Hi Everyone, I'm currently looking for my first tow car but I can't decide which one to go for, at the moment I like the Kia Sportage 2.0 AWD, Honda CR-V 1.6 i-dect, Astra Sports Tourer 1.6 BiTurbo, Suzuki Vitara 1.6 DDIS Allgrip, and waiting to see the new Peugeot 3008. I don't have a caravan yet but we quite like centre washroom, rear island bed layout but as this is going to the be first caravan I've owned I'm waiting till I get the new car and then match a caravan to that. What would everyone recommend as a decent, first time, mid-sized tow car? Its only going to be for 2 adults and 2 dogs.
First Tow Car
- Thread starter phd1986
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Afraid the caravan is going to have to match the car, have a lease car at the moment which is due to be changed in the next couple of months and I'm not allowed to buy a caravan till after the new car has been delivered. Been doing some research and there are a few vans (Compass Casita 550/Sprite Major 4 EB) we both like that are well within the 85% match suggestion for the Kia and the Honda.
Looked at the X-Trails but they're just too expensive on the lease car scheme at work. Both the Kia and Honda are between £220-£250 a month, the X-Trail is well over £300, as is a Mondeo, Insignia, Mazda 6, Hyundai Tuscon, Skoda Octavia + Superb :-(
- May 7, 2012
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From that list my only choice would be the Kia. The Honda looks underpowered with a 1600 engine and the rest are just too light for a good match. The Kia is a very popular towcar with an excellent reputation.
Personally I would go for the Mazda CX5 if you can afford it but I am biased.
Personally I would go for the Mazda CX5 if you can afford it but I am biased.
- Mar 14, 2005
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I'm sorry Ray but I have to challenge your last post. Simply judging a car based on its engine size alone (e.g. Honda at 1600cc) is no longer safe way to judge a vehicle for towing. The fact is that in recent years most car producers have dome a massive amount of work on improving engine efficiency and performance.
Up to the late 1970's there was no real alternative to cubic inches, and 3lite engines were not uncommon. then the introduction of Turbos, in the late 70's and their wide spread proliferation in the 80 and 90's meant that engine sizes seemed to come down to about 2Litre often with more power than the previous 3 litre engines.
And now the latest generation of cars have again reduced engine size, but power outputs do not seem to have dropped. It's beginning to seem that 16 to 1800cc seem to have the same peak power output of the prior 2L engines.
I do acknowledge that peak power is not the only criteria for towing, Torque is just as important, but even here modern engines do seem to have adequate torque.thanks to turbo technology.
You need to look at the power/torque figures rather than engine cc.
Edit notes - I have just corrected a few typo's. But i would add that I have just become aware of the latest VW Passat GTE - which is a plug in hybrid, with a 1400cc turbo petrol producing 156bhp! and an electric motore capable of 115 bhp. Unfortunately this new vehicle is limited to 1600kg towed weight
Up to the late 1970's there was no real alternative to cubic inches, and 3lite engines were not uncommon. then the introduction of Turbos, in the late 70's and their wide spread proliferation in the 80 and 90's meant that engine sizes seemed to come down to about 2Litre often with more power than the previous 3 litre engines.
And now the latest generation of cars have again reduced engine size, but power outputs do not seem to have dropped. It's beginning to seem that 16 to 1800cc seem to have the same peak power output of the prior 2L engines.
I do acknowledge that peak power is not the only criteria for towing, Torque is just as important, but even here modern engines do seem to have adequate torque.thanks to turbo technology.
You need to look at the power/torque figures rather than engine cc.
Edit notes - I have just corrected a few typo's. But i would add that I have just become aware of the latest VW Passat GTE - which is a plug in hybrid, with a 1400cc turbo petrol producing 156bhp! and an electric motore capable of 115 bhp. Unfortunately this new vehicle is limited to 1600kg towed weight
- Jun 2, 2015
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Personally I would go for the Kia, I was looking at them myself when I was thinking about buying a caravan, alas I bought a bigger van and ended up with a Sante Fe (which I love). You have obviously done a bit of research opting straight for the AWD version which has a much better kerb weight. the same is true for the Ford kuga as well, the $WD has the advantage of being heavy enough for a lot of caravan.
