Best tow car/mpg combo
I am thinking of changing my 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe. I am looking at spending about £10k, want maximum MPG, and to tow my Swift Chrisma 555 which is 1480kg. the rub is, I will be using it for work as well & do about 20k a year. Been getting 38mpg regularly
from the SF & it has been a great car, but think a more modern car maybe better solo MPG-wise.
Possibly thinking Kuga 2wd, but the weight is 92% so not sure that is the way to go. Outlander? maybe another SF? Sorento just seems too big, but same drive train as the SF, although it would need to be the 2010 models with the new engine for better MPG
& tax. Subaru Forester? Expensive to run evidently. What MPG & reliability are people getting from these sort of cars?
Or maybe a large estate, but I cannot find one I like that will tow a 1500kg van.
What does the Hive Mind think?
Comments
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38mpg over 20k per annum ain't shabby for something that also has to tow 1500kg adequately. You can't expect it both ways out of the same car.
Saying that a BMW 520D Touring might fit the bill, and is excellent solo. My Mercedes C220 Sport estate tows 1400kg adequately, with a kerbweight of 1665kg. Averages 46mpg over 15k per annum, on a recent 300 mile motorway run at the legal limit it returned a staggering 58mpg, it even manages 30mpg towing. I love it and struggling to think what I would change it for.
Best of luck
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I've just bought a Kuga AWD 2.0 tdci. I'm really pleased with it, but the claimed mpg figures are just a joke, Lies, dammn lies, statistics and mpgt claims!! You can't believe how slowly I've been driving to try to get anywhere near Ford's advertised figures.
However,I'm getting around 43mpg solo and it is well able to tow a 1500kg van. So it would do the job.0 -
Just towed my new Swift Challenger 565 (1500kgs) some 252 miles to Scotland and the same distance back (fully loaded, bikes on the roof, even an armchair in the boot on the way home) with my 520D Touring. Averaged 29.2 mpg towing (trip computer), cruise
set at 62mph, needed to change down to 5th to maintain this speed up Shap, Beattock and Windy Hill (Rochdale - Yorkshire). Absolutely rock steady (Touring has self-levelling suspension which is a real boon). Solo I average 46-47 mpg week in, week out, but
if I behave its easy to get that into the 50`s.I`m not advocating the OP buys one, but merely illustrating there are vehicles out there that will easily do what he wants without going down the 4x4 (or faux x 4) route.
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Agreed Kennine, same dream here, already have the Disco, best car I have ever owned, now just need the 60K for the Airstream, one day
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My Mk 1 2WD 134BHP Kuga has averaged 40mpg over the five years I've had it including small bits of local, general longer runs and towing. Solo 45 ish, towing 1350Kg 30ish. Both figures sometimes bettered in favourable conditions.
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Thanks, like the idea of a Merc C class and the 520, but both state it would be 133% on the tow ball. Both of those say 75kg, the Charisma needs 85, so it says. Worried that the car will be sitting low at the back. The C200 also says it is not ideal weight
wise either, over 90%.The Kuga is looking good though. 2 wheel drive is ok for towing a largish unit?
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I have a 2007 Ford S Max 2.0 litre TDCI Diesel which returns approx 42mpg solo weighs 1700kg tars and tows a 1700kg MTPL weight Adria caravan (running at 100% towing capacity) which gives 32mpg running at all legal speeds. This with 80kg on the tow ball, the later S Max have a 90kg tow bar capacity.
Car never goes over 3000 revs (Max torque is at 1700 revs) in my experience many tow car drivers don't realise where their max torque is. "Area under the curve" is what you need for good performance and economy, the curve is the torque curve and the flatter it is the better (general terms). Even a car which has better torque figures but higher up the Rev range or in a spiked fashion instead of flatter won't perform as well, trust me I'm a retired engineer with 30 years developing trucks and their specs for maximum performance and economy.
The manufacturer figures were ever only a way of gaining comparison figures, and never could realistically be replicated on the roads, 0 - 60 mph times at over HALF A MINUTE to give the emissions required. Nobody drives that way and the only good thing of the VW debacle with the cheated emissions is that we may now get a revised testing regime that relates to what we need.
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Thanks, like the idea of a Merc C class and the 520, but both state it would be 133% on the tow ball. Both of those say 75kg, the Charisma needs 85, so it says. Worried that the car will be sitting low at the back. The C200 also says it is not ideal weight
wise either, over 90%.The Kuga is looking good though. 2 wheel drive is ok for towing a largish unit?
Don`t know where you`ve got your numbers from but the noseweight on my 520D is 90kgs. Unladen weight is 1785 kgs (BMW figures).
As said before, the Tourings have self-levelling rear suspension, so it will tow level no matter how much you stick in/on the rear end.
The C200 Merc is a nice car, but a more valid comparison would be with a 3-series BMW as that is the class it competes in.
As I say, unlike most I`m not saysing my tow-car (more accurately, my car I just happen to use to drag my caravan around) is the be-all and end-all. Just don`t discount one because of incorrect information.
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With the swing against deisel as a fuel and the ever increase in lighter vehicles , where are the new tow cars to come from . Petrol fueled tugs will need to have larger engines than the 2Ltr average deisel tug . Also to tow a 1500Kg van it is getting increasingly
difficult to find an affordable tow car amongst the new breed.0 -
90kg NW now, but the OP has around £10K to spend.
So the question is what is the NW of a 5 year old car. I do know the Mondeo along with other cars was 75kg NW a few years ago, but has now progressed to 90kg today.
Most of the estate cars of the price bracket I am prepared to spend was about 75kg NW. As you say, the newer ones are more.
I do like the Merc C200 Sport estate though, but according to the figures is is not heavy enough.
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I suggest the OP makes his/her own weight related calculations or uses any weight matching service OTHER than the CC, its not always (as in often) very accurate. And, dont get hung up on 85%, it's simply misleading and doesn't automatically make for a safe
towing weight or outfit set up. My previous 10 year old and 175k miles Audi A6 V6 TDi estate easily towed 1600kg and gave over 40 mpg solo. The Passat Alltrack I have just bought at slightly over your budget also tows same weight very well and is showing signs
of even better solo economy.0 -
Wasn't so much the weight of the car being 92% (C200 estate) that is the issue, it was the 133% of nose weight, surely that just means the back of the car will be dragging on the ground!
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Under no circumstances exceed the noseweight / hitch limit of your chosen tow car. The hitch limit on the C Class (W204) is 75kg. I load my Bailey to exactly that, which at 1400kg is 5.4%. The general concensus seems to be, run at the max your car will allow, aiming for 7% but between 5% and 7% will suffice.
Now having the heavier van I was considering a 520d Touring for the self leveling, and extra kerb weight and noseweight it would have over the C Class. But after 600 miles towing my 1400kg van I am quite happy to stick with the C Class for now.
if you are considering a C Class make sure it is a Sport with the stiffer suspension, the general consensus is they tow better. I would recomend the C220 auto over a C200, mine pulls like a train. £10k should get you a 2010 C220, or push budget just a little or accept higher miles to secure a post facelift 2012 with the 7G-tronic.
Other contenders would be Passats, Octavia and Superb estates.
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I had a Skoda Scout Octavia a while ago, great car but too light. Same for the Superb suprisingly.
CRV may be something I will look into - anyone driven or owned a Jeep Patriot? Bit USA bliiing, but ticks all the towing boxes.
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Have a look at lexus rx hybrid pertol and electric nice car low road tax and 25 mpg towing 1800kg van
Like the idea of one, thanks, but the 400h is 35mpg combined & £255 pa tax, and the 450 starts at £15k for a CAT D one on Autotrader.
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