BMW to take on Toyota with 3.5-tonne towing

BMW Australia has confirmed it will soon offer an official 3.5-tonne towing capacity from the factory for specially-optioned versions of the X5, X6 and X7 SUVs.

As previously reported BMW has made a concerted effort to appeal to Australians who tow.

Following drawn-out negotiations with its factory in the US, BMW Australia officials confirmed last week that the towing capacity on nine variants if the X5, X6 and X7 would have towing raised from 2700kg to 3500kg.

The towing extension is enabled from the factory when buyers tick an optional $3200 towing package, which comprises additional reinforcement from the factory, along with Australian dealer fitted plugs and electrics.

Crucially along with the additional towing capacity, the all-important downball weight of the package now extends to as much as 280kg – more than many mainstream rivals.

"It was about four years ago that we started the planning on this," said BMW Australia’s head of product and market planning, Brendan Michel, said.

The new BMW factory-designed and installed towing system is available for nine models across the BMW X5 and X7 lines, and can be ordered now with deliveries commencing in Q3 this year.

Rated at between 2700kg to 3500kg braked depending on the model, the solution comes with an integrated hitch receiver, bespoke control unit and specific vehicle wiring harness.

"Availability of this new BMW towing hitch is a significant development in further broadening the capability of our X models," BMW Group Australia chief Vikram Pawah said.

"Our owners also have the peace-of-mind that comes from a factory-fitted solution and the BMW aftersales dealer support our network provides."

The new towing hitch requires no removal of parts, ensuring seamless vehicle integration.

The specific control unit is multi-functional and assists driver safety. Surround View offers an additional zoom function for the rear camera, while a trailer stabilisation system is also included.

Pawah told carsales.com.au that he believes the changes could well position BMW against the likes of Toyota for recreational buyers and the popular grey nomad market. However, he said comparisons against Toyota would be purely incidental, and not targeted.