- Nov 11, 2009
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The OP hasn't said what licence he has, so this would be the starting point of his quest in selecting his car and caravan. I'm with Prof on engine performance as I've towed a 1300kg caravan with a Mondeo (1999) TDDI at an output of 89bhp and torque of 177NM. It was always well loaded with family, luggage and two large dogs, but took us all over Scotland and France without any problem. So you really have to look at the engine power, torque character, cars weight (loaded and unloaded) and caravan weight in order to make a reasoned judgment. The CRV has a better load capacity than the Sportage which depending on what the OP carries might rule in its favour.
The Dutch matching site "tow car.info" is a good one to use as it includes UK caravans but you can also input generic caravan details to see how it would match a given tow car. Like any of these sites they are not absolute and are an aid to decision making. There are some given fixed spots such as licence, tow car max tow weight, caravan MTPLM, noseweight caravan and car, all whilst trying to stay within the 85% guidelines. Who said caravanning was easy eh?
The Dutch matching site "tow car.info" is a good one to use as it includes UK caravans but you can also input generic caravan details to see how it would match a given tow car. Like any of these sites they are not absolute and are an aid to decision making. There are some given fixed spots such as licence, tow car max tow weight, caravan MTPLM, noseweight caravan and car, all whilst trying to stay within the 85% guidelines. Who said caravanning was easy eh?
Going off what the Prof says this is exactly my situation with my 14 plate Quashqai, 1.6 engine giving 130 psi,100kg nose weight and a 1800 braked towing weight + £30 a year road tax, my previous Quashqai was 2.0 engine 150 psi, 75 kg nose weight and 1400 braked towing weight, I believe the latest engine in the X trail is a 2.0 lt giving 177 psi,
I tow a Sprite Freedom 6 with a Skoda Yeti 1.4tsi petrol 4X4.
My first ever caravan and towing experience and it pulls the caravan great. MPG on recent return to Manchester from Devon was 26.
Don't discount the petrols as max torque although not to the levels of an oil burner is produced from 1500rpm.
My first ever caravan and towing experience and it pulls the caravan great. MPG on recent return to Manchester from Devon was 26.
Don't discount the petrols as max torque although not to the levels of an oil burner is produced from 1500rpm.
- May 24, 2014
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Hate to disagree with the general consensus here, but Im definitely in the Clarkson camp
"There aint no subsitute for cubes boy" POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dont forget a lot of these cars, though mentioning high allowances for towing, still require a decent kerbweight.
"There aint no subsitute for cubes boy" POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dont forget a lot of these cars, though mentioning high allowances for towing, still require a decent kerbweight.
Sounds simple but don't forget to think about what the car is like when it's not towing. If you're buying it as a company car I'm guessing that you're working full-time, in which case towing could be as little as 10% of your total annual mileage. Whether it's worth compromising on the size of the caravan to get a car that is more economical, cheaper to tax and probably more comfortable on the motorway is something on which everyone's opinion will differ, but you need to decide what suits you.
- Mar 14, 2005
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Now don't get me wrong, Jeremy Clarkson, may have been a bit of a buffoon at times, and done and said some rather insensitive things, but at times he was actually quite insightful about some aspects of cars and motoring. If nothing else it may have caused some of us to think and re-evaluate our position on some motoring matters.
But in relation to "big is better" when it comes to engines he probably got it wrong, because that comment is based on an assumption that big old engines produce more power, and more torque. Fortunately both power and torque can be measured, and its the measurements that will tell the truth.
Where there may be an element of truth though is the usable power/torque range. Older engines tended to have flatter and wider power bands, whereas newer smaller engines may well have a much more peaky nature.
Is this a problem - well if you mate a newer style engine to an old style gearbox and transmission, it may well fail to deliver the beans because the gear ratios would be wrong, but a newer engine fitted to a properly matched gearbox should do a perfectly adequate job.
