Tow Car of the Year

LawrenceD
LawrenceD Forum Participant Posts: 17
edited October 2019 in Towcars & Towing #1

The response by Martin Spencer in the current magazine to the letter headed "Electric Shock" completely misses the point. His argument centered on the improvements yet to be made, many of them 5 to 10 years away. The original letter was about a 2019 Tow Car of the year and its inadequacies. The Jaguar IPace is a tow car at a price that I suspect 99% of caravaners would consider outside any realistic budget for towing a caravan. On top of that it can pull less than a VW Polo for a distance that would only take us a distance usually considered for a long weekend trip. Yes refueling points are growing but how many are positioned for cars with caravans attached? And that includes C & MC sites the organisation that made the award. Yes, our club helping to promote a vehicle that we do not provide resources for on site. I am sure that we are all interested in alternatives to diesel but let's not pretend a realistic option is here already. Martin's defense of the award completely ignores the IPace's unrealistic specification for towing. Let's see a response that focuses on the fact that the award is for 2019 and other electric vehicles are available to use for towing, admittedly at a lower performance level that the IPace. You wouldn't seriously use any of them for towing but at least the others are withing the budget of caravaners.

Comments

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
    1000 Comments
    edited October 2019 #2

    I agree Lawrence. We have a 14 year old 2.2 litre diesel for towing and a 1,000 CC 19 year old Toyota as a runabout at home. If replaced it would ne with diesel to tow and a low CC runabout. 

  • derekcyril
    derekcyril Forum Participant Posts: 408
    100 Comments
    edited October 2019 #3

    Agree Easy T 1996 disco 2001 disco ,both diesels ,10,000 miles a year max for the two . To change these reliable towing vehicles ,would cost a fortune . On electric cars M/H towing electric runarounds charging overnight on sites , surely we will all have to pay extra ? Derek

  • Glengavel
    Glengavel Forum Participant Posts: 11
    edited October 2019 #4

    I thought the response was dismissive of the points raised and smacked of "let's not have awkward questions, it'll work out fine". Now, where else have I heard that recently (and equally unconvincingly)?

  • flatcoat
    flatcoat Forum Participant Posts: 1,571
    1000 Comments
    edited October 2019 #5

    I too found the response at best condescending and worst to the point of rudeness. The real world that most of us caravan in doesn't work the way he suggests. The answer It is a bit like blaming the customer for being wrong. If he is so convinced then how about a demonstration taking an EV with caravan in tow on a touring holiday? For starters try and find a charging point that has room to pull in with a caravan on the tow hook... 

  • rayjsj
    rayjsj Forum Participant Posts: 930
    500 Comments
    edited November 2019 #6

    Wishing for things, does not make it so.

    EVs apart from totally unaffordable ones  Tesla, etc.,

    Are unable to tow the average caravan for the average distance required.

    So EVs as Towcars are not YET viable for 'mr average caravanner'

    Lets have realistic 'Towcar of the year' entrants NOT expensive totally unrealistic ones.

     900kg and under is a trailer....not a viable caravan.

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