A mate has asked me to tow his boat this weekend away, its a Haines Signature, we think trailer and boat weigh 1550kg. I have a standard 1600kg tow bar fitted to the 380. Has anyone towed a trailer close to the maximum rated tow limit of the car? How does it handle it.

I have towed my boat many times with my 380, it is about 1200 all up, I have also towed a larger boat with my 380, we think was around 1500 all up and towed fine all be it a little slow off the mark lol

I have towed my boat many times with my 380, it is about 1200 all up, I have also towed a larger boat with my 380, we think was around 1500 all up and towed fine all be it a little slow off the mark lol

And gave the brakes a good workout when it was time to stop, I imagine. lol

Tow a seafarer viva 1300kgs fully loaded with fuel and gear. Not as heavy as you are looking to tow but certainly handles the load with ease.

Pay careful attention to tow ball downforce which is affected by weight distribution on the trailer.

Cheers mike.

And gave the brakes a good workout when it was time to stop, I imagine. lol

Not at all, for starters the trailer is braked and secondly you use your gears a little more and drive knowing what you have behind you

Not so much giving the brakes a workout, but remember getting up to speed is easy, stopping when you want to - not so much. Leave a significant gap between you and the car in front - even if you have trailer brakes