As for the reliability of new engines. Were have become pre-conditioned to expect new products to be unreliable, Caravans especially seem to be prime exponents of this syndrome and this was certainly true of older engines, and it is only due to the long production runs of some older designs eventually managed to iron out the problems they had.
Historically new products do tend to have a period just after introduction where some issues may cause problems, this is a well recognised part of the product life cycle. But with modern design and testing processes I would expect the product to be more closely matched to the job it is designed to do right from the outset.
But in relation to "big is better" when it comes to engines he probably got it wrong, because that comment is based on an assumption that big old engines produce more power, and more torque. Fortunately both power and torque can be measured, and its the measurements that will tell the truth.
Where there may be an element of truth though is the usable power/torque range. Older engines tended to have flatter and wider power bands, whereas newer smaller engines may well have a much more peaky nature.
Is this a problem - well if you mate a newer style engine to an old style gearbox and transmission, it may well fail to deliver the beans because the gear ratios would be wrong, but a newer engine fitted to a properly matched gearbox should do a perfectly adequate job.
As for the reliability of new engines. Were have become pre-conditioned to expect new products to be unreliable, Caravans especially seem to be prime exponents of this syndrome and this was certainly true of older engines, and it is only due to the long production runs of some older designs eventually managed to iron out the problems they had.
Historically new products do tend to have a period just after introduction where some issues may cause problems, this is a well recognised part of the product life cycle. But with modern design and testing processes I would expect the product to be more closely matched to the job it is designed to do right from the outset.
- May 24, 2014
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Awesome prof. Simply awesome.
Im not saying Clarkson is right or wrong. Simply that im in the same camp for my preferences.
I prefer to have a big lump under the bonnet and call it agricultural as many do but the Shoguns 3.2 has a simple reliability with its horsepower. Plus it all adds kerbweight.
Im not saying Clarkson is right or wrong. Simply that im in the same camp for my preferences.
I prefer to have a big lump under the bonnet and call it agricultural as many do but the Shoguns 3.2 has a simple reliability with its horsepower. Plus it all adds kerbweight.
- Mar 14, 2005
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Please let me make it clear; I believe we are all free to make our own choice of towing vehicle, and my comments are not a criticism of any individuals choices expressed her in this thread. However I do subscribe to the principle that we should try to be socially responsible in the choices we make.
What I am trying to suggest is that some people may wish for something without full appreciation what they are wishing for and whether it actually matches their need. There is often a difference between wishes and needs.
As with so many aspects of life, when there is a decision to be made there can be many options. Each will have different characteristics, and its down to the individual to compare and choose which option best matches their wish list.
What I do find annoying is when a person's stated reason for a particular choice seems to rely on what could be a misplaced assumption. For example "I want a big tow vehicle, therefore I need a big capacity engine"
Does this actually stack up? well look at the elements, Firstly how much power do you need? The answer is enough to be able to carry out the activities you want to use it for. In the context of caravanning enough to haul the car and caravan at up to 60 mph, and not to unreasonably hold up other traffic whilst accelerating. The caravan industry traditionally suggest 40BHP per Ton. (This is another arbitrary committee based edict that should not be taken at face value - a subject for another thread)
There are plenty of current vehicles that exceed that power to weight ratio, and do so with Cubic capacities of 2.0 litres or less. So adequate power is not the preserve of big engines.
I do agree there is a looming problem for people who want to use larger than average caravans. Such caravans do need heavier than average tow vehicles, and this is why some need to go to bigger vehicles.
BIgger vehicles tend to be upmarket or more specialised models which seem to have bigger capacity engines. But even these models are not immune to the current trends of reducing engine capacity but maintaining or even increasing power outputs. For many buying new is not an option but there are some much better value secondhand vehicles out there, but these are older models and still have large capacity engines.
But considering these larger vehicle purchases, they are principally chosen for their weight and towing capacity, it's more of a coincidence than a purchaser choice they have big cc engines.
What I am trying to suggest is that some people may wish for something without full appreciation what they are wishing for and whether it actually matches their need. There is often a difference between wishes and needs.
