Help, Towcar advice please

[raywell]

We are looking at changing our towcar and the VW Sharan / Seat Alhambra have caught our attention. Our van is a Swift Fairway 524 with an MTPLM of 1430 but we will be having it uprated to 1500 KG We've looked at a fair few cars with a view to test driving but keep going in circles. We're considering Skoda Superb Est. VW Tiguan, VW Touran and the VW Passat Est as well. Would like to hear any opinions good or bad on these cars before i go mad lol

Thanks in advance

Ray

 

[NigelHutson]

I don't remember a Touran, but each of the others has been a Class winner at the Tow Car Awards over the years. It depends what you want really. The Tiguan is the smallest, with the Skoda being the largest. Of course, should you want it, they are all available with 4X4. The Skoda is possibly the best value of the three. I'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed with any of them, but do your homework first with regards to your needs. If you're a family and like a lot of stuff, my personal choice would be either the Passat or the Superb. If space isn't an issue, and you like a higher driving position, but still with good running costs, then the Tiguan would be a good buy.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Raywell

I think all the models you have listed probably have quite good towing characteristics, the fact they all come from the VAG group may just be a coincidence, but the group has carved out a good record on reliability, and as Nigel points out several of them have been highly rated as tow cars in group tests.

Can I suggest another approach to choosing. For many caravanners the car has to perform two roles: tow vehicle and day to day taxi, So its likely to be a compromise. If this is your pattern, then consider the amount of towing and solo driving you do. In most cases the caravan gets taken out probably less than 20% of the time leaving 80% of the year as the work or school taxi. Look for a car they you will be comfortable at driving for the bulk of the time, but make sure it has the capacity to tow your caravan. I suggest you only consider the diesel options with about 140BHP or greater Good economy and plenty of torque to get things moving.

Nigel suggested the tiguan if you wanted a high driving position, but both the Sharan and Alhambra also provide raised driving positions.

It may also be worth looking at the Ford Mondeo and Galaxy products again both of which have scored well in tests.

For my own experience I continue to use an old but relatively trusty Renault Espace (Mk3) which provide a great tow comfort and views out. But I have a VW passat as my daily runabout.

 

[RogerL]

The VAG reputation for reliability, particularly engines and DSG transmissions is seriously questioned by certain parts of the media/internet - eg Honest John.

Mind you, it's actually not difficult to find horror stories about every diesel built, regardless of brand and price.

A new survey of company car reliability from Fleet News puts the brand order as:-

BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, VW, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Skoda, Kia

 

[raywell]

I am very very wary of the DSG box, I know it does what it says on the box and does it very well but, the service manager at my Local Skoda dealer told me that they are fantastic to drive but, you should only buy one if you can afford to change it every three years to keep it under warranty. He told me of one particular repair that sticks with him where the DSG failed and the total repair bill was just under £6,000. In light of his advice I am a dedicated manual driver ;-)

 

[RogerL]

I won't buy a DSG-type car from any manufacturer, a torque converter is an absolute requirement for me.

If fuel cost is that important, buy a smaller, lighter caravan and smaller towcar with a proper automatic.

 

[Woody3]

I think a much more important point here is weight. The OP said his van was being uprated to 1500Kg. Now whilst the Passat Est (for instance) is rated to pull 1800Kg its kerb weight is only (from memory) 1525Kg, so it will put the two units very close in legal terms - too close for me at any rate.
Also look at noseweight. The Passat is rated 90Kg (85Kg on my Thule removable ball) but most of the others (including the Superb Est and such as the A4 and A6) are only rated 80Kg on a fixed ball. Can you get such a heavy van down to that level and will it then be stable?
For that sort of weight I would be looking at a Disco or RR - would that I could afford one or to run one! Also there is a new bi-turbo 2L Passat out in RHD early next year at 237bhp which should be enormous fun given how good the existing Passat is. Mine is a 58 plate 2L 140 TDi CR estate, it goes like stink if pushed but still returns 50+mpg - and it doesn't have BlueMotion.

