Help with picking a new tow car!

[daithi28]

Hi all,

It's my first post here on Practical caravan and I'm looking for some advice for a new tow car. I'm hoping to change my caravan in 2023. I'm thinking of taking the plunge on a twin axle as I like the look of the Elddis Avante 840/Compass Casita 840. The MTPLM of the Elddis/Casita caravan is 1,724kgs, so it's a bit of a beast.

In terms of a towcar, I had been looking at a 2019 VW Tiguan 150 Match which has a 2,000kg towing capacity. However it's nigh impossible to get accurate info on its kerbweight of the Tiguan and I'm thinking it's too light (and perhaps underpowered) to tow a twin-axle such as the Elddis/Compass 840?

It looks like the kerbweight that shows up more often than others for the Tiguan is around 1,615kg with a GVW of 2,290kgs.

Using a factor of say 90% of kerbweight it gives a match of only 1,453kgs!
However if I add in 2 adult passengers, one child, the dog ,3 bikes and rack on the roof and the boot full of stuff that normally comes with us on site, were looking at a likely vehicle weight of 1,965kgs, which gives a 90% of kerbweight match of 1,768kg.

Do you think this is a poor match? Am I stretching a bit too far and would the car struggle?

The alternative is to look at the likes of a 2017/2018 Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia Sorrento. However, as I drive nearly 20,000 miles a year of which only about 1,000 miles is towing a caravan I'm thinking the Tiguan would be way more efficient as the daily driver copared to the more thirsty Sante fe/Sorrento.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Buckman]

The 840 can be upgraded to 1800kg so that is something you need to take into consideration when looking for a capable tow car. More than likely you will need AWD motor mover which takes 65kg off the current payload. Another 25kg for battery.
All Tiguans 150 are too light for the 840 as kerbweight is under 1600kg even with the 2l engine. The Tourag 3.0L CRD is a far better choice.
Have a look on this website for weights etc https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/volkswagen/

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/volkswagen/

 

[otherclive]

Loading the car to change the percentage ratio isn’t the normal view of doing things. The advise above for a Touareg is sound, Xc90 too. You could consider a large estate v90, E class, A6. 85% is a guide so not absolute, so going higher isn’t out of order. You have experience in towing a caravan so that also counts for a lot. Some members on the Forum safely tow at higher percentages up to 100%. providing its within the cars specification.

 

[daithi28]

Hi Buckman and otherclive,

Thanks a million for your advice. The spec is confusing in that the Tiguan states it is capable of pulling 2,000kg, but in reality it looks like it won't (safely) in a real world situation.

In terms of any alternatives, my car requirements are;
Max £25k,
No more than 4 years old,
Must be SUV type as the OH has back issues and my current towcar (saloon) is painful on journeys over 1 hr, Must be within manufacturers warranty or come with a 1yr/2yr warranty
Must be sub 30k miles.

Unfortunately the Touareg, XC90, A6 avante and Merc are out of my price range and the latter two aren't SUVs.

All I can come up with which meets the criteria is a 2018 Kia Sorento KX-2 2.2 CRDi. It's not my dream machine by any means, but it's probably "the one I dislike the least!".

I'm going to have a wee look at a couple of Sorentos this week to see what they are like in the flesh.

Thanks again

 

[Buckman]

Hi Buckman and otherclive,

Thanks a million for your advice. The spec is confusing in that the Tiguan states it is capable of pulling 2,000kg, but in reality it looks like it won't (safely) in a real world situation.

In terms of any alternatives, my car requirements are;
Max £25k,
No more than 4 years old,
Must be SUV type as the OH has back issues and my current towcar (saloon) is painful on journeys over 1 hr, Must be within manufacturers warranty or come with a 1yr/2yr warranty
Must be sub 30k miles.

Unfortunately the Touareg, XC90, A6 avante and Merc are out of my price range and the latter two aren't SUVs.

All I can come up with which meets the criteria is a 2018 Kia Sorento KX-2 2.2 CRDi. It's not my dream machine by any means, but it's probably "the one I dislike the least!".

I'm going to have a wee look at a couple of Sorentos this week to see what they are like in the flesh.

Thanks again

The Kia Sorento 2.2KX2 auto is about 92% so a good match plus you have the economy at about 26mpg when towing. Road tax is about £165 per annum.

 

[Raywood]

Looking at the bare figures then this is not a good match. The towing guide is not law, so the 85% figure that suggests has no legal standing and you can tow up to the cars towing capacity legally, but it would be foolish to do so. Basically the car has to have enough weight to control any trailer, and to do that you really should not be towing more than the cars kerb weight and preferably less. The 85% figure is now quite old and with progress made a 90% ratio seems to make more sense to me, but you do so in the knowledge that it is higher than the trade suggests.
Basically the towing limit is normally based on the cars ability to restart the outfit five times on a 12% hill and is not a safety limit, except for avoiding damage to the drive line.
Caravans with their large flat sides are not ideal trailers and are subject to crosswinds and the bow waves of passing large vehicles, so some caution is sensible with weights. The towing limit quoted would be safe enough towing say a broken down car round town, but a large flat sided caravan at sixty on a motorway is a far different proposition.
Basically you need a car with a kerb weight pushing 2,000 kilos. The Kia and Hyundai models are excellent tow cars and are probably a better bet for towing with probably better reliability than the VW. I am not sure how running costs compare, but doubt there is a lot in it.
The caravan is as you say a big beast and I do wonder if something a bit smaller would be better if you are just starting out. If not then previous experience should make it a reasonable choice, but you do need to make sure you have the tow car for it.
If you want to check what a car can tow there are several matching guides available, if you are a member of either of the big clubs this comes free although none are perfect.

