Eco cars- Any good for Towing with?

[jaceydubya]

I'm looking to change my car and am thinking about a Bluemotion, Greenline. Eco, or eDrive vehicle.
I do over 20,000 miles solo and about 2,000 towing a 1450Kg (MPTLM) single axle Van.

Can these small engine "Eco" cars cope? - there doesn't appear to be any reviews.

Any help?

 

[Lutz]

I think you'll have to assess each one on its own merits, and study the respective manufacturer's specs. For example, some "Eco" cars, for instance, have closed-up radiator air intakes in the interest of aerodynamics. This compromises engine cooling, resulting in lower permissible towloads. Other models do not suffer from such restrictions.

 

[NigelHutson]

Having towed with several "eco cars" at tow car events, the answer in my opinion is not really. Most have been over-geared and gutless with a caravan in tow, and certainly far from being "eco" when towing because they have to be worked so much harder to keep moving and in a lower gear.
It would depend how much towing was intended. If used regularly, a standard version would probably be a better bet, and possibly only marginally more thirsty when solo. If used VERY occasionally, then maybe.
But only you can decide really.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I have to concure with Lutz,

Its down to the manufacturers specification, and subject to your driving licence restrictions, you can tow any trailer up to the maximum permitted weight in the manufactuers specifications.

When purchasing such a car, stipulate in writing to the supplying dealer that you will be towing, and the car must be capabale. that makes it a specific term in the contrcat of sale, then if it fails to tow then the car is not to specifcation and Sale of Goods kicks in.

 

[ChrisE]

When purchasing such a car, stipulate in writing to the supplying dealer that you will be towing, and the car must be capabale. that makes it a specific term in the contrcat of sale, then if it fails to tow then the car is not to specifcation and Sale of Goods kicks in.

I am not sure that this will do you much good as I think that it would be very difficult to establish what "capable" really means and few cars would "fail" to tow at all.
I do however think the question is a good one as manufacturers chase CO2 figures more & more meaning these cars become more common.

 

[Lutz]

The car must be capable of towing what the manufacturer has specified. If it weren't the spec would be meaningless.
It is a bit unclear what you mean by "fail to tow at all". Some cars may well be able to pull a higher load than the manufacturer has deemed suitable. Engine cooling restraints, for example, may reduce the capability of an otherwise adequately powerful tug.

 

[parker1158]

Hi
Friends of ours have a VW Touran blue motion and tow a six berth (Cant remember the make – Swift I think) and they are very pleased all round, they recon it does the job effortlessly.

As Lutz and John say it should do what the manufacturers claim.

 

[jaceydubya]

Thanks everyone for your views.
Probably means looking at the specified Towing limits for each car & the torque rating from these "smaller" engines.
I can't think of anything worse than struggling to pull my van on a slight incline at high torque load but low speed, causing a longer & longer queue behind me, only comforted by the fact that without the caravan I'm getting 55mpg!!.
I'll probably wait a couple more years for better "towcar" testing to be done.

 

[Lutz]

'Eco' doesn't mean that the engine is any smaller. One has got to compare apples with apples, in other words the same basic engine and size with and without the 'Eco' version. The main difference that one will probably notice from an 'Eco' version is that the gearing may be a bit longer which could mean that one may, on occasions, have to drop a gear more often than normal, but the car should still be up to the job.

 

[xtrailman]

Lutz
Why don't you give us a detailed report on your tow cars abilities, the upsides and down.?

 

[Lutz]

But my car is not an 'Eco' car in the normal sense of the term. 'Eco' generally means that a conventional engine and drive train has been tuned for low fuel consumption and other measures included, such as fitment of tyres with low rolling resistance and sometimes aerodynamic modifications, too.
My car is a hybrid which is a totally different kettle of fish. It runs electrically when it's not called upon to provide lots of power and the petrol engine cuts in as necessary when more power is required. When towing, the power of the electric motors is normally insufficient and the car runs almost exclusively on petrol (sometimes aided by the electric motors, as well). The benefit of a hybrid is therefore only realised in the solo condition and more so in town traffic than at speed on the motorway.
The difference in fuel consumption between solo and towing is therefore enormous. Whereas 35mpg or better is easily achievable in the solo condition (even up to 50mpg in a city crawl), which isn't bad for a petrol engined car of this size and a kerbweight of over 2000kg, the average fuel consumption when towing can be as low as 20mpg.
On the other hand, the 211hp petrol engine and/or another 62hp from the electric motors is perfectly ample to pull my 1800kg caravan.

 

[ncmorgan]

hi i tow with a vauxhall insignia 2ltd 160bhp ecoflex estate , it is a fantastic tow car , power is never a problem, you wouldnt think the
van was there sometimes.
its kerb weight is 1733 kg and has a max tow of 1600kg , i get about 55mtg solo and 32mtg towing, it all depends on your driving style really , but i can say its the best tow car ive had

 

[jaceydubya]

Thanks ncmorgan
The Insignia estate was a thought before I queried the eco cars. I agree about the driving style will depend on the consumption earned but 55mpg solo and 32mpg when towing is OK by me, especially when fuel is over £6 per gallon !!
Just wondering why none of the Clubs/ Magazines have yet done reviews of these cars for towing with, or have I missed them?

 

[ncmorgan]

hi they did the petrol 1.6 sri which has lower kerb weight , iam not sure about pull weight,
mind you , you have to be carefull , when you put my car details in the caravan clubOutfit matching it is wrong and puts my kerb weight down as the same as the saloon 100kg lighter
which would make my outfit a bit close to 100% match