Gafferbill said:
......for the attention of Colin Yorkshire who may be able to reply.
thanks Sir Baldrick. I'm here,
Hi Ctj. what would you like to know. first the Meriva is a very good tow car for the smaller van. with the bigger engine capacities, think the 1.4 petrol would struggle with a van. weighing anything over 1000kg. but the bigger ones [mine is a 1.7cdti] will tow 1200kg with ease which is great as this weight is the maximum allowed for the model.
anything less is a breeze. my van was almost 1100 kg [bailey ranger] and a 78% ratio match, and it towed beautifully. aerodynamics are good towing, although the fuel economy drops to the high 30's as one would expect while towing it would still do lower Cornwall, from Yorkshire on a tank full so not bad at all.
although people assume these cars are small, they are no lightweights with a kerb weight of nearly 1400kg may be this is why they are so sure footed with a van on the back.
only draw back is the noseweight this has a maximum of 50kg although personally I never found this a problem with careful loading and moving items from the front it was easily achieved even in a fully loaded van.
so, on the plus side.
good kerbweight to keep outfit ratio low.
will tow most vans in the 1000 to 1200kg class giving a good wide range to choose from.
excelent fuel economy [especially when the vans on site] for touring round.
good range and powerfull enough to tow a van up the side of the welsh mountains.
no problem keeping up to speed on motorways.
on the minus side.
low nose weight limit.
tyres need to be at max load pressures while towing [helps the rolling resistance]
wide towing mirrors are a must the Meriva is a little narrow for standard ones.
in all a very good tow car for the smaller van [not all of us need a bungalow on wheels] to enjoy our vans.
and thats about it if you need more information just ask. we are here to help.