Tow car
I have a Sprite MajorSB 4 currently towing with Tiguan 2 litre diesel, all wheel drive. Please can you advise regarding a new tow car? Manual v automatic. Diesel v petrol. Thank you so much in advance
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First time posting so hope I have done it right!
Moderator Edit:
Hi Michelle. I've moved your post into the Towcars and Towing Section which is more appropriate.
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Hi Michelle, yes you have.
You'll get a hundred different answers to this question, as everyone has their own preferences.
As a rule, its recommended that the gross weight of the caravan, thats fully loaded with everything in it up to its maximum permissible, should be no more than 85% of the the kerbweight of the car.
This is called Maximum Technical Permissible Laden Mass (MTPLM), and your caravan is 1442Kg. Thats the maximum weight that the caravan can be when loaded. Not to be mixed up with Mass in Running Order (MRO) which is lower, and is basically the weight of the caravan when it left the factory
Sorry if you already know this, but you don't say if you are an experienced caravanner, or new .
So, this means you need a car thats got a kerbweight of a minimum of 1696Kg.
My preference is for something heavier, as I think it gives the driver more control
My preference is also for automatic, diesel and 4 x 4, and I have just ordered a Skoda Kodiaq with 200BHP having used a Ford Kuga 4 x 4 180BHP quite happily for the past 6 years
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You may find a mod moves your thread into the tow car section but no worries.
Auto (torque convertor, preferably), rear wheel drive or 4wheel drive, and diesel within the weight limitations as given by Timbo. The world's your lobster.
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As TimboC says you'll get many different answers but I would have a look at a Kia Sorrento or even a Sportage or their Hyundai equivalents. I tow with a Sorrento (we had a smaller Hyundai and currently two daughters have them and they are all brilliant) and it's been the best tow car we've had, it's not permanent 4WD but on demand either by the driver or when the car thinks it needs it, but really I wouldn't tow when I would need 4WD although it is very good solo when it snows (which now is not too often). It has a huge boot with the rear two seats folding flat and even more space if you fold the middle seats down as well and they all fold flat and in line flat. If I was buying now I would get another diesel one or maybe/perhaps a petrol hybrid.
Like in other threads it may come down to what you can get if you're not prepared for long lead times.
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Good point, although the Sorrento is a good tow car and that's why we bought it it isn't the most practical of cars for say parking at Sainsburys or heavy city traffic (in terms of mpg), I mean it is certainly possible but easier with a smaller car for such things.
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It’s not just off road ability that 4wd gives you but increased ability to cope in slippery conditions such as snow/ice and muddy pitches at Bladon Chains😀
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There may be others…..😄
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The point is David is that I would think that cars with 4x4 don't actually go off road as you put it very often.
However on the occasions when there's been snow or ice about I've found it excellent having it and now wouldn't be without it on at least one car.
Just for the OP, our Sorento does about 34 mpg towing a Sprite at 1550 Kg.
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I don't follow your statement regarding greater stability and safety of an AWD. Perhaps you can explain the reasoning behind it. What makes two wheel drive less stable or less safe? The braking performance is no different and that, surely, is the main issue regarding safety.
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The thread title and detail is perhaps indicative of how many approach caravanning-this is my van, what can tow it?
As mentioned by AD there are many factors, but our start point is what car do we want-and as towing accounts for a max of about 17%, and often less that 10%, we don’t let the tail wag the dog.So if we suddenly decided on a radical change, and our car choice couldn’t tow our van, it would be the van that would need to change.
As for the OP questions then, for us, it would be a diesel auto, medium sized SUV to get a raised seating position from the VAG family.
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