http://www.which.co.uk/cars/choosing-a-c...state-tow-cars/

That's interesting. The Yeti only gets 69% but I suppose you have to buy the magazine to understand why???

Never mind Rob..............A few months in the back garden will give you plenty of time to "Agger it " .......Wax and shine, wax and shine.......you won't want to take it on the road then, when the new car arrives. Ian.

Quote: Randa france wrote in post #18

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That's because you dissed it in post #7 Alan

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I am very pleased with my 2WD, Fred on the other forum is very pleased with his 140hp 4X4
the Yeti had nothing but praise in other towing tests, it runs like it is on rails so their results
must be due to being compared to much more expensive cars.

Maybe it's there off road ability

Quote: Pepé Le Pew wrote in post #10

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I don't have all the decades of caravanning experience that most of the geezers on here do, but if a lot of your miles are going to be spent dragging a tonne of metal and wood around I think I'd always go for the car with the biggest and torquiest engine you can afford to buy and afford to run.

As the Americans say, there ain't no substitute for cubes.

And as far as margins of power and towing capacity are concerned, I reckon that it's far better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

.

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One not mentioned as yet is the Honda C.R.V 2.2 diesel which I have a 2006 model pulling a puck. It is well over the top I know but I am looking at some stage for a Triton. It is a cracking car and since I have owned for over 4 years not spent a penny other than running cost fuel insurance tax etc. You can easily forget about the .puck being on the back slips into four wheel drive automatic when required. Buying new I agree expensive but quality wise IMHO cracking value pick up a good low mileage second hand, and you have a good car. I got mine with 20k on the clock and what I thought was a good price.
Morphy

I can agree with Morphy regarding the Honda CRV..... I am now on my second CRV, the previous one was a petrol version but prior to acquiring the Troll I managed to get hold of a low mileage 2012 diesel model...
Nice car to drive solo and seems to be very good at tugging the van....

Prior to buying the Troll I had been a bit concerned about towing, as it was over 30 years since I had last towed anything like a caravan, but I need not have worried.
After picking the van up from AL I towed the van over to my daughters (where I have temporarily stored it) On route there is a very steep hill, but the CRV went up the incline as easily as it does without the van on the back....

The WhatTowCar site lists it as a 69% match to the van.....
One last thing.... it is made in the UK at Swindon.

I hadn't realised that the CRV was build in Swindon - thanks for that useful info. I also only found out the other day that the Qashqai is built in Sunderland. In fact I think a lot depends on where a car is actually built when it comes to longevity and reliability.

I used to use a 308sw 1.6 towed Edna (1300kg) no trouble you should be fine with the VW

I'm not too sure how much research others put into finding a vehicle that is both good for towing and for everyday use but I spent hours on it - probably far too much if truth be told.

I also start from the point that no matter how powerful the car is, inevitably towing a caravan is going to put a strain on the transmission, gearbox and clutch over a period of time so the less effort a car needs to exert in pulling a van so much the better.

Also, a point I seldom read on forums are axle weights. My Touran for example has a plated maximum axle weight of: front 1130kg and rear 1170kg. The Nissan Qashqai, whilst looking a sturdy chunk of metal has figures less than this - front 1070kg and rear only 970kg. Even the Mazda CX-5 returns lower axle weight limits with the front being 1115kg and rear 1035kg.
So it's obvious that the overall empty weight of the latter mentioned is eating into the maximum allowable axle weight which are very easily reached when towing a near fully loaded car and caravan combination.

The Touran also has another advantage over the latter mentioned vehicles in that the rear seats are removable which greatly reduces the empty weight so that in effect if you carry the same weight in luggage as the seats that have been removed one is in effect driving with a near empty car. So for caravan towing perhaps more thought should be given to the purchasing of vehicles in which the rear seats can be removed. Um ????

Just another conundrum for you to consider Deeps, if the variant has an option of a 4x4 it may be worth considering as it will give a better tow. Most cars are front wheel drive which can become light with the weight of the caravan on the back, the distribution of power to the back wheels as well as the the front will give the car better traction, also a heavier maximum tow ball weight is usually permitted with a 4x4 than the 4x2 version.

Decisions decisions......

Quote: Poptop320 wrote in post #29

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Decisions decisions......

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