Best/worst towcar you've ever owned?

[Rory]

Hello everyone!

My name is Rory, I met a few of you on our reader rally to the south of France, for those I haven't met, I'm Practical Caravan's new reporter.

I'm interested to learn what towcars our readers are using and their recommendations. Equally let me know your thoughts on any you haven't liked too.

I look forward to hearing from you!

 

[Oldsalt49]

Hi Rory,
After 22 years of caravanning we have had quite a number of towcars, I will list them in order of when we had them.
Renault 25 2.2i (Petrol)
Ford Granada 2.8i Auto (Petrol)
Rover 827 2.7i Auto (Petrol)
Isuzu Trooper 2.6 (Petrol)
Vauxhall Senator 3.0i (Petrol)
Ford Granada 2.9i 4X4 (Petrol)
Peugeot 605 3.0i Auto (Petrol)
Isuzu Trooper 2.8 TDi (Diesel)
Ford Maverick 2.4i (Petrol)
Hyundai Sonata 3.0i Auto (Petrol)
Vauxhall Frontera 2.8 TDi (Diesel)
Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRTDi Auto (Diesel)
Land Rover Discovery 3 2.7 TDV6 Auto (Diesel)

The worst towcar was the Ford Maverick which was grossly under-powered. The next was the Peugeot 605 which had major electronic problems. The Hyundai Sonata auto gearbox did not like towing, gearbox replaced under warranty, but failed again with exactly the same problem. The Vauxhall Frontera and the Isuzu Trooper both shared the same 2.8 TDi engine althought the Frontera was more powerful as it had the intercooler fitted. Both were very capable towcars. The Hyundai Santa Fe was bought new last October, but I did not feel comfortable with the towing abilities of the auto gearbox and the suspension is too soft. My current towcar is the mighty Discovery 3 and hand on heart I can say it is the best towcar I have ever experienced, powerful, refined, quiet and very stable.

 

[LADA]

Hi Cooky - I know it must be a typing error but couldn't help laughing as I imagined you pulling a caravan with a BMX...
just made my night mate!
atb LADA

 

[cooky1]

Hi Rory. I have towed for over 20 years with petrol and diesel cars. These include:-
Opel Manta (petrol)
Vauxhall Carlton (petrol)
Vauxhall Senator 9petrol)
Vauxhall omega (petrol)
Jag S-Type (petrol)
BMW 5 Series (diesel)
BMW X5 (diesel)

The best by far was the X5 possibly due to the shape giving good air flow over the van and the worst was the Carlton, probably due to the big overhang behind the rear wheels.
I prefer the diesel engines for towing, but the bigger petrols have been just as capable, so I would not dismiss one in the future

Graeme.

 

[cooky1]

Thanks LADA for pointing that out

Made me laugh too. Edited now so I don't appear so much of a fool

Graeme.

 

[NigelDonnelly]

BMX is rear wheel drive. Might not be so bad...

 

[Rory]

Cooky,

The X5 is a brilliant choice, although alot of people I've spoken to say BMW make it as hard as possible to fit towing gear - did you find that to be the case?

Vauxhall Carltons are fantastic, even now I see GSi3000s on autotrader for a few hundred quid and become tempted, although I agree with your views on its towing ability!

I remember the days when my dad used to bring home the odd Omega 3.0 V6 from work - never fails to put a smile on your face!

 

[Rory]

Oldsalt,

I couldn't help but reminisce when I saw the old Renault 25 up there. Although not the same, my dad had a couple of Renault Savannas when I was much younger. Terrible cars, but never broke down on him!

I have to say I've never once been tempted by a Ford Maverick, I think they look awkward on the road and I guess that doesn't help with towing, let alone a weak engine.

You have seen the light though, the Discovery is just awesome, a well thought-out choice!

 

[AdifferentJim]

Since 1984:
Vauxhall Cavalier mk 1 GL 2000 ( petrol )
Vauxhall Cavalier mk 2 GLS ( petrol )
Vauxhall Cavalier mk 2 SRI 130 ( petrol )
Ford Sierra 1800GL (petrol)
Ford Mondeo 2000GLX (petrol)
Ford Mondeo td GL (diesel)
VW Passat tdi 110 (diesel)
VW Passat Estate tdi 130 (diesel)
Volvo V70 S D5 163 (diesel)
Volvo V70 SE Lux D5 185 (diesel)

They've all been ok. Some better than others. The Volvos are great and the Cavalier SRI and 2 litre Mondeo pick of the rest.

The TD Mondeo last. A significant lag before the turbo cut and no injection but still ok.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Rory
The worst tow car ever was a sickly green Austin Princess 2.2 . Most things broke whilst towing including the hydrospastic suspension and even the ignition lock literally fell to pieces!

The best is our trust Kia Sorento diesel. Nothing flash but it does the job for us without any complaints or draw on my wallet.

 

[cooky1]

Cooky,

The X5 is a brilliant choice, although alot of people I've spoken to say BMW make it as hard as possible to fit towing gear - did you find that to be the case?

