Another Tow Car/Solo Car Question

[Griswold]

Hello all,

New to Caravanning (I don’t own one yet), and new to the forum.

Forgive me, as I appreciate these questions are asked daily, however I have spent months of researching, reading forums, websites, watching every caravan video on YouTube and visiting them to learn myself and understand everything Caravan, before I ultimately buy, ensuring I’m not going in blind, and despite all that, and searching these forums, I can’t find an answer to my circumstances I was hoping you could help with.

After months of trying layouts in person with my family, the likes of a Sprite Major 6 TD layout appear at this stage in our life to work out best. I considered the likes of the 304, but figured it was too small, despite awning, and needed the separation from children and full shower.

With that, models we are looking at with that layout, typically range from 1400 to 1550 MTPLM.

I see a lot of questions about tow cars and max tow, but never really a deep discussion on solo driving, and the recommendations from people like yourselves who already have caravans, and use the tow car as your primary car, and what you would do/change.

My current vehicle is a 1.5 Diesel Auto Nissan Qashqai, Gross weight 1975, Train Weight 3475, Tow Weight 1500, Kerb Weight 1475.

I appreciate that the recommend tow for that vehicle would be around 1250, and I haven’t been able to locate a van which would give a similar layout to the Major 6 TD, and even at 100% of the kerb weight depending on experience, It still would be pushing it, and likely above the max tow.

Therefore change of car appears needed if I’m to proceed, and likely future proof to some extent any future van.

One of my main queries is a vehicle which can comfortably and safely tow a van at around 1500/1600kg, but which will also be my permanent Solo Car, and finding the balance for MPG and comforts, as my current vehicle is top Spec, all the mod cons, and I hate to see it go!

I drive on average solo around 200 miles a week, and get on average 56.4mpg.

My budget is unlikely to allow a BMW/Audi/Porsche/Range Rover/Polestar if I’m to keep a similar age/spec as my current car.

Therefore the cars which kept jumping out where a Sorento/Tiguan/Koraq, which in themselves are quite different, others such as the Xtrail/Kuga I looked at didn’t appear to hit the weights.

I appreciate I won’t get anywhere near 50+MPG with a heavy tow car, but wondered if the Sorento, which I was looking to buy is overkill? And appears to be around. 30/35mpg best case even motorway driving?

Or based on my budget and the sizes discussed, is this the best option to future proof to an extent a bigger caravan? (I.e, when experienced, towing to an example of 1900 kerb weight of a Sorento, which is likely more than ever enough) Or if the Karoq or something similar you can suggest makes sense as it can handle the weight and get better MPG.

Or if anyone who has a Sorento or any car discussed can advise better on the MPG! As coming down from 54 to 30 on Urban/motorway driving is likely to be a reality check!

I’m hoping you can advise on your collective experience of the perfect middle ground to 80% Solo Driving, and then being able to tow a decent size family caravan countless times a year, whilst appreciating it will cost more!

Thanks!

 

[Beardy]

I appreciate I won’t get anywhere near 50+MPG with a heavy tow car........

Maybe think about a saloon or estate rather than a SUV/4×4. My Mercedes E250d has a kerb weight of almost 1800kg and will return 50+ mpg on a decent run on motorways and good A roads (obviously much less round town and when towing). The estate is closer to 1900kg and has self leveling rear suspension which is supposed to be better for towing.

 

[trevormonty]

Have you looked at Bailey Discovery 4-4. Lot lighter, only 4berth but does have separate shower.

 

[RogerL]

If you're considering a Kia Sorento then also look at Hyundai Santa Fe - they're the same car underneath as the Sorento is based on the Santa Fe.

 

[Mel]

Our Mercedes GLA 220d has a max towing capacity of 1500 kg which is probably a bit limiting in terms of the vans you are looking at. However it does give fuel consumption in the mid to high 40s when solo and in the mid to high 30s when towing ( I know, but it’s true!). We tow an Alpine 2. ( sub 1300kg)
Mel

 

[GUMPY]

I am an outlier, I tow a 1500kg MTPLM caravan with a Skoda Yeti, max tow 2100kg kerb weight 1490kg. It tows well despite being over 100% and we get 32mpg towing and 55mpg solo.

