Currently have a 1.6 gt line petrol Sportage and it was a nightmare trying to tow my new (to me) van a eldiss xplore 574 (single axle) with mtlmp of 1254 ,no power of gumption at all, looking at a sportage diesel a 2.0lt CRDi KX-4, 5 door auto,anybody tow with one of these and can give any views on it please? I'm hoping it will offer far more power and torque? Regards Nick.
Sportage Tow Car
- Thread starter Nick1958
- Start date
If you are looking at new Kia no longer do a 2L (isn't it 2.2L) diesel, only a hybrid with a 1.6 diesel which might be pushing you luck a bit unless the electric motor is still active!
The Hyundai Tuscon - essentially the same vehicle as a Sportage is still available with a 2L diesel both as a plain engine and as a hybrid.
The Hyundai Tuscon - essentially the same vehicle as a Sportage is still available with a 2L diesel both as a plain engine and as a hybrid.
Hi it's a 2016 model so a 2.0ltr just wondered if any members tow with this model etc
Since it’s the auto just check the particular car you are interested in has the required towing specification as I recall Kia did an funny with towing specs and some were quite low. Cannot remember which year was affected.
Anybody know why Kia mo longer do the 2 litre diesel Sportage anymore,what have they replaced it with?
Hi otherclive i look in Parkers
Kia Sportage (2010- 2016) Specs & Dimensions
2.0 CRDI KX-4 5 Door Auto
Unbraked 750kg
Braked 1600kg
Kia Sportage (2010- 2016) Specs & Dimensions
2.0 CRDI KX-4 5 Door Auto
Unbraked 750kg
Braked 1600kg
No need to as you’ve done it for me and I’m not buying the car. But would you trust Parkers totally when the cars own label plate gives the exact specification.
I thought the above post answered that one. Kia are moving ahead rapidly with electrifying their range as are Hyundai and other makers too. I suspect that the choice of low and mid range cars suitable for towing may get quite limited.
Likewise for 2020 Sportage 1.6T-GDi 174 GT Line S ISG DCT Auto AWD 5dr currently on sale. Maximum is can tow is 1600kg however kerbweight is 1602 so about 100% match. Gross weight is probably about 2000kg.
To tow your caravan with a Sorento a B+E driving licence will be required as combination is over 3500kg.
To tow your caravan with a Sorento a B+E driving licence will be required as combination is over 3500kg.
An Outlander PHEV might be another option. One member on here Marsh Harrier is very pleased with hers but recognises that as a petrol it requires more revs than a diesel. But solo it has really cut her fuel usage.
We tow our caravan (MTPLM 1465) since the beginning of this year with our Sportage 2.0 Diesel mild hybrid (only comes in automatic), this was one of the last available from Kia. The car has no problems at all with this towing combination. Kia has stopped producing this engine (and so has Hyundai I think) and moved on to the 1.6 diesel.
Actually i was trying to help Nick1958 and otherclive i know you not buying it but how would you check the car label exact specification would you go to a kia dealer .
Yes before committing to buy I would look at the cars label. The only time that would not be possible is for a brand new car. But I would check the brochure and have a note on the contract document. The only exception would be if buying a whacking great Towcar ie. Discovery, Toureg etc.
Hi, I have exactly the same car as you, and when towing (MPTLM 1500kg) it refuses to change up out of 4th and sometimes 3rd until you get to about 3300rpm. It will change up with the flappy paddle and it then tells you that you should be in 7th gear! It changes down ok and drives perfectly when not towing. It cruises in 6th at normal towing speeds at around 2000rpm which is fine. Kia can find no fault and won't acknowledge that there is any problem. Have you experienced this at all?
Thanks,
Bob.
Hi,
Don't know anything about Kia cars but two important things about any car that should be noted before buying a caravan is -
Car kerbweight
Power (bhp)
Of course there are other important things to take into consideration but your current problem seems to be lack of car power.
Hi Bob,
Indeed revs are somewhat higher but not to that access with our car I've got to say. We haven't got the "flappy paddles" and never touch the gear changes at all for the automatic when towing. One thing I noticed that as soon as you put on the cruise control it drops 1 or 2 gears so I guess it's some sort of "logic" build into the electonics of the car that wants to keep the gearing lower/revs higher up to that point.
Cheers,
Mark
Indeed revs are somewhat higher but not to that access with our car I've got to say. We haven't got the "flappy paddles" and never touch the gear changes at all for the automatic when towing. One thing I noticed that as soon as you put on the cruise control it drops 1 or 2 gears so I guess it's some sort of "logic" build into the electonics of the car that wants to keep the gearing lower/revs higher up to that point.
Cheers,
Mark
It’s not just lack of power it’s how that power is delivered. I had a 2.0 litre non turbo Subaru 150bhp auto rated at 2000 kg. I bought it as a solo drive but then we decided to get back into caravanning. Towing a 1300 kg MTPLM caravan just wasn’t a relaxing drive. The car handled the caravan okay but with its CVT gearbox it was revving higher than I liked and the revs could shot up at the slightest provocation. Yes I could have put it in manual and used paddle shift but that’s not the point of having an auto. I then bought a 2.0 170ps diesel 4x4 auto Superb estate. . Chalk and Cheese. My present car is again a Subaru Forester with 2.0 petrol auto cvt. But this one has a turbo and a goodly supply of torque and power. So it spends most of its time between 1500-2500rpm not plus another 2000 rpm as did the non turbo variant. And rarely have I engaged manual mode.
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If you are looking for used then you will probably find lots of the 1.7 diesel engine that was fitted to both Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson cars. There are far fewer used 2.0 diesels about but there are some. On the 1.7 SE Nav versions you get a good spec, and with a towing limit of 1400kg . I tow my 1200kg Elddis with the Tucson version. Prior to early 2017 road tax was £30, and I manage between 48 and 49 solo and about 35 towing which is a bonus. For a start try searching used on the H or K sites to see what is about and what you get for your cash!
Don’t know your budget but Kia do/did a great deal on their approved used cars. If less than 2 years old and less than 20000 miles with KIA service history they reinstated the 7 year warranty. That’s faith in your product. One reason I bought an generation 1 Sorento after a bad LR experience is that car sold in the USA had 10 year 100000 mile warranty. Of course we didn’t get that here in UK but it gave me confidence in their product. And that confidence was not misplaced either.
Based on the OP's caravan, your conclusion about the BE licence is incorrect.
The B licence requirement is the combined MAM not exceeding 3500kg. That being so if the OP's caravan is 1254kg MTPLM (which = MAM), that leaves the 3500-1254 = 2246kg for the tow vehicles MAM. Granted we don't know the Kia MAM but as you surmise , with its 1600 unladen weight its unlikely to exceed 2246 fully laden, but that can only be confirmed by checking the cars GVW figure.
Based on the OP's caravan and the cars unladen weight (or kerbewight) of t 1600kg the tow ratio sits at about 80 to 85% and thus would be well within the industries guidelines.
It seems highly likely the Sportage could be used tow the caravan on a B licence.
Prof
Buckman injected a diversion. The final comments re B&E related to a Sorento, whereas the mainstream discussion was Sportage, which your comments relate to. The Sorento being a larger car with higher payload may well breach B&E limits.
Oops.
Sorry Buckman,
Yes . you would need a BE to tow the caravan with a Sorrento because most models have a GVW (or MAM) of about 2600kg) meaning it would leave a caravan MTPLM limit of only 900kg.
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