Can BMW X5 XDrive 50i Safely Tow FC23 FB?

[Raceycleo]

Hello - I’ve read thru the comments here and thought maybe someone would have an update on the how well the BMW tows an Airstream. I own my first BMW (2019 X5 50i V8) that I got with a factory installed tow package. We are getting ready to purchase our first Airstream (clap clap) and I’m trying to figure out which trailer would be best for our tow vehicle without taking any risk.

Caravel 16. 3,500 GVWR / 430 tongue
Caravel 20 5,000 GVWR / 565 tongue
Flying Cloud 23FB 6,000 GVWR / 464 tongue

I’ve read the 80/20 rule on calculating max towing. My BMW has a tow limit of 7,200 and 1349 payload.

Does anyone own or know someone that has my model BMW and can share how well it tows what type Airstream? I’m in love with the FC23...it would be perfect for the three of us (mom, dad, baby) but maybe we should be safe and go with the Caravel 16?

Thank you for sharing thoughts, expertise here.

[jeffmc306]

There are plenty of BMW owners on the forum to weigh in but I can offer a comparison. We towed a FC23FB with a VW Touareg TDI and it was a great combination. It had a 7700 lbs. tow rating with 770 lbs. tongue capacity. Payload was 1168 lbs. The 23’ with dual axles is very well balanced giving you a lower tongue weigh. FYI, the “actual” tongue weight on ours was closer to 650 loaded.

Good luck with you decision!

[Whizzo]

We had a previous-generation 2009 X5 3.0L diesel, and towed a 4000 lb GVWR Sport 22 FB (single axle) for three years. Handling, power, and braking were all very good. Overall, we found the X5 platform a fine towing experience. Of course, your newer model gas V8 has substantially better HP and torque than our smaller diesel.

Older X5 towing discussions centered around limitations (6000 lb rating) of the previous generation factory hitch, and some had it modified/reinforced. With your newer hitch and higher factory ratings, you have more room for towing choices than we considered.

At the FC 23 FB's max GVWR of 6000 lbs, you'd be at 83% of your X5's tow rating - and you'd have little left for payload. We currently tow that same model trailer, at around 5200 lbs loaded (72% of your max). Some would say that's a reasonable TV/TT match, others would discourage you from towing the 23 with a medium-sized SUV.

IMHO, after two additional years pulling the larger Airstream, it's certainly the biggest trailer I'd personally tow with an X5. We did end up trading our X5 for a light duty (half ton) diesel pickup, and we are very happy with that choice, for towing the 23.

Best wishes in your search.

[jcl]

Yes, with a properly set up WD hitch, and consideration of the maximum cargo weight you will put in the X5 when towing.

My upper limit for an X5 would be a 27. Others have successfully and safely towed much larger trailers.

[Raceycleo]

Originally Posted by jeffmc306

There are plenty of BMW owners on the forum to weigh in but I can offer a comparison. We towed a FC23FB with a VW Touareg TDI and it was a great combination. It had a 7700 lbs. tow rating with 770 lbs. tongue capacity. Payload was 1168 lbs. The 23’ with dual axles is very well balanced giving you a lower tongue weigh. FYI, the “actual” tongue weight on ours was closer to 650 loaded.

Good luck with you decision!

The 'actual' tongue weight is really good information to have! Thanks for that!

[RickyV]

This is a late reply for Raceycleo, but I hope my feedback will be helpful to folks in the future. I towed a 2022 FC 23FB for 3-4 trips - including from Seattle WA to Boise, ID, and from Boise, ID to Winnemucca, NV, using a Blue Ox Pro Sway kit - before I purchased a 2022 Ford F150 3.5L PowerBoost Full Hybrid V6, 4x4, Supercrew Limited to become our new TV. Prior to making the switch, I made the best attempt to keep the BMW as our TV. I "dialed in" all settings - AS front/rear weight ratio, TV Front Axle/Rear Axle/AS weigh ratio, tongue weight, TV cargo weight, tire pressures in both TV and AS, wheel alignment, chain tension on the Blue Ox, etc. The only thing I didn't do was replace the Blue Ox with systems that "guarantee" sway elimination, such as the ProPride 3P and Hensley Arrow. The biggest reason I switched from a 2020 BMW X5 SUV xDrive40i to the F150 was sway - not to the point of risking a rollover, but there was enough sway to make my wife motion sick on every trip and for her to say she was "done" camping with our trailer. We've kept our X5 for fun day & commuting trips. The F150 hasn't completely eliminated sway, but it has reduced it significantly, and most importantly, it's gotten my wife to reconsider trailer camping. Hope this helps.

