Which Towing Mirrors to buy: MSA 4x4 VS Clearview VS Milenco compared
Published by John on 5th Apr 2022
When you start towing bigger trailers like trailer boats or caravans, it's crucial that you can see them down the sides of your vehicle.
Suppose you're driving on the road with your van or trailer. In that case, you'd need to safely negotiate around corners and other vehicles, and you've got to see around the car in situations like when you're changing lanes.
When you've got a full-width caravan, 2.5 meters wide, you're probably not going to be able to do that with your vehicle's factory's existing mirrors.
Do you (legally) need towing mirrors for a caravan in Australia?
Yes! In Australia, it is a legal (road and traffic) requirement to have caravan towing mirrors unless the vehicle used for towing has already been factory fitted with mirrors wider than the caravan and provides a clear view along the entire length of the caravan in tow.
You must be able to see along the whole length of the caravan at its widest point and a further 20 Meters behind it.
You can familiarise yourself with the Australian Design Rules (ADRs) national standards for vehicle safety here.
So, what are the best options for caravan tow mirrors in Australia?
Among the most popular ones in the market, you'll find different types:
- Clip-on
- Door mounted
- Extendable
In this article, we'll go through these styles offered by three of the most popular brands of tow mirrors in Australia to choose which one will best suit your needs.
MSA Towing Mirrors
MSA 4x4 extended towing mirrors can be a terrific addition to many 4x4s as they provide a complete vision for the length of the trailer or caravan being towed.
MSA 4X4 has designed a brand-new range of towing mirrors that extend your field of vision past the trailer for towing/reversing or launching your boat at boat ramps whilst being unobtrusive for everyday driving.
MSA 4X4's product designers stated, "We think 'towing' mirrors is a restrictive description for an 'all-round driving and towing mirror' like ours. 'Towing mirrors' are great for towing but annoying when not required.
Whilst 4WDing on tracks when you're not towing the van, or merely parking at shopping centres and in garages, regular towing mirrors can be a burden."
The perfect design solution is an all-around driving and towing mirror.
These are mirrors designed for all-around driving and towing that, when not towing, still look proportionate to the size and styling of the vehicle.
The new MSA 4X4 Driving Mirrors feature a unique design with a large single mirror that pivots on an extremely heavy-duty extension slide, that allows the mirror to be returned to its normal "non-towing" position, to avoid the extended mirrors permanently protruding off the sides of the vehicle.
These mirrors feature four different mirror positions for any situation:
- Unextended non-towing horizontal position
- Unextended non-towing vertical position
- Extended horizontal position
- Extended vertical position
- The mirror's actuator automatically adapts when rotating into the horizontal position, allowing you to keep the standard adjustments (up, down, side to side) from your vehicle's standard mirror adjustor.
- Simple to fit
- The large, single mirror allows you to see your caravan/trailer sides without being too bulky for everyday driving.
- Unique pivot design allows the mirrors to maintain standard position dimensions whilst allowing the easy further extension.
- It can be adjusted to suit any driver's viewing angle and preferences. Vertical and horizontal adjustment caters to drivers of differing heights and seated positions.
- Designed to fold inwards or outwards when bumped in car parks or when in contact with trees and other obstacles around the vehicle
- Market Leading 5-year Warranty
- Tested & Approved ADR Compliant
- MSA 4X4's Driving Mirrors mount onto your 4WD door in the same position as your existing mirrors.
- Injection moulded and diecast aluminium components deliver a high-quality towing mirror to withstand Australian conditions!
- They are designed for towing caravans, camper trailers, boats, and horse floats.
- Mirrors will be available to suit 13 Models initially, with more additions planned to fit popular tow vehicles.
Here below the full vehicle list availability:
| SUITABLE FOR | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| FORD | |
| Ford Everest 2015 - Current |
|
| Ford Ranger 2012 - Current |
|
| HOLDEN | |
| Holden Colorado 2012 - Current |
|
| Holden Colorado 7 2012 - Current |
|
| ISUZU | |
| Isuzu DMAX 2012 - Current |
|
| Isuzu MUX 2013 - Current |
|
| JEEP | |
| Grand Cherokee 2010 - Current |
|
| MAZDA | |
| BT50 Sept 2020 - Current |
|
| MITSUBISHI | |
| Triton 2015 - Current |
|
| Pajero Sport 2015 - Current |
|
| NISSAN | |
| Nissan Patrol Y62 2013 - Current |
|
| Nissan Navara D23 Nov 2020 - Current |
|
| Nissan Navara NP300 2015 - Oct 2020 |
|
| TOYOTA | |
| Toyota Fortuner 2015 - Current |
|
| Toyota Hilux 2015 - Current |
|
| Toyota Landcruiser 200 Series 2007 - Current |
|
| Toyota Landcruiser Prado 150 Series - 2009 - Current |
|
| Toyota Landcruiser 70 - 79 Series 1984 - Current |
|
| VOLKSWAGEN | |
| Volkswagen Amarok 2009 - Current |
|
You can check stock availability of MSA 4X4 Towing Mirrors HERE.
Clearview Towing Mirrors
Clearview Towing Mirrors are full replacement towing mirrors that replace your vehicle's standard side mirrors.
Their innovative design includes two different surfaces.
- The top mirror features a flat, reflective surface that reflects vision directly down the sides of your caravan.
- A smaller, bottom convex mirror helps reduce blind spots by offering you more vision to the lanes beside your vehicle.
Clearview Mirrors are substantially larger than standard side mirrors. In regular driving positions, they have a wider outwards reach of about 10cm, and a total surface area much greater than the standard models.