 

[JB1]

I tow a swift 550 single axle max weight 1495 with a 2.0d 180bhp Ford Kuga with a powershift gear box it tows the caravan much better than my manual 2012 2.0 xtrail 170bhp. Kuga’s are probably the least expensive main stream SUV . The powershift gearbox was sorted out after around 2015 I believe. I have had three Kuga’s not had any problems at all. All 2.0 diesels, 2x 180 1x150bhp. I think they offer good value. 40+ mpg solo 27 towing last time out .

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Griswold, and welcome to the forum.

Thank you for such a detailed and well considered posting.

It's refreshing to see someone who has given well founded thought to the subject, and realises that you need to consider your daily driving as well as towing.

You have mentioned your 200 miles per week typical solo driving needs, and that is important and should be considered in the towing vs solo ratio which you should use to help define the type of vehicle you need.

obviously any vehicle you end up choosing must be both physically and legally able to tow your chosen caravan. that has to be the bottom line., but it is just as important consider the impact of the vehicle on you solos driving needs.

Most caravanners will only towing the caravan for a small fraction of all their total driving time or miles. So its daft to optimise the choice of vehicle for towing, when it compromises solo driving. It makes more sense to optimise the vehicle for the solo driving even if its not most economical for towing. Towing any caravan is going to compromise the fuel economy of any vehicle, so its better to have poor mpg for a limited number of miles, and to reap the benefit of better mpg at all other times.

You do not automatically need a big 4x4 for towing a caravan. In fact if you look abroad to the continent the majority of caravanners are using normal saloons and estates. It's mostly a fashion statement in the UK to use a 4x4. The fact is 99% of UK caravan sites are fully accessible to normal vehicles. It's true you generally need a heavier car, but there are a good number of "conventional" saloons that are more than capable of towing caravans of the weights your considering.

There are other issues around the tow vehicle that might affect your choice, such as the increasing number of low emission zones with bans or charges for non compliant vehicles. Tolls on some roads etc, an optimised towing vehicle is likely to have higher charges., where as a optimised solo vehicle may be lower or even exempt from some.

Who ever said Caravanning was cheap or simple?

 

[Beachball]

I use to tow with a Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDi 190 4Motion auto Maximum tow 2300kg with a Abbey GTS 215 1366KG towing we got 29mpg and solo 50mpg

 

[Hutch]

I tow a 1645kg caravan with a Mk 3 Santa Fe. My kerb weight, 2000 kg. , gross weight 2500 kg tow limit 2000 kg.
Solo on a motorway at 70 mph, 45 mpg, But in town 25 to 30 mpg. Towing 25 to 30 depending on caravan and roads.

 

[Buckman]

On the few occasions when we have been stuck, it has been on a UK site hence the initial 4x4 purchase. Not necessary with most caravans

 

[otherclive]

I’ve only failed to exit a site three times due to adverse ground conditions. Three different 4wd cars. One with low range locked drive and all terrain tyres. Fortunately my CMHC course provided tips on how to extricate the caravan.

 

[Buckman]

Never had any issue once we got a 4x4 as we were taught in the police how to use a 4x4 correctly and working in the bush you get a lot of experience. LOL!

 

[Challenger]

In 45 vyears of caravanning I have NEVER found a need for a 4x4.
Yes, earlier this season I did get stuck, but so did the 4x4 sent to retrieve me, followed by the tractor wih came to extract that !

I tow with a Mrecedes E220 d estate which handles my Swift Eccles 560 wonderfully . This has an MTPLM of 1550 - the same as the one you are considering .
Solo I get easily 50+ mpg overall, and have seen just over 60 on a long run.
Towing it achieves 28 - 33 mpg, depending on terrain and wind speed / direction.

 

[otherclive]

Never had any issue once we got a 4x4 as we were taught in the police how to use a 4x4 correctly and working in the bush you get a lot of experience. LOL!

I know what you mean. When I had a 4WD for off roading my son and I attended the Whitecliffes Off Road driving school and did the Advanced off road course plus the recovery course. But there’s a world of difference between a full off roader with different drive train modes, and cars with part time 4wd such as my Superb and XC70 even when shod with chunkier tyres, but not all terrain tyres. But there are situations where a full 4wd can come unstuck such as where the nice CL owner mows the grass when it’s raining. My Sorento and Jeep both failed to tow the caravans out of the field. Sorento had AT tyres too. Jeep had road biased tyres.
But as I said in my earlier post I had a “patented” way of removing the caravan.

