BMW X3 MK3 Factory Tow bar

Plenty of swan-necks manage it !

VW Tiguan2 R Line with factory fitted tow bar.

It is a Westfalia retractable.

Perfect operation pulling 1550kgs caravan.

All wiring integral with the car. The switched and permanent live are integral with the cars system with fuses on one of the main fuse boards.

That looks exactly like the Westfalia bar I had fitted to a previous towcar.

Solution for me is use the mover.

On sites abroad, you need the mover to get onto the pitch anyway, as generally its not possible to position the caravan with the car.

On sites in UK with plenty of room to reverse, when you get onto the pitch, you have to remember to 'decompress the hitch' to avoid it touching the bumper after detachment, and you need to position the caravan wheel to accept the Alko lock - all easily achievable with the mover, with no risk of damaging the car's bumper

Even on Caravan club sites, I still use the mover to get onto the pitch from the site road.

 I "expect" nothing. Nothing at all. This is what I actually posted

"Perhaps we should have a sticky. Car caravan an towbar combinations that work in the real world?"

A suggestion, some might find helpful, others clearly not.

It would appear that some members are content with a few mm clearance or prepared to use a mover to avoid damaging their car. That's fine and up to the individual.

I don' t think I am alone by finding that unacceptable especially as its not nessesary. 

I will post on my real world findings with the Sorento for those who insist on rather more comfortable clearance in due course.

But you seem to be expecting more clearance between the towball and the rear bumper than is absolutely necessary to allow full articulation between the car and the caravan. I personally haven't come across a single case of a factory fitted towbar being an absolute 'no-go' with an AlKo hitch so, on that basis, all such combinations can be considered to work 'in the real world'.

+1

I have a X5 with factory fitted with a retractable tow ball and it is ok for clearance.

Likewise the factory swively bar on my Merc ML.

What I expect is a tow bar and ball with enough clearance to reverse my car up to the caravan and hitch it up without issues. Not that it will articulate with 1mm clearance!

It would appear from comments and my own findings that there are some cars fitted with factory towbars that have insufficient clearance to do this.

I for one would prefer to know which ones these are so I can avoid them.

 Merc ML MM? Proper towcar mate.