When you're ready to tow, you can slide them out an additional 10cm! A further extension that allows for around a total of 20cm of extension over standard side mirrors.
Clearview Mirrors are also designed to fold inwards or outwards towards the car manually, which can be handy in tight spaces like car parks.
Clearview Mirrors are injection moulded and made from diecast aluminium to deliver a solid and steady footing on every vehicle. Every Clearview Towing Mirror base is finished on a CNC milling machine for consistent accuracy and a perfect fit for every car.
They are also built with steel arms through the centre for maximum strength.
Clearview Mirrors Are Legal in all Australian States And Territories and have been tested and approved as ADR compliant.
NEXT-GEN Clearview Mirrors
Clearview recently introduced the latest new edition of next-generation mirrors with a series of features meant as improvements from the traditional models:
The next-gen features are as follows:
- Sturdy steel arm construction with telescopic 2 stage slide-out extension
- Attaches to your original vehicle mirror mounts
- 2 Telescopic arm positions: normal driving position, first towing position and extended towing position
- Large top flat glass for optimum vision and safety
- choice of manual fold or power fold
- repositioned convex bottom mirror to sit higher above the window line, improving visibility
- smaller frame size and overall shape reduce wind resistance
- 2 in 1 category five led indicator light/puddle light. Installation requires hardwiring if not a standard feature. Category 6 led light is available as an optional extra
- It will fit all existing mirror bases, but not recommended for a conversion
- sits back in close to the car when not towing
Next-Gen Options
All Clearview mirrors come with an option of manual or electric operation of flat top glass, and additional options may vary depending on the make, model and year of the vehicle:
- Indicator light
- 360 camera
- heated glass
- position memory
- AM/FM-GPS antenna
- Blind-spot monitoring
Clearview NEW Compact Mirrors
Clearview newest compact mirrors design brings a big vision on a compact size.
The Clearview Compact Mirrors integrate a smaller mirror frame with a single-lens glass to offer big vision.
The mirrors extend out when towing and slide back in for everyday driving.
Like all Clearview towing mirrors, the Clearview Compacts Mirrors are engineered specifically for each vehicle and feature the same functionality as your vehicle's original mirrors.
Here below the full vehicle list availability:
SUITABLE FOR
- Ford Ranger 2006-2011
- Ford Ranger 2012-CURRENT INCLUDES PX, PXII, PXIII, RAPTOR MODELS
- Ford Everest 2015-CURRENT
- Holden Rodeo 2003-2008
- Holden Colorado 2002-2011
- Holden Colorado 2012-CURRENT
- Isuzu D-MAX 2002-2011
- Isuzu D-MAX 2012-2019
- Isuzu D-MAX 2020-CURRENT
- Isuzu M-UX 2002-2011
- Isuzu M-UX 2012-2020
- Jeep Grand Cherokee 2010-CURRENT
- Landrover Discovery 3/4 2004-2016
- Mazda BT-50 2006 - 2011
- Mazda BT-50 2012 - 2020
- Mazda BT-50 2021
- Mitsubishi Triton 2015-CURRENT
- Mitsubishi Pajero 2001-CURRENT
- Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2015-CURRENT
- Nissan Navara NP300 2015-CURRENT
- Nissan Patrol GU/Y61
- Nissan Patrol Y62
- Toyota Hilux 2005-2014
- Toyota Hilux 2015
- Toyota LandCrusier 70 Series
- Toyota LandCrusier 100 Series 1998 - 2006
- Toyota LandCrusier 200 Series 2007
- Toyota Prado 120 2002 - 2008
- Toyota Prado 150 2009
Clearview Towing Mirrors are available to fit various popular vehicle makes and models. New make and model varieties are also being announced all the time!
Here at All Four x 4 Spares we now stock Clearview Towing mirrors suitable for Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Toyota Land Cruiser 70 75 76 78 79 200 Series. Check the complete list HERE
Milenco Towing Mirrors
Milenco has been a leading manufacturer of Clip-On Towing Mirrors for many years and has created award-winning mirrors such as the Aero Mirror design, which delivered solid stability at very high towing speeds.
In 2008 Milenco launched the Grand Aero Towing Mirror. The Grand Aero Mirror offers all the benefits of the original Aero Mirror, plus the maximum view possible, combined with very high stability.
The Aero 3 range includes the Aero Extra Wide Mirrors and Grand Aero Extra Wide Mirrors, which are the same as the Aero 3 Mirrors and the Grand Aero 3 Mirrors, except for having longer arms for wider caravans, RVs or travel trailers, the Extra Wide Mirrors are only available in convex.
The extension arms for the Extra Wide range are 41cm compared to the Aero standard arm of 31cm.
- Superior quality manufactured with the highest quality materials available
- Perfect view adjustment
- Aerodynamic head that uses airflow around your vehicle to stabilise and balance the mirror head at any speeds
- Excellent performance in high winds and large passing trucks
- Chrome mirror glass offers long life that will never discolour
- Easy-grip thumb wheels
- High-Grade stainless steel screw with brass inserts. They will never corrode.
- Unique air balanced design to stop vibrations
- Clamps on in a few seconds by simply turning thumb screws
- Regular glass twin pack complete with carrying case
Milenco offers a wide range of towing mirrors for your towing needs and can be easily fitted to any small and large cars, 4x4 or vans at a reasonable price. You can check them out HERE.
Conclusion
All Four x 4 Spares stock a massive range of Towing Mirrors from MSA 4X4, Clearview Accessories and Milenco.
If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our experienced sales team, and they will guide you towards choosing the right product for your needs.
Do you have any questions about Towing Mirrors? Contact our team today on (02) 4041 4000.