Can Honda tow this lightweight caravan?

[otherclive]

I've actaully considered estate cars and I know Octavia, Superb are great options, as well as Passat. There are many more outthere.
We've decided on an SUV for better ground clearance. Since I only had Toyotas (call it old school or just addicted to durability, and reliability, even though it might well be disputed or an overstatement ) and my wife owned only Japonese brands too, we've just considered a CR-V 1.6 and RAV4 2.0L.

I don’t think statements regarding reliability of Japanese or Korean cars are overstated. JD power surveys consistently show these countries at or near the top of the ratings. Wheras prestige marques often sit in the lower areas. I’ve had three Kia’s and only had one warranty repair and that was to fit a seat adjuster. Our Nissan Note diesel did 10 years without complaint. When we decided to sell the Forester XT the only cars we looked at were Korean or Japanese. Now we have a RAV4 but it was a toss up between that or a CRV petrol hybrid. The RAV won as the warranty is extendable to 11 years and 110000 miles if serviced annually by Toyota, and even a pre owned one not possessing a FSH from Toyota can be accepted once serviced by them.

 

[RogerL]

I don’t think statements regarding reliability of Japanese or Korean cars are overstated. JD power surveys consistently show these countries at or near the top of the ratings. Wheras prestige marques often sit in the lower areas. I’ve had three Kia’s and only had one warranty repair and that was to fit a seat adjuster. Our Nissan Note diesel did 10 years without complaint. When we decided to sell the Forester XT the only cars we looked at were Korean or Japanese. Now we have a RAV4 but it was a toss up between that or a CRV petrol hybrid. The RAV won as the warranty is extendable to 11 years and 110000 miles if serviced annually by Toyota, and even a pre owned one not possessing a FSH from Toyota can be accepted once serviced by them.

JD Power results need to be carefully interpreted, based on the way they ask questions - typically their survey measures opinions against expectations - a flawed process as buyers of premium brands expect more than buyers of budget brands.

Individual experiences aren't necessarily indicative of a brand as a whole - I had more issues with my Korean-built Hyundai Santa Fe in 4+ years (immobiliser, engine & transmission rebuild, wheel paint, steering wheel leather, dampers and suspension joints) than I've had with my Slovakian-built VW Touareg in 9+ years (leaking sunroof)

 

[otherclive]

JD Power results need to be carefully interpreted, based on the way they ask questions - typically their survey measures opinions against expectations - a flawed process as buyers of premium brands expect more than buyers of budget brands.

Individual experiences aren't necessarily indicative of a brand as a whole - I had more issues with my Korean-built Hyundai Santa Fe in 4+ years (immobiliser, engine & transmission rebuild, wheel paint, steering wheel leather, dampers and suspension joints) than I've had with my Slovakian-built VW Touareg in 9+ years (leaking sunroof)

However surveys are conducted there’s bound to be some aspects that can be questioned. But class distinction and buyers expectations is an old chestnut. I wouldn’t call the mainstream Japanese or Korean brands budget, but consistently they appear at the top of the tables whereas so called prestige brands sit lower down, sometimes below mainstream ones such as Ford. Other areas of info are the reliability indexes from Warranty Direct. The Asian ones have a better outcome and these figures reflect a car after it comes out of warranty. Mind you makes with a long warranty don’t feature much until they either come out of warranty or they have dropped out of warranty.

My worst cars were Discover2, Gen 3 XC70 . Glad to see the back of them.

 

[RogerL]

However surveys are conducted there’s bound to be some aspects that can be questioned. But class distinction and buyers expectations is an old chestnut. I wouldn’t call the mainstream Japanese or Korean brands budget, but consistently they appear at the top of the tables whereas so called prestige brands sit lower down, sometimes below mainstream ones such as Ford. Other areas of info are the reliability indexes from Warranty Direct. The Asian ones have a better outcome and these figures reflect a car after it comes out of warranty. Mind you makes with a long warranty don’t feature much until they either come out of warranty or they have dropped out of warranty.

My worst cars were Discover2, Gen 3 XC70 . Glad to see the back of them.

I don't rate Warranty Direct's index either - rather than cost in £s it should be based on % of new list price as it's pretty obvious that an expensive car will cost more to repair than a cheap one, more to go wrong for a start.

Aftermarket warranties are a very expensive way to get peace of mind - much better to put money aside each trouble-free year and save it in case a big repair is needed.

The only car I had that was fault-free was a Japan-built Subaru Outback - but the servicing cost as much as servicing plus repairs on my previous Vauxhall - and had to go to the dealer just as often!

Whilst diligent research can throw up specific versions of cars to avoid, I don't think that can be done at brand level with modern cars.

 

[otherclive]

I don't rate Warranty Direct's index either - rather than cost in £s it should be based on % of new list price as it's pretty obvious that an expensive car will cost more to repair than a cheap one, more to go wrong for a start.

Aftermarket warranties are a very expensive way to get peace of mind - much better to put money aside each trouble-free year and save it in case a big repair is needed.

The only car I had that was fault-free was a Japan-built Subaru Outback - but the servicing cost as much as servicing plus repairs on my previous Vauxhall - and had to go to the dealer just as often!

