Car choice

[RonSmith_5041486]

I have a choice of the new Vauxhall Astra or the Vauxhall Merviva as my next company car.

I tow an Abbey Aventura 314 with a max weight of 1220kg

The Astra 1.7 CDTi Life has a kerb weight of 1260 and a towing limit of 1300kg

The Meriva 1.7 CDTi Envoy has a kerb weight of 1405kg and a towing limit of 1200kg.

I've been towing for 26 years and am no novice and I guess the Meriva is going to make a better tow car due to be it being heavier. Does anyone tow with a Meriva and can advise how it performs as a tow car? Any other comments from fellow caravanners welcomed.

Ron

 

[Lutz]

From the information you quote, one may be tempted to think that the Meriva is a marginally better towcar due to its higher kerbweight. But, as you will have already noticed, you will be closer to the legal limit when towing a caravan with an MTPLM of 1220kg behind a Meriva, especially as its maximum permissible noseweight is only 50kg (or 55kg if it's a 2005 model year). The Astra on the other hand allows 75kg noseweight and, if you order one with a factory-fitted towbar, you have an added bonus of having an electronic anti-snake feature that is not available on the Meriva. So, it's a case of what you gain on the swings you lose on the roundabouts. When comparing the GVWs of the 2 cars, (and that's the condition that you're more likely to encounter when travelling with all the holiday luggage), the difference melts to only 60kg. Personally, I would therefore be tempted to go for the Astra despite its lower kerbweight unless you have reason to want the added load-carrying volume of the Meriva.

 

[RogerL_5041474]

Both 1.7CDTi Astra and Meriva will exceed 85% towing ratio by a long way, but more importantly your proposed outfit(s) would be grossly under-powered. The Astra would only give 25 bhp / tonne at gross train weight against the Caravan Club recommendation of 40. Their recommendation applies to both diesel and petrol. Being slightly heavier the Meriva would give a slightly worse figure. As a company car, if you can't get a more powerful version, consider changing to a lighter caravan; not easy but it can be done.

 

[ivor_5040617]

Take into account that the Meriva is a Corsa based car,the Astra is the next one up and has to be more substantial for towing