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No F56 can have towbar fitted (in UK)?

33133 Views 27 Replies 16 Participants Last post by  jeremybingham
So who is going to photograph the VIN plate of their new F56 Cooper to see if Mini have homologated it for towing, so that it can be legally fitted with a towbar in the UK? I've read elswhere that Mini have decided to not bother homologating any F56 Mini for towing, due to low customer demand, and it would be nice to know the answer.

What is needed is someone with a Cooper (not an S, which have never been homologated for towing) to photograph the VIN plate from their car. It is in the door shut on the left side and there is no need to show the whole VIN number if you are concerned about that.

It would be good if it was a Cooper without an optional spare wheel, as that used to prevent a towbar being fitted on R56 models and maybe Mini's computer production system is clever enough to not show a towing weight on the VIN plate if a spare wheel is fitted.

Here is the plate from my Roadster, showing that it is not homologated for towing as the second line of weights (which should be the maximum car + trailer weight) is blank.

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1 - 7 of 28 Posts
I had a towbar on my mr2 mk2 .I am a windsurfer and it towed the kit on a small trailer beautifully! Great for transporting garden rubbish to the tip and keeping the.car clean too. Dec think mini has missed a trick here.
You can get towbar mounted bike racks, roof ones or ones that hang off the rear hatch. Mine has a gap as in the picture.
Sad as many people would rather bung their rubbish for the tip into a trailer rather than mess the car up. As you rightly say there are I am sure lots of lower powered cars that still tow
They've not bothered to homologate the f56 for towing. You can with an f54 though. The 4x4 versions rated at 1500kg which would pull our van! Now theresc a thought! And of course the Counrtyman will!

The torque thing is total rubbish. We tow a 1300 kg caravan with our Dacia Duster 1.6 petrol. About 105 bhp and not much more torque! Tows fine! Need to use those gears though!
I know crazy country . health and safety has gone mad over here! I am not sure what would happen if you had one specially made independently AND told your insurer ? There aren't any police on the roads to notice anyway!
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Dont quite understand that-the f56 isn't at all, the f54 is, not sure re the 5 door, surely if one is they all are but could be wrong!
CmrBond is totally correct.
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