As with so many aspects of life, when there is a decision to be made there can be many options. Each will have different characteristics, and its down to the individual to compare and choose which option best matches their wish list.
What I do find annoying is when a person's stated reason for a particular choice seems to rely on what could be a misplaced assumption. For example "I want a big tow vehicle, therefore I need a big capacity engine"
Does this actually stack up? well look at the elements, Firstly how much power do you need? The answer is enough to be able to carry out the activities you want to use it for. In the context of caravanning enough to haul the car and caravan at up to 60 mph, and not to unreasonably hold up other traffic whilst accelerating. The caravan industry traditionally suggest 40BHP per Ton. (This is another arbitrary committee based edict that should not be taken at face value - a subject for another thread)
There are plenty of current vehicles that exceed that power to weight ratio, and do so with Cubic capacities of 2.0 litres or less. So adequate power is not the preserve of big engines.
I do agree there is a looming problem for people who want to use larger than average caravans. Such caravans do need heavier than average tow vehicles, and this is why some need to go to bigger vehicles.
BIgger vehicles tend to be upmarket or more specialised models which seem to have bigger capacity engines. But even these models are not immune to the current trends of reducing engine capacity but maintaining or even increasing power outputs. For many buying new is not an option but there are some much better value secondhand vehicles out there, but these are older models and still have large capacity engines.
But considering these larger vehicle purchases, they are principally chosen for their weight and towing capacity, it's more of a coincidence than a purchaser choice they have big cc engines.
- Nov 11, 2009
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Better hope that JLR have got it right then with the new Discovery and its 2 litre diesel, although there's a 3.0 V6 option. Be interesting to see it take its class group win in the next round of tow car tests. 
I am with Thingy on this one,not only is the Shogun an established design proven over a number of years,there are very few towcars that match it for towing performance at the price,and at the same time offer a 3500 tow limit and 150 noseweight add in selectable 4 wheel drive RFL at 290 reasonable cost of spares and servicing, only downside I have is that when I come to replace ours it looks like I will have to switch to an automatic as manual gearbox is only available on commercial version.
Been that long forgot how to post on here.Four things.
1,VW have just released a 3litre tdi version of the Amarok.What does that tell you?
2,JLR are having serious problems with the 2 litre ingenium diesel.
3,I personally find under powered tow cars a hinderance on long drags.
4,Once you get in to big twin axles and large tow cars very few 2 litre diesels will give the recomended 40 hp per tonne output.
Get the biggest engine you can if for no other reason but a stress free tow.
1,VW have just released a 3litre tdi version of the Amarok.What does that tell you?
2,JLR are having serious problems with the 2 litre ingenium diesel.
3,I personally find under powered tow cars a hinderance on long drags.
4,Once you get in to big twin axles and large tow cars very few 2 litre diesels will give the recomended 40 hp per tonne output.
Get the biggest engine you can if for no other reason but a stress free tow.
- May 24, 2014
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For woodsieboy
I wouldnt be worried about changing to the auto, INVECS11 is brilliant. And as you quite rightly say its tried and tested.
Having had 2 xTrails and a Volvo XC90 in recent years, I have now had two Shoguns. Servicing is OK for a vehicle of this size, the big one stings but the interims are around £140 each. Tyres seem to last well and nothing seems to go wrong with them. They frequently score in the top band of reliability on various surveys, and they are more refined and comfortable than the press give them credit for. Its never going be quiet or super smooth, but it aint gonna get stuck or break either.
I wouldnt be worried about changing to the auto, INVECS11 is brilliant. And as you quite rightly say its tried and tested.
Having had 2 xTrails and a Volvo XC90 in recent years, I have now had two Shoguns. Servicing is OK for a vehicle of this size, the big one stings but the interims are around £140 each. Tyres seem to last well and nothing seems to go wrong with them. They frequently score in the top band of reliability on various surveys, and they are more refined and comfortable than the press give them credit for. Its never going be quiet or super smooth, but it aint gonna get stuck or break either.
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