I had a Westfalia detachable bar fitted (as fitted by BMW) at a local towbar place. On the X5 there is a plastic section in the middle of the rear bumper that pulls out and the bar fits up into the locating socket. 13pin electrics are also up behind the bumper. When the bar is removed there is no visible sign that the car has one fitted.
No problems with any of the electrics on the car with the van attached.
An early E53 3.0d X5 can be picked up for about 7k - a lot of car for the money

Graeme.

 

[andy72]

Im new to caravanning being gifted my parents old unit so tow car choice wasnt really an option.
I currently tow with a car ive never seen towing anything, an Audi A3 sportback and a 1.6 petrol one at that. My unit is an old 1991 Swift rapide 450GXL but its still a 5 berth yet light enough for the little audi to tow. Ive been asked on a few petrol forcourts and sites what its like to tow with as people had been contemplating an A3 but never seen them towing anything.
As its only a 106bhp 1.6, with as much torque as an asthmatic ant, It struggles a little on steeper motorway inclines and A road hilly roads are a bit of a worry but generally it gets us there but you can almost see the petrol gauge dropping so its obviously working hard.

Frustratingly I had just sold a 2.5 petrol Vauxhall Omega, fitted with LPG where the elderly (carvan owning) owner had spent a great amount fo cash on tow bar and special shocks at the rear that you could inflate with an air hose when towing. I never got to tow with it but i understand from the gent it was a dream to tow with.

 

[Zafiral]

My list of towcars is:

2005 Renault Grand Scenic 1.6 petrol (115hp) - OK as long as the roads were flat & you had shares in Shell, long rear overhang and soft suspension not ideal. Towing 1179 kg mtplm 06 Ranger 470/4
2005 Renault Scenic 1.9 DCi (120hp) - good towcar as had shorter rear overhang and plenty of torque, but found out that you can only tow the max tow weight if you only have driver on board...... Traded in for legalities sake.
2006 Honda Civic 2.2 CDTi (138hp) - great towcar, very stable with firm suspension & short overhangs. Upgraded the caravan to 1250kg mtplm.
2008 Vauxhall Zafira 1.9 CDTi (150hp) - great towcar, for the same reasons as the Civic, but heavier and much bigger. Upgraded caravan to a 1482kg mtplm Pageant Bretagne.
2009 Peugeot 4007 2.2 HDi (160hp) - fantastic towcar, 4wd high noseweight limit, heavy car, plenty of torque. Changed caravan, but still same weight.

Scarely we have only been towing since June 06 yet have had 5 towcars & 3 caravans. We are now really happy with our current outfit so no reason to change soon....

 

[Rory]

A different Jim.

As you might know we have a 180,000 mile Volvo 850 on our fleet which I regularly enjoy driving about. Bought for 450 quid, with around £400 TLC and it's back to bullet-proof.

The V70 is better again...I'm jealous

 

[Rory]

Dustydog,

There is nothing boring about a Kia Sorento! In fact our Practical Caravan team recently attended an 'L Busters' towing course and the guys behing that swear by the previous-generation model. You hear again and again people actively seeking out the previous gen for its better towing limit and more advanced suspension. You can't go wrong with that choice!

As for the Austin Princess, you are brave! It looks like a Tudor doorstop. Probably handled like Henry VIII too!

 

[Rory]

Andy 72,

The Audi A3 isn't the obvious choice for a towcar, but you will be having more fun when driving solo than any large 4x4 driver and let's be honest, if you are having fun caravanning, who cares?

Your old Swift sounds great, shame about the Omega, I love 'em, but you have a far more refined car in the Audi!

 

[Rory]

Zafiral,

Its more important that you get the outfit right, than worrying about the amount of changes so it's all good! It pays to be safe and legal on the road in the long run as our Editor Nigel will tell you after spending time with the police on the M5 a while back - you may have seen the feature.

The 4007 is very good tow car, we had the mitsubishi variant on long term a while back and it was enjoyed by all! I hope you enjoy yours!

 

[Francis_374353316]

Hi my list of towcars are as follows!
1994 Vauxhall Frontera 2.3 diesel
1996 Mercedes W124 E250 diesel
1999 Peugeot 406 2.0hdi 110bhp
2004 Ford Mondeo 2.0tdci 130bhp
All the above cars towed my 2001 Compass Rallye 530/4 1400mtplm
The Frontera was a very good car however it did struggle towing the caravan especially up long motorway inclines I think it was due to the rather outdated engine as I understand the Fronteras with the Isuzu engines were very capable cars. I changed the Frontera for the mercedes as I beleived the 2.5 diesel engine would be more than capable (BIG mistake) again the car was good on its own but was terrible with the caravan on the back the engine was a non turbo and hills were a nightmare I had many bad experiences on hills with the caravan partly due to the engine and partly due to the footbreak that these cars have instead of a handbrake. I then bought the 406 which was brilliant it had more than enough power and was an all round good car which towed the van for thousands of miles without any complaints. I changed the 406 mainly because we were towing to France and I thought a newer car would be an idea so I bought the Mondeo which so far has been brilliant with loads of power and torque it towed to France this year without any bother and it is the best towcar I have ever had which I thought would be impossible as the 406 was so good. So basically I am very pleased with the mondeo and would recommend it to anyone I would also strongly recommend a 406 as a towcar.
Hope this helps!

