road. It’s nearly half the weight of my 530, and has a much bigger bed too. The biggest plus for me is how well the Walker awning fits onto the rail and is a lots simpler to set up (of that quality) than anything available for the Eriba. BUT like you say the height might be a deal breaker. I think the T - - is only about 150mm higher than the Eriba but it seams like a lot more. Oh what should I do ??????

I borrowed a t@b before deciding a puck was better. The t@b did look a lot bigger on the outside but same size inside and also too narrow to sleep across. The main thing was how the puck seemed more spacious because of the layout with more window space , even though mine is a blind puck. The teardrop shape made the t@b seem claustrophobic inside and I'm not sure what the benefit of that shape is.
Steve

Thanks for that Steve, really helpful. Looking at the specs, from 2016 they made the shape a bit different which allowed for a bit more height inside. Was your test t - - a 2016+ ? But I agree that the shape of the Eriba’s does give the best sense of space in a small package. Thanks again, Robbie

Robbie, all I remember was that it was a 320. I would agree with Colin about a 310. It must be close to the towing weight of a t@b. Later pucks are a lot heavier than the early ones and the only reason I chose one was for the lower height not the weight.
Steve

Thank you Steve and Colin. I agree with all that. My first Eriba was a 310 and I really liked it. I also went to look at a t@ - today at a local dealer about 30miles away. Steve is right, its looks really big compared to even my Troll 530. Very tall and wide at the back. On paper its smaller but in real life it somehow seams a lot bigger. Definitely not much height inside and the overall quality is no a patch on the standard of an Eriba. So I am way back from the dark side now. I am very grateful for all the input from Eriba Folk and will be firmly focusing my attention on Eriba models only. Big Thanks, Robbie

I feel for you Robbie, I have been in the same dilemma twice. I am a confirmed Suzuki Jimny fan, even though I no longer have one. Here is my story of Jimnys and Eribas so that you can learn from what I discovered the hard way.

Over a 19 year period I have had 5 Suzuki Jimnys, four with the 1300cc engine and one 1500cc . On my 3rd Jimny I had a towbar added to carry bikes and then thought how about a small caravan. Like yourself I did a lot of research and the top 3 was a Dandy folding trailer tent, Freedom Caravan or an Eriba Puck. The Eriba won hands down due to its size and looks and a MTPLM of 500kgs. We had a very small make shift awning and a porta-potty and all was well. It could pull it ok, however I still knew I was dragging something heavy and it needed a lot of revs and gear changing but it was ok and stable. With the Puck been light it meant that I could take more equipment in the car making it a more stable platform,It was a great little outfit for narrow lanes.
Then came Jimny 1300cc number 4, a towbar was duly fitted and after a short period I saw a great deal for a new 2012 Familia 320 from Automotive leisure, I did all my calculations and went on all the tow/caravan outfit match websites, they said it can do it but its on the edge and you will struggle going up hills and pulling out of junctions. With my rose tinted glasses on I thought it will be ok as long as I take my time, the Jimny was an important part of my lifestyle and an internal toilet in the caravan would be nice?
After a few journeys with the Familia 320 and the Jimny it became very apparent that the car did not have enough power, on the motorway it struggled to get up to speed and if anything was in-front of me going slow there wasn't a cat in hells chance to get past it unless the road was as straight and long as NASAs shuttle runway. Pulling out at junctions was fraught with danger, if I could see anything coming my way in either direction I would have to wait for them to past. To keep the weight down I treated the caravan like an airship balloon, everything was weighed and only the essentials put in, unnecessary ballast was left out. Even when on holiday we were careful not to buy any heavy items. The journeys became an ordeal and unpleasant , something had to give. Mrs Poptop was not going to go back to a Puck with no toilet so the Jimny had to go. In 2013 I bought a diesel 4x4 Dacia Duster, this pulled the Familia with no problems and very stable, then came a Vitara 4x4 diesel in 2016 no problems again. 2018 Suzuki brought out the new 1500cc Jimny, what a fantastic looking thing it was and still is, off I went again with my research. The GEN4 Jimny only has an extra 20Nm of power, the outfit matcher almost said the same as before, but I knew better with my rose tinted Jimny specs on. I part exchanged the Vitara and took home a Chiffon Ivory SZ5 Jimny, I loved it! .....However on my first outing I knew I had dropped a clanger, this one was worse than the 1300cc, not in power but stability, sure it had a tad more power but it wasn't noticeable. The problem I now had was the new Jimny was slightly taller with bigger tyres, plus the bodywork is very square and slab sided and a narrow/short wheel base. This combination gives a choppy twitchy ride which catches the wind and it is easily deflected by the white van man and lorry's flying past. It made the journeys tiresome, plus there is range anxiety with the very small fuel tank, the range is compromised due to towing to about 150 miles. Its a very busy place in the Jimny cockpit, all the time you are looking ahead for any slight hills to get your speed up, there is no soundproofing and the engine needs to be at full chat around 4000 revs to get the best out of it to keep the speed up, on the motorway I was hovering between 45/54 miles an hour, it was like been in a tumbledyer and I was exhausted when I got to my destination.
In mid 2020 the decision was made again that something had to give, fortunately for me suzuki Jimnys prices are worth 50% more second hand. I traded in the Jimny for another 4x4 diesel Dacia Duster and I got cash back as well.

To sum up, if you can afford it buy another cheap tow car to pull your Troll and keep the Jimny, I couldn't afford that luxury unfortunately. If you are determined to keep the Jimny and you want an Eriba I would advise you to get get a Puck and then you wont be worried about filling the car with caravaning equipment/awnings. I would think personally after my experience 750kg will be a comfortable max for towing caravan/trailer tent for the Jimny 1500cc.
Don't get sucked into a false sense of security on the Jimny forums (like I did) they will boast that their car can pull a trailer weighing 2 tons... pulling trailer over a field or a short distance to the tip is very different to dragging a caravan 200 miles.

My mantra for towing a caravan is now "More than enough power is far better than just enough power"

Thanks Mr Poptop, I think you have summed it up really well. I can actually relate to it too as we had a Gen 3 Jimny (1300cc) which I used to tow our 310 GT, Me and Mrs W and our 2 teenaged sons + the Walker Plus awning and all the rest out our camping kit. On one trip down the A303 to Cornwall we where down to 20 MPH on some sections, and round-a-bouts where a total “hit and hope” affair. BUT I love my Jimny and my Troll so I am keeping both. So now armed with a printed copy of your missive I am off to the kitchen to discuss matters and the un refutable fact that we shall have to invest in a suitable and dedicated “tow car”. If all goes well I should be back on this forum in a few days when the swelling goes down. Big thanks, Robbie

Sort of related.

When I bought my Troll (my first caravan having had trailer tents and an ageing Esterel fold up prior to that) I was running a bottom of the range 2ltr diesel Mondeo that had 98 bhp. It seemed fine, but I was always a little concerned I was underpowered (In truth, I never checked Whattowcar, not knowing about it then) Soon after the Troll purchase, I swapped for a Volvo V70 with 185bhp. An absolute revelation. Towed effortlessly and with an air of calm in the cab. It was also my first automatic, which also turned out to be far more succcesful than I imagined.

I am not suggesting a V70, of course, but I am suggesting there is no substitute for horses under the bonnet and a weight ratio between tow car and caravan to be able to travel in comfort and safety..

best of luck!