Whilst diligent research can throw up specific versions of cars to avoid, I don't think that can be done at brand level with modern cars.

Surveys by brand are one aspect to consider, as it can reflect a companys approach to quality. But JD Power also publish surveys of car reliability, as do What Car and others. The consistent theme though is that European prestige brands are lower down the rankings than the Japanese or Korean cars/makes. One recent survey had the Duster in the middle of the top 10. My son has recently swopped his FL2 HSE that he bought new in 2008, for a Duster. Pleased as punch with it and it’s so cheap to run and service even at a main dealer. Since he stopped work in 2020 he’s more conscious of VFM and the Duster meets his needs.

 

[bib]

Surveys by brand are one aspect to consider, as it can reflect a companys approach to quality. But JD Power also publish surveys of car reliability, as do What Car and others. The consistent theme though is that European prestige brands are lower down the rankings than the Japanese or Korean cars/makes. One recent survey had the Duster in the middle of the top 10. My son has recently swopped his FL2 HSE that he bought new in 2008, for a Duster. Pleased as punch with it and it’s so cheap to run and service even at a main dealer. Since he stopped work in 2020 he’s more conscious of VFM and the Duster meets his needs.

Considered a Duster too, my dad owned a Dacia 1310 model more than 20 years ago. Any feedback on towing experience with Duster and what they can tow?

 

[otherclive]

Considered a Duster too, my dad owned a Dacia 1310 model more than 20 years ago. Any feedback on towing experience with Duster and what they can tow?

There was a Forum Member, JezzerB, who towed with a Duster diesel and from memory the weight of the caravan was well above the usual norms, but not illegal. He did some long tours and rated his Duster highly. Then moved on to a Navarro pick up.

Try a search “ Duster” and JezzerB and you will get enough hits to see you sorted fir all of this evening. 😂

Normal health warning on link below.

Towing limits

Find out the towing limits of your car and calculate the 85% towing advise for caravanning.

towcar.info

 

[trevormonty]

You can tow a caravan whose MTPLM exceeds the cars towing limit, providing you don’t load the caravan beyond the cars towing limit. I’ve done it in order to ferry a friends caravan which was only partially loaded.

Torque is a perfectly okay parameter. I’ve had two cars one petrol 150bhp, one diesel 150bhp and guess which one made for the best towing experience. The petrol revved its nuts off. Diesel just slogged away.

That maybe true for naturally aspirated petrol but model small turbos rarely need to exceed 3000rpm to get job done. Producing max torque at 1500-2000rpm compared to 4000 for non turbo is reason.

 

[otherclive]

That maybe true for naturally aspirated petrol but model small turbos rarely need to exceed 3000rpm to get job done. Producing max torque at 1500-2000rpm compared to 4000 for non turbo is reason.

If you read my earlier replies in this thread (#25) I did say my 150bhp non turbo petrol was too revvy for my liking. I’ve also commented on small turbo petrols in other threads. Using Towcar.info you can see the cars torque and rev parameters under the input loads.

 

[RogerL]

If you read my earlier replies in this thread (#25) I did say my 150bhp non turbo petrol was too revvy for my liking. I’ve also commented on small turbo petrols in other threads. Using Towcar.info you can see the cars torque and rev parameters under the input loads.

As a then petrolhead, I quite enjoyed taking my Subaru Outback's non-turbo petrol engine up to the rev limit - but it was very tiring when towing with maximum torque at 4,000 rpm and not a lot of anything below that.

 

[otherclive]

As a then petrolhead, I quite enjoyed taking my Subaru Outback's non-turbo petrol engine up to the rev limit - but it was very tiring when towing with maximum torque at 4,000 rpm and not a lot of anything below that.

When I bought the SJ Forester we had given up caravanning so it was not planned to tow with it. As a solo drive I liked the car. However when we decided to restart caravanning we decided to keep the Subaru which had a 2000 kg towing limit. But it quickly became apparent towing a 1300 kg Sprite that whist it towed okay the engines propensity to up the revs every time load came on was tiring to say the least. I could have lived with a manual version though as my gen 1 Mondeo towed a higher weight with its 2.0 litre 134 bhp non turbo engine; less fuss.

 

[bib]

The caravan is

NTL-Lazur - Niewiadów

Najnowsza seria lekkich przyczep kempingowych Lazur – idealne połączenie funkcjonalności, przestronności i przystępnej ceny.

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MPTLM 750KG
MIRO 650KG

A few points:
Are you UK or RoI based because the rules on towing my be different;
It would be useful to know the make and model of the caravan - those weight figures seem very light.
Looking at the figures. as torque can vary between models of the same range most people work on engine power. A useful guideline is a minimum of 40bhp per tonne of train weight.

You also need to do some homework on the three weight limits that matter. You have the maximum weigh that the tow vehicle can take on the chassis; the maximum weight the towbar can take, and the weight of what you tow. The lowest of these three is the overall limiting factor, so if your car can tow only 1200kg then you cannot tow a caravan legally with an MPTLM or greater than 1200kg. There are widely misunderstood guidelines that the caravan should not weigh more than 85% of the kerb weight of the tug, but these are only a guide for people who are new to towing. As you gain experience so you can get nearer to 100%.

There will be plenty more replies