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One thing I'll note...
US tow ratings are based on a manufacturer's estimate of what's safe and won't cause too much damage to the vehicle (which is why some cars have much lower tow ratings for automatics (see Ford's fragile automatics), and others have much lower tow ratings for manuals (to avoid roasting the clutch)). (Load distributing hitches can help on the safety front, FWIW.)
European tow ratings are based on whether the vehicle can go up a 6% or 12% grade without rolling back. Not anything to do with handling, or how quickly it can climb that grade - which is why Top Gear complains about caravanners, driving Golf or Polo-class cars towing 2000+ pound trailers up hills, at 30 mph.
Also, my understanding is that most European countries require a special driver's license to tow.
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