[waninae39]

We tow FC23FB with a Audi Q5 Sline 3.0L
We issues with towing. At most we lose 25% of mileage and never any issues going uphill
we use both sway and WD
the BMW x5 should be fine.

feel free to talk to Andy at CANAMRV and ask him.

CANAM reinforced our rear end and it's still very stable

[propchef]

Originally Posted by RickyV

This is a late reply for Raceycleo, but I hope my feedback will be helpful to folks in the future. I towed a 2022 FC 23FB for 3-4 trips - including from Seattle WA to Boise, ID, and from Boise, ID to Winnemucca, NV, using a Blue Ox Pro Sway kit - before I purchased a 2022 Ford F150 3.5L PowerBoost Full Hybrid V6, 4x4, Supercrew Limited to become our new TV. Prior to making the switch, I made the best attempt to keep the BMW as our TV. I "dialed in" all settings - AS front/rear weight ratio, TV Front Axle/Rear Axle/AS weigh ratio, tongue weight, TV cargo weight, tire pressures in both TV and AS, wheel alignment, chain tension on the Blue Ox, etc. The only thing I didn't do was replace the Blue Ox with systems that "guarantee" sway elimination, such as the ProPride 3P and Hensley Arrow. The biggest reason I switched from a 2020 BMW X5 SUV xDrive40i to the F150 was sway - not to the point of risking a rollover, but there was enough sway to make my wife motion sick on every trip and for her to say she was "done" camping with our trailer. We've kept our X5 for fun day & commuting trips. The F150 hasn't completely eliminated sway, but it has reduced it significantly, and most importantly, it's gotten my wife to reconsider trailer camping. Hope this helps.

Thanks, Ricky, that's too bad. I hate it for your wife, mine is the same. I have to plan routes with avoiding twisty roads as the priority. She munches crackers along the way.

We have not had that experience with our 2019 X5 4.0 and our 27, it's been rock solid. If I'm going 65 can just feel when trucks pass, but she can't. At 55 neither of us feel it. Two weeks ago we took it out to the coast during a break in the storms we're having. Pulled it through the 2-lane roads of Wine Country to a nice spot near the coast. Never any drama.

I know it can be frustrating chasing the right setup and with the Ford, you have a great tow vehicle. I think this shows that not everyone has the same experience.

[Piddleplace]

Originally Posted by Raceycleo

Hello - I’ve read thru the comments here and thought maybe someone would have an update on the how well the BMW tows an Airstream. I own my first BMW (2019 X5 50i V8) that I got with a factory installed tow package. We are getting ready to purchase our first Airstream (clap clap) and I’m trying to figure out which trailer would be best for our tow vehicle without taking any risk.

Caravel 16. 3,500 GVWR / 430 tongue
Caravel 20 5,000 GVWR / 565 tongue
Flying Cloud 23FB 6,000 GVWR / 464 tongue

I’ve read the 80/20 rule on calculating max towing. My BMW has a tow limit of 7,200 and 1349 payload.

Does anyone own or know someone that has my model BMW and can share how well it tows what type Airstream? I’m in love with the FC23...it would be perfect for the three of us (mom, dad, baby) but maybe we should be safe and go with the Caravel 16?

Thank you for sharing thoughts, expertise here.

I have even towing my caravel 20 from FL to Maine and Colorado mountains I have same as you and aside from really steep mountains in CO I wouldn’t know it was there I had the extra brake installed under my dash and that has proven critical on a few downhill runs
I tried to pull the 23 last year and it was far more difficult in the blue ridge parkway I would not task it at my place in colorado So I guess it depends on how steep a road you are considering

[RickyV]

Originally Posted by propchef

Thanks, Ricky, that's too bad. I hate it for your wife, mine is the same. I have to plan routes with avoiding twisty roads as the priority. She munches crackers along the way.

We have not had that experience with our 2019 X5 4.0 and our 27, it's been rock solid. If I'm going 65 can just feel when trucks pass, but she can't. At 55 neither of us feel it. Two weeks ago we took it out to the coast during a break in the storms we're having. Pulled it through the 2-lane roads of Wine Country to a nice spot near the coast. Never any drama.