PS I’ve not sought to differentiate between AWD, 4WD and 4x4 sytems.

 

[GaryB]

I always go for large estates over SUV’s, great for towing, comfortable solo and good MPG. There’s a lot to choose from depending on budget. Remember that you don’t NEED a diesel for towing if you don’t want one, my current and previous are/were petrol hybrids.

 

[Buckman]

I know what you mean. When I had a 4WD for off roading my son and I attended the Whitecliffes Off Road driving school and did the Advanced off road course plus the recovery course. But there’s a world of difference between a full off roader with different drive train modes, and cars with part time 4wd such as my Superb and XC70 even when shod with chunkier tyres, but not all terrain tyres. But there are situations where a full 4wd can come unstuck such as where the nice CL owner mows the grass when it’s raining. My Sorento and Jeep both failed to tow the caravans out of the field. Sorento had AT tyres too. Jeep had road biased tyres.
But as I said in my earlier post I had a “patented” way of removing the caravan.

PS I’ve not sought to differentiate between AWD, 4WD and 4x4 sytems.

In all my time of driving 4x4s over the past 55 years, I think that on only one occasion was I really stuck and that was in a Landrover however any 4x4 would have got stuck in this case. I made the mistake of stopping on a dirt track which looked firm and the LR sunk into the road.

As it had a chassis with the body "welded" onto the chassis, there were pockets or cavities underneath that filled with mud. When trying to get out, it was the suction that held the vehicle in place.

We had to use a bulldozer to pull the LR out and as it came free you could hear the "pop" as the cavity broke free. besides that I think I have low used the low ratio on one or two occasions to get out of a tricky patch.

Currently where we live, a 4x4 is a necessity on rare occasions, but we need it for towing our caravan as no cars are capable.

 

[trevormonty]

I wouldn't swap cars just because it is 2WD but once you've towed for awhile in FWD will realise benefits of AWD or RWD on road. With FWD wheel spin on wet or loose surfaces from stop just comes with terriority. May struggle on hilly gravel roads, with hill starts not recommended.
If need to upgrade vehicles because of towing weight limits then definitely consider AWD or RWD.

 

[otherclive]

This might help understand the different terms relating to 4x4, AWD and 4WD.

What is the difference between AWD, 4WD and 4x4?

What is AWD and what is the difference between AWD and 4WD? Find out in our article, where we will also explain 4x4 driving.

www.adrianflux.co.uk

 

[RogerL]

This might help understand the different terms relating to 4x4, AWD and 4WD.

What is the difference between AWD, 4WD and 4x4?

What is AWD and what is the difference between AWD and 4WD? Find out in our article, where we will also explain 4x4 driving.

www.adrianflux.co.uk

Modern advances like Torsen differentials and electronic brake vectoring have made those basic categorisations somewhat redundant - in any case, tyre choice makes more difference than drivetrain category.

 

[otherclive]

Agree 100 per cent tyres and ground clearance are key especially if on rough tracks or fields. But even then it’s not guaranteed that you will exit but it certainly helps.

 

[Griswold]

Hello all.

Thank you for the replies. I do admit, I never had an intention of it being purely an AWD/4x4 as I appreciate from readings these forums as a guest it isn’t necessity and eats into mpg.

The ones listed on my original post just always popped up time after time.

I’ll certainly carry on looking at estate/saloon type cars as they do seem to be a happy medium.

I’m largely restricting my self, as I’m too comfortable with all the mod cons/top spec my current car offers, as I intended to keep it for many years! Until it died, and as the replacement will be something I spend 50% of my time in, it needs to be reliable with all those features and last me for a long time!

The Merc/Kuga/Sportage/Tiguan mentioned here appear to be viable, all with varying prices but are a lot better than the likes of the Sorento on MPG. The Tiguan and Merc in particular being on the upper weight which is ideal.

I have looked at some petrol/hybrid models but they don’t appear to be too great on future proofing weight/on urban mpg. I suspect the newish ones are better, but I just can’t find any used with decent specs/price. Diesel always appears to come out ontop.