 

[RogerL]

You don't need to go quite as heavy as Discovery or Range Rover to tow 1500kg, but a car just over 1500kg kerbweight wouldn't do for me - the Hyundai Santa Fe and later Kia Sorento are 1800-2020kg, depending on model - my Santa Fe pulls 1500kg just fine.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I think a much more important point here is weight. The OP said his van was being uprated to 1500Kg. Now whilst the Passat Est (for instance) is rated to pull 1800Kg its kerb weight is only (from memory) 1525Kg, so it will put the two units very close in legal terms - too close for me at any rate.
Also look at noseweight. The Passat is rated 90Kg (85Kg on my Thule removable ball) but most of the others (including the Superb Est and such as the A4 and A6) are only rated 80Kg on a fixed ball. Can you get such a heavy van down to that level and will it then be stable?
For that sort of weight I would be looking at a Disco or RR -

A disco or RR would of course be more than capable of towing the caravan, but so would many other vehicles. MTPLM of 1500 is far from unusual and you don't need to go down the 4x4 route. there are a number of perfectly good 2WD domestic vehicles that have unladen weights of about 1600kg or more. Already mentioned are the Sharan and Alhambra. Dont forget that good towing is affected by other factors not just weight ratio's.

 

[fmman1960]

I would like some advice please. i have recently upgraded my caravan to a 2008 Bailey Pageant Bordeaux Series 7, MTPLM: 1321kg and tow with a Ford Galaxy 2.3 automatic. It may be the fact that my previous van was a Bailey Ranger 460/2, but I find it a bit of a struggle on inclines, and need to use the triptronic option. The car/van ratio is 72% so well within the 85% ruling.

Should the car be more than adequate for the caravan, or does the car need some additional work doing to it to boost the power?

Thanks in advance

 

[RogerL]

Presumably that's the original VW/Ford Galaxy with the 2.3 Ford petrol engine? It was rated as 142bhp/203Nm with towing limit of 1385kg.

So you're almost on Ford's original limit for this engine and at over 8 years old it may not be giving full power. There's nothing you can do cost-effectively to increase the engine output, it's not the sort that can be "chipped".

It might be time to consider changing the car - a 2.2 turbo-diesel will have twice the torque of your engine and cope with slopes a lot better.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I would like some advice please. i have recently upgraded my caravan to a 2008 Bailey Pageant Bordeaux Series 7, MTPLM: 1321kg and tow with a Ford Galaxy 2.3 automatic. It may be the fact that my previous van was a Bailey Ranger 460/2, but I find it a bit of a struggle on inclines, and need to use the triptronic option. The car/van ratio is 72% so well within the 85% ruling.

Should the car be more than adequate for the caravan, or does the car need some additional work doing to it to boost the power?

Thanks in advance

Hello Fmman,

As you don't tell us the year and model of galaxy you have we can't offer very specific advice. The latest 2014 model has a 158Bhp compared to the earlier model with only 140BHP.

Regardless of the specifics, either version should have adequate power to tow the Bailey, so I wonder if its a question of unrealistic expectations? Even at only 72% the additional weight of the caravan is going to make a significant difference to the performance of the vehicle.

Autos are not immune to needing to change down a gear if the conditions require it.

Let put your last sentence into perspective the 85% is not a "ruling", it is only guidance, a suggestion it has no legal implication, and the fact you have quoted it as a ruling shows how it has become misunderstood. It offers no guarantee of a good match.

Good towing is not just about weight ratios, you have to ensure good maintenance of car and caravan, proper loading and driving style.

 

[fmman1960]

Thanks for the replies. The Galaxy is a 2005 2.3 auto, petrol model. It was last at the end of last year so is due a service. Hopefully this will help performance. I was also going to service the gear box this time round with new filter and the recommended oil for towing.

 

[Dustydog]

Thanks for the replies. The Galaxy is a 2005 2.3 auto, petrol model. It was last at the end of last year so is due a service. Hopefully this will help performance. I was also going to service the gear box this time round with new filter and the recommended oil for towing.

How many miles on the clock?
I suggest you ask your garage to do a compression test on all cylinders.
It is possible you have a leaking valve resulting in poor performance.

 

[fmman1960]

Will check with a garage. I have only done about 72000 in the galaxy.

 

[fmman1960]

Many thanks for all the advice. Just come back from the garage, low compression on two of the cylinders:

185
185
150
100

Garage checked and advise that it sounds like leaking valves, around £1000 plus VAT to strip down, fix and rebuild. Drives ok without load, so have to consider changing car before towing season or get it fixed.