I know it can be frustrating chasing the right setup and with the Ford, you have a great tow vehicle. I think this shows that not everyone has the same experience.

Propchef, I'm glad to hear that your experience has been positive. And, as I said in my other recent post, I will envy seeing you floor your X5 through the twisties after detaching it at the campsite. I thoroughly enjoyed that experience, but I'll be looking forward to the F150 Hybrid Limited w/ 7.2Kw onboard as my TV for reasons listed in the other post.

[Raceycleo]

Update to my above original post: We went full circle with our final Airstream purchase - and decision on a tow vehicle. We recently took possession of our brand new 27' International �� along with a brand new Toyota Tundra. We literally had the 'cart before the horse.' The trailer arrived a few months before the truck did! We ended up at this point for a couple of reasons - my husband thought the 'three' of us needed more room than Caravel or FC and the math/consideration with using our BMW was just causing too much worry and anxiety. We received such good feedback from this forum, and while some people successfully use a SUV as a tow vehicle, we just didn't want the stress of continuing figuring the math - and also, the ongoing management of what extra weight would do to our tow experience. To be fair, I should share that this is our first RV of any sort, so we approached it with extra caution than maybe most experienced RV-ers would.

[RickyV]

Congrats, Raceycleo, on purchasing a half-ton as a TV for your 27' AS! Curious, did you also purchase a Weight Distribution Hitch Sway-control system, and, if so, which one?

[RickyV]

Originally Posted by RickyV

Propchef, I'm glad to hear that your experience has been positive. And, as I said in my other recent post, I will envy seeing you floor your X5 through the twisties after detaching it at the campsite. I thoroughly enjoyed that experience, but I'll be looking forward to the F150 Hybrid Limited w/ 7.2Kw onboard as my TV for reasons listed in the other post.

I realized my earlier post was on a different thread, so here it is again ..

Everyone, I'll likely ignore the BMW X5 AS posts moving forward, but before I do, I want to thank everyone for the enormous knowledge you share with others, and have shared w/ me. Without that knowledge, I would still be scratching my head about how to "dial-in" my TV, AS, WDH, etc. to get the optimal towing experience.

I will envy seeing all of you detach your X5 at the campsite and floor your BMW "sports car" through the twisties, while I steer my half-ton boat-of-a-truck gingerly into curves and parking spaces.

The silver lining, and why I won't be looking back at my X5 as an AS TV, is threefold:

1. My wife is back to going on trips while towing an AS, and enjoys the added long haul comfort of the F150 Limited massaging, full-recline, heated seats.
2. We will enjoy 2-3 days of air-conditioning and microwave-use while boon-docking using the F150 Hybrid's 7.2KW onboard power -- instead of the two loud and heavy Yamaha generators I used to have to haul around.
3. We will look forward to, one day, trading up our FC 23FB / Blue Ox to a FC 30FB Office / ProPride, knowing that my half-ton truck should be able to make the transition easily.

Thanks everyone, and happy AS camping!

[Raceycleo]

We had the Airstream dealer install the Blue Ox tow bar, which I originally learned about here on this forum (smile) My brother, works for UPS and has plenty of experience driving big, long trucks, drove our AS home from the dealer and told us that our AS stuck to the back of the truck like peanut butter to the roof of your mouth. Definitely reassuring to us rookies. We are excited and ready for Spring to arrive so we can have our first adventure!

[GettinAway]

Originally Posted by RickyV

This is a late reply for Raceycleo, but I hope my feedback will be helpful to folks in the future. I towed a 2022 FC 23FB for 3-4 trips - including from Seattle WA to Boise, ID, and from Boise, ID to Winnemucca, NV, using a Blue Ox Pro Sway kit - before I purchased a 2022 Ford F150 3.5L PowerBoost Full Hybrid V6, 4x4, Supercrew Limited to become our new TV. Prior to making the switch, I made the best attempt to keep the BMW as our TV. I "dialed in" all settings - AS front/rear weight ratio, TV Front Axle/Rear Axle/AS weigh ratio, tongue weight, TV cargo weight, tire pressures in both TV and AS, wheel alignment, chain tension on the Blue Ox, etc. The only thing I didn't do was replace the Blue Ox with systems that "guarantee" sway elimination, such as the ProPride 3P and Hensley Arrow. The biggest reason I switched from a 2020 BMW X5 SUV xDrive40i to the F150 was sway - not to the point of risking a rollover, but there was enough sway to make my wife motion sick on every trip and for her to say she was "done" camping with our trailer. We've kept our X5 for fun day & commuting trips. The F150 hasn't completely eliminated sway, but it has reduced it significantly, and most importantly, it's gotten my wife to reconsider trailer camping. Hope this helps.