 

[otherclive]

The Kia Sorento 2.2KX2 auto is about 92% so a good match plus you have the economy at about 26mpg when towing. Road tax is about £165 per annum.

The advantage of a Sorento is that it has a 7 year warranty, the Hyundai 5 years. If the weights are in the right range then either would make a good Towcar. Plus you won’t get on first name terms with your dealer.

You could look at the Towcar.info matching site which allows you to modify various parameters of car and caravan payloads. My last three outfits I found it pretty useful.

 

[Hutch]

Welcome to the forum, I tow a 1645 kg Coachman with an older SantaFe, it copes extremly well, had both since new, done 80 k miles now, the auto SF., has a tow limit of 2000kg, which would I think be pushing the limits a bit, especially in hot weather 30c plus. Manual has tow limit of 2500 kg. The 5 seat has lots of storage space under the rear boot area. The Sorento has even more space.
Solo at 70 on a motorway I get 40 to 45 mpg . In cruise control. Around town 25 to 30 maybe, Milton keynes area. Tax 270 pa.
Two friend have the 3.0 V6 towrag. Great tow car comfortable but can be thirsty, I prefer the SF.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Buckman and otherclive,

Thanks a million for your advice. The spec is confusing in that the Tiguan states it is capable of pulling 2,000kg, but in reality it looks like it won't (safely) in a real world situation...

The cars specification including its towed weight limit is not just plucked out of the air by the car manufacturer, the reality is they complete a range of tests to prove the capability of the vehicle. If a car is given 2000kg towed weight limit, then it will tow up to 2000kg.

Think of it more as the caravan presents a bigger level of towing difficulty rather than the car has a lower ability.

 

[Bluetonic]

We had a 2015 Tiguan 150 towing a bailey Pegasus twin axle with a mtplm of 1606kg .
I took the Tiguan to the weighbridge and it was 1680kg with half a tank of fuel etc etc.
We towed with the Tiguan a couple of times and whilst we were legal it never felt like a good match and tbh they are not a very big car and the boot is pitiful for a family.
The Tiguan was really good with our previous single axle caravan and gave about 33 mpg towing and 42mpg solo. With the twin axle mpg went down to 24 mpg !
We changed to a 2014 Santa Fe premium se , this has a kerb weight of 2019kg which has enabled us to increase the mptlm of the bailey to 1800kg. The Santa Fe pulls with no issues and feels really stable.
It was no fun having to be so careful with what we packed previously when using the Tiguan. Now even my wife can't fill the payload 😁
Only downside is we now get 29 mpg towing and 31 mpg solo.
But the Santa Fe is a much nicer car and feels better built.

 

[daithi28]

Thanks everybody,

I looked at the Sorento on the way home from work and I was pleasantly surprised with it. It doesn't feel big sitting in the driver's seat, though it is big on the outside! Love the cavernous boot too.

 

[Beachball]

We have 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDI 190 4motion DSG 5 Door Max Tow Weight braked 2200kg Unbraked 750kg so i dont see no problems towing a twin axle and i have seen plenty towing with this car ,
But the boot is small just wish it was bigger . so take some cars out for a test drive .

 

[Buckman]

We have 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDI 190 4motion DSG 5 Door Max Tow Weight braked 2200kg Unbraked 750kg so i dont see no problems towing a twin axle and i have seen plenty towing with this car ,
But the boot is small just wish it was bigger . so take some cars out for a test drive .

The twin axle is maximum MTPLM of the 840 twin axle caravan is 1800kg therefore it weighs over 200kg more than the VW 150 Tiguan car's kerbweight. Definitely not a safe combination!

 

[Beachball]

The twin axle is maximum MTPLM of the 840 twin axle caravan is 1800kg therefore it weighs over 200kg more than the VW 150 Tiguan car's kerbweight. Definitely not a safe combination!

Check details my car not a 150

 

[Beachball]

Last outing i saw a Volkswagen Tiguan towing a Swift Conqueror 645 Twin axle and that comes in MTPLM 1900kg and i ask the person he says it tows it great

 

[Buckman]

Last outing i saw a Volkswagen Tiguan towing a Swift Conqueror 645 Twin axle and that comes in MTPLM 1900kg and i ask the person he says it tows it great

But it is not safe! Many cars can tow well above theri kerbweight i.e. our Jeep can tow more than 1200kgs above its kerbweight.

 

[Raywood]

Last outing i saw a Volkswagen Tiguan towing a Swift Conqueror 645 Twin axle and that comes in MTPLM 1900kg and i ask the person he says it tows it great

Until he has a problem the car cannot control.