Tow Car Of The Year 2014

[ProfJohnL]

The results are out, but I don't think anyone else could have looked at them yet, because we haven't had the rash of posts disagreeing with the decision, and claims the winner is not a universal tow care and won't suit everyone.

I just find it fascinating how much of a talking point the outcome usually is. Whilst for some the outcome maybe contentious, the extended reports on how the other contenders performed can off some useful pointers to help caravanners when considering a changing vehicles.

 

[NigelHutson]

Well said Prof J! Judging the event (and there were 56 cars there this year) is always going to be a very difficult task, and whilst the event is called the Tow Car Awards, it is a bit of a misnomer in so much as ALL aspects of owning each vehicle are taken into consideration. If the event was based purely on towing, them the overall winner would always be a heavyweight as it would have the ability to tow any caravan on the market. But how many of us spend more time towing than solo? And, how many of us could afford (or want) to run a heavyweight as our only vehicle, day in day out (for nipping to the shops etc)?

This year's overall winner wouldn't suit my purposes as it is too light for our caravan, but matched with the right caravan it is excellent.

There is something there for each weight category, and just because a certain car was pipped at the post as a Class winner doesn't make it bad. The majority of cars tested are good these days, which makes the lemons stick out like a sore thumb - and there are some of those I can assure you (and surprisingly it is the heavyweight Class where the good are brilliant, and the poor are almost appalling in some cases).

Let the floodgates open!

 

[MichaelE]

I have had a quick look and to be honest im not bothered with the results as i buy the car i want to buy and im happy with what ive got at the moment

 

[seth1]

My thoughts exactly.Im at the stage now as long as the wheels turn and it doesnt break down im more than happy.As ive said before the best vehicle in the world is either the one that doesnt belong to you or the one in the scrap yard.

 

[CyberCynth]

I'm not surprised to see the Qashqai taking top honours, it's a lovely car; I had a test drive in one a while back, when I was toying with the idea of getting a slightly bigger motor. I've had Nissans before and have found them pretty well faultless; really good, reliable workhorses, and with the Qashqai and now the Juke, Nissan is getting into the 'trendy motor' niche. However, my one criticism of Nissan is that they are still relatively 'dirty' cars; i.e., MPG figures lagging behind some of the competition, and still expensive in road tax because of poor CO2 emission figures. Come on, Nissan, pull your socks up! Meanwhile, I'm sticking with my Skoda, much more economical to run, and I am pleased to note, won the award for the lightweight tug. Hoorah!

 

[Dustydog]

I tow a TA with an MTPLM of 1700kgs.
The latest awards suggest I spend thousands on a disco which still looks like a brick imo. Apologies now to the Randy Lovers.
ok the cars have to come from this year but in reality how many taggers can afford a 2014 disco?

I' do like to see an addition to the report recommending good used vehicles for towing awards. Some of us live off a pension and the thought of £60 k for a tug is just a pipe dream.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Come on Dusty

The results are not to be taken as "this is the only car to consider" Its just the TCOTY teams assessment of those tested. and they think its a good vehicle, It doesn't mean there'r aren't other perfectly capable towcars that might meet your needs just a bit better.

 

[Dustydog]

That's right John.
Perhaps I didn't explain my point properly.
In addition to the Tow car of the year I'd like to see a similar report based on used tugs.

 

[JonnyG]

Come on Dusty

The results are not to be taken as "this is the only car to consider" Its just the TCOTY teams assessment of those tested. and they think its a good vehicle, It doesn't mean there'r aren't other perfectly capable towcars that might meet your needs just a bit better.

am i right that there are actually two groups that do these so called tow car of the year? which is actually good as you get two supposedly overall winner each year...lol

 

[JonnyG]

That's right John.
Perhaps I didn't explain my point properly.
In addition to the Tow car of the year I'd like to see a similar report based on used tugs.

interesting but do wonder if there is a big enough interest ie pay for that sort of service, given the vast amount of second-hand cars one could consider and how age related problems could play a major role. do you have 2 year old cars up against 4 or 5 year old cars? are they all similar mileage? does the 100 k merc with new suspension and brakes have an advantage against the 70k original bmw? where do you get these cars from? to test them.. nearest i can see is to look back at previous winners from a couple of years back or even several years back and try to draw a conclusion ....