We pulled a 23FB for several years. I noticed the sway when pulled with our Toyota Tundra. It went away when I started traveling with a full fresh water tank. I had read here on the forum that it might help. If you haven’t tried it, you might want to think it over. I also kept heavy stuff out of the back of the trailer.
Towing with an Easy Lift or something like that.

[RickyV]

Originally Posted by GettinAway

We pulled a 23FB for several years. I noticed the sway when pulled with our Toyota Tundra. It went away when I started traveling with a full fresh water tank. I had read here on the forum that it might help. If you haven’t tried it, you might want to think it over. I also kept heavy stuff out of the back of the trailer.
Towing with an Easy Lift or something like that.

Yep, the fresh water tank in the 2022 23FB is (still) located about 3/4 toward the front left underside, making it one of the key "levers" for "dialing in" front/rear load ratio AND tongue weight. Before traveling, I ensure the fresh water tank utilization is between 70%-90% of capacity to optimize front load and tongue weight. Contributors to this forum taught me the science of dialing in several factors ... tongue weight, front/back trailer balance ratio, tire pressure, tire alignment, weight distribution metrics, TV capacity, location & utilization percentage of all water tanks (black, grey, fresh), choosing a WDH product that is better at reducing sway than others, speed limits (aka <65MPH) ... to the point that I believe I know perhaps a bit more than I need to given my new TV is a half ton. I had to learn these things because the "margins" for my BMW X5 as a TV for a 23-foot AS were small. Either way, I'm grateful to have this knowledge, and I attribute it to this forum.

[RickyV]

Originally Posted by RickyV

Yep, the fresh water tank in the 2022 23FB is (still) located about 3/4 toward the front left underside, making it one of the key "levers" for "dialing in" front/rear load ratio AND tongue weight. Before traveling, I ensure the fresh water tank utilization is between 70%-90% of capacity to optimize front load and tongue weight. Contributors to this forum taught me the science of dialing in several factors ... tongue weight, front/back trailer balance ratio, tire pressure, tire alignment, weight distribution metrics, TV capacity, location & utilization percentage of all water tanks (black, grey, fresh), choosing a WDH product that is better at reducing sway than others, speed limits (aka <65MPH) ... to the point that I believe I know perhaps a bit more than I need to given my new TV is a half ton. I had to learn these things because the "margins" for my BMW X5 as a TV for a 23-foot AS were small. Either way, I'm grateful to have this knowledge, and I attribute it to this forum.

Footnote: one un-controllable factor is that our camping trips take us through geographies that have sidewind gusts of 15MPH+. This made our BMW feel like we were in an airplane w/ light sideways turbulence -- enough so that my wife got sick. This lightweight turbulence is virtually gone w/ the half-ton. But again, there are three other reasons we're looking forward, not looking backward:

1. My wife is back to going on trips while towing an AS, and enjoys the added long haul comfort of the F150 Limited massaging, full-recline, heated seats.
2. We will enjoy 2-3 days of air-conditioning and microwave-use while boon-docking using the F150 Hybrid's 7.2KW onboard power -- instead of the two loud and heavy Yamaha generators I used to have to haul around.
3. We will look forward to, one day, trading up our FC 23FB / Blue Ox to a FC 30FB Office / ProPride, knowing that my half-ton truck should be able to make the transition easily.

[RickyV]

Good luck on your first adventure. I'd like to stay in touch, perhaps on a non-BMW thread, on how it goes using the Blue Ox SwayPro w/ your Tundra. My understanding (and experience) is that the SwayPro is good, but other WDH hitches that "guarantee" sway elimination (such as the Hensley Arrow or ProPride 3P) are better. Tuson Asymmetric Sway Control is also an alternative, but it requires a more involved installation, and isn't easily portable should you decide to switch trailers.

[Raceycleo]

Will do. This is good information to tuck away. Hoping what we have works, but we’ll know best when we get some miles under us.