 

[extrucker1]

hi, rover 80,
wolsey 16/60,
pa cresta,
sd1 rover 2ltr,
mk 2 granada,
citreon zx,
almera tino,
mitubishi delica,
volvo v 70 2.5 10 valve,
sedona.
for pulling power, the granada, most stable, the sedona. worst zx. ray.

 

[Easyvanner]

Our previous tow cars have all had plus and minus points.
Choosing a caravan tow car if around 85% of its work life is towing the caravan tow cars reviews would possibly be worthwhile.
Tow car of the year reviews are pretty pointless if like us 10-15 or less % of the cars mileage is done towing.
Our choice is fast sporty car that will cover distances solo at speed with ease and carry what we need but also provide good towing performance. We towed last year with a Disco 3 and hated it. Great off road, but that prowess is never going to be used by us with a caravan hitched. Wallowy great car with suspect handling if you hustle it solo as is the RRS. We used a Disco 4 earlier this year, the air suspension gave a terrible towing experience the same as the 3's ride,
Our more compact 4x4 is fast and is more sure footed when towing than the LR offerings, We enjoy 'driving' rather than armchair motoring and often wonder how journalists make their choices.
The A3 is an OK car Rory but you can have much more fun solo in a larger faster but compact 4x4

 

[RogerB]

We get lots of funny looks towing the Olympus with our A4 Cabriolet - especially with the top down as it looks so small.Its deceivingly heavy though and gives us about an 80% match.Its the 3.0tDi quattro auto S line and is a superb towcar which returns around 27 mpg towing if I nurse it.
Previous car was BMW 525 DSE auto which was also an excellent towcar.
Never had a problem with the auto versions and makes for a much more relaxed journey especially having the characteristic creep when stuck in traffic.

 

[Easyvanner]

Nice RogerB. Kind of where I come from.
A classic case I wager of the wheels that suit what you want but cover the towing needs when doing that job.
Your Cabriolets quattro system wil probably required to cope with much the same terain a most of the "best 4X4 by far" caravan tow cars on the road.
Plus you have a car that's far more fun when it's not being a tug

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Towed with many good cars:

Triumph 2000 Mk 1
Triumph 2000 Mk 2
Vauxhall Victor 1600 Estate (1964)
Vauxhall Carlton 2000
Vauxhall Carlton 2000 (not a typing error)
Vauxhall Omega 2000
Daihatsu Fourtrack
And the best tow car we have owned was - Austin Maestro 1600

The worst tow car we have had was an Austin Montego VDP 2 litre - absolute rubbish at towing - glad to get rid of it.

However all our tow cars seemed to not like Telegraph Hill in Exeter. They all virtually overheated and we had to stop at the top for the engine to cool down.

The Maestro towed our Globetrotter for many hundreds of miles without a hickup apart from Telegraph Hill.

 

[NigelHutson]

Hello Rory,

Welcome to the PC fold!

Over the years I have personally owned and towed with the following vehicles:-

1. 1977 Ford Granada 2.3 GL saloon
2. 1978 Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia automatic saloon
3. 1881 Range Rover 3.5 V8
4. 1987 Range Rover 3.5 V8 EFi Vogue automatic
5. 1993 Rover 820 Si saloon
6. 1997 Rover 825 V6 Si hatchback
7. 1999 Rover 75 2.0 CDT saloon 114 bhp
8. 2004 Rover 75 2.0 CDT Tourer 135 bhp
9. 2005 Land Rover Discovery TDV6 SE

Of the above vehicles, the two that I remember with great affection, and that were excellent tow cars were the Ford Granada Ghia and the Rover 75 Tourer, which took us the length and breadth of the UK and abroad.

However, what I have with the Discovery is a supremely capable and practical vehicle which will tow any caravan despite the general increase in weight of caravans (the main reason we changed from the 75). I have towed with many other vehicles (in excess of 150 in the past four years!) including some which had a good reputation that were awful (either unstable or had appalling rides), or in the case of one of the "premium" marques, such awful ergonomics that you'd end up with a curvature of the spine if you drove it regularly enough!.

Having read a previous post, and after throwing both the Discovery 4 and Range Rover Sport about on test tracks, I have to totally disagree with that post (as do, it seems with the actual sales figures). Perhaps that contributor might read the PC/What Car? Tow Car Awards article properly. I have, and it shows that all aspects of living with the various vehicles are taken into account, not just their towing abilities. My wife and I are fortunate enough to also own one of the best handling cars that's ever been produced, although not the fastest. It is good fun to drive when the time and place is right. When towing, the journey is part of the break, so I don't feel the need to get there as fast as is humanly possible.

Its a good job that we all don't like the same though as that would make life very boring indeed.

 

[bribes]

Best and worst over a long time Vauxhall pa
Volvo 345
Sarb 99gl Opel manta Granarda 2 ltr cortina 2 ltr Volvo 240 Volvo 460 Suzuki grand vitari 2.4 ltr the worst =Vauxhall Pa / The best= sarb 99 gl