I guess I need to consider how much future proofing do I really need to do as I wouldn’t have any intention of getting a new car after this one is purchased until it couldn’t move anymore!

However, I don’t think I have seen any caravan over the 1600kg limit I would ever need or want at this stage, I only assumed as I/children got older, we would actually go smaller! I could be wrong though.

It’s a shame my current car just doesn’t have the weight or power, as I’m largely going to be upgrading, if it is the Kuga/Sportage for example for something only slightly bigger! If only I would have known all this at the time, would have saved me hassle.

As others have said, I still could look at a smaller van, but having toured the country and tested them all out, mostly! Something with a bit of room and separation seemed perfect, and always fell in a higher weight bracket, and cost either less or just a tiny bit more than a smaller van. Therefore didn’t want to limit myself due to the car.

My wife is naturally skeptical of towing in general and is of the mindset, bigger and more powerful just incase anything happens given we will have our daughter with us.

The used market is up and down at the moment so I’ll have to spend some more time I think deciding on the pros and cons of them.

 

[Bluetonic]

I did tow a T/A bailey 1606kg with a 2015 Tiguan awd, it was the 2016 model with adblue. It was OK and gave 33mpg towing and mid 45-50 solo on a run, 35-40 around town. However it was the manual gearbox and it got a bit smelly at times trying to manoeuvre onto some pitches and for a family the biggest issue was the tiny boot.
Moved to a2014 Santa Fe which allowed us to increase the caravan plate to 1800kg which is more than enough even for my family 😂
Santa Fe auto gives 25-29 mpg round town/short journeys, 40-50mpg on a good run and 24 ish towing, and as a tow car we cannot fault it, it's in a different league .
The Tiguan was ULEZ compliant, the Santa is not, but that isn't too much of an issue so far, but the slight reduction of MPG is worth it imo, and the Tiguan drank Adblue when towing

I'll also add that we had a 6 berth Bailey with bunks for the kids before our Twin Axle Pegasus Bologna and by the time my girls were 13 they found the bunks uncomfortable which is why we ended up going for a bigger van. They are both at Uni now but we love the space so haven't downsized and they still come away with us for the odd weekend this has a fixed bed for us and long enough beds at the front for the girls and can be made into a huge double. Not sure how many beds you actually need though

 

[Tobes]

Here is a left field option. Volvo V60 D6 PHEV. It's a parallel hybrid with EV rear axle and diesel front. Will do 20-25 miles on a full charge. 90kg nose weight, 1800kg tow limit. ULEZ compliant. If you can charge every night (consumes about 10kW in 4h from a regular 3 pin plug costing 75p with the right tariff), and will do in excess of 45mpg on a run with no charge in it. For 200 miles a week, (assuming that is 40 per day commuting) you might cut your fuel bill from £25 to £20 a week but have lots of power and AWD for towing when needed. You can pick up a used 66 plate for about 12k. If it's a 66 plate or older, it is £0 TAX until May. 2025 and only £20 after that (as opposed to (190 for a newer car).

 

[Buckman]

Here is a left field option. Volvo V60 D6 PHEV. It's a parallel hybrid with EV rear axle and diesel front. Will do 20-25 miles on a full charge. 90kg nose weight, 1800kg tow limit. ULEZ compliant. If you can charge every night (consumes about 10kW in 4h from a regular 3 pin plug costing 75p with the right tariff), and will do in excess of 45mpg on a run with no charge in it. For 200 miles a week, (assuming that is 40 per day commuting) you might cut your fuel bill from £25 to £20 a week but have lots of power and AWD for towing when needed. You can pick up a used 66 plate for about 12k. If it's a 66 plate or older, it is £0 TAX until May. 2025 and only £20 after that (as opposed to (190 for a newer car).

Not knocking it, but getting 20-25 miles on a charge for any car doesn't seem worth having a hybrid? Our nearest town is 10 miles away so not much of an option for us although probably we will not have any choice with our next vehicle purchase.

Our SIL has the Honda hybrid CRV which is a very nice car, but the only time the battery kicks in is when starting off and for less than a mile. After that it switches to petrol for the duration of his 25 mile trip to work.