 

[Dustydog]

That's right John.
Perhaps I didn't explain my point properly.
In addition to the Tow car of the year I'd like to see a similar report based on used tugs.

interesting but do wonder if there is a big enough interest ie pay for that sort of service, given the vast amount of second-hand cars one could consider and how age related problems could play a major role. do you have 2 year old cars up against 4 or 5 year old cars? are they all similar mileage? does the 100 k merc with new suspension and brakes have an advantage against the 70k original bmw? where do you get these cars from? to test them.. nearest i can see is to look back at previous winners from a couple of years back or even several years back and try to draw a conclusion ....

Spot on Jonny.
Just the sort of things I'd like to know.
I can see the potential difficulties .
Nigel Donnelly did buy a few old cars a while back, an Omega and Volvo which he then toured Europe.

 

[MichaelE]

It seems to be the same cars over and over again doesn't interest at all now, they must be struggling to write anything else about the Discovery?

 

[ProfJohnL]

I can see a major difficulty in reviewing secondhand cars yet alone secondhand tow cars. The most obvious difficulty is knowing if the condition of the vehicles being tested were sufficiently typical of theta model and age, And of course the vehicle you buy won't be typical, so looking at reliability or wear and tear is of little value.

However the tests on new vehicles can be used as a pointer to how the same model might perform as a secondhand prospect. In a slightly more negative perspective if a new car performs badly in the tests, then its likely it will remain a poor bet as a second hand tug.

The whole business of the TCOTY is very much like the OSCAR'S and BAFTA's, just because a film doesn't win, doesn't make it a bad film.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Aren't entries for TCOTY based on new models/variations in the previous 12 months? So if a previous TCOTY winner hasn't been updated in the following few years then it is not a candidate for those years?

 

[MichaelE]

I think the class winner are automatically included in the following year tests

 

[Kate Taylor]

Hi ProfJohnL, Thanks for getting the discussion going. For anyone wondering what it's all about, please see our other thread, 2014 Tow Car of the Year Awards. http://www.practicalcaravan.com/forum/towcars/49499-2014-tow-car-awards

For anyone wondering where to find out which car won in each weight category and other categories, please click this link for the whole story! http://www.thetowcarawards.com/

There's also a handy reminder of how to match a car and caravan for safer towing. Please tell your friends! http://www.thetowcarawards.com/advice/

 

[Thingy]

I read somewhere that there were a panel of nine judges, mainly from the motoring press. Just wonder how many of the journos are caravanners. Pulling a caravan round a circuit for a few minutes doesnt make one expert enough to rate a towcar. I would be more impressed with the results if ALL the judges were caravanners.

 

[MichaelE]

Ive always wondered how you get the cars?
Do you ask the manufacturers and they supply a car or do the manufacturers ask to supply?
Do practical caravan have any that fail to supply a car when asked?
Is it a case of make do with whats supplied? If so this would be a true reflection of what cars are out there?

I think towing a caravan is not the manufacturers main priority? A good example is the Kia Sorrento, the first model is superb tower which cannot be faulted and they really marketed this, and judging by the amount to see towing you cant disagree?
The new model instead of continuing the excellent towing properties seems to be a backward step and has been slated for its towing ability, how many of these do you see towing and they have been out for a number of years now?
When i bought my car 3 years ago i specced a factory fitted towbar, the saleman said in his 5 years at the garage i was his first to ask for this?
Does make you wonder doesn't it?

 

[otherclive]

I sold the XC70 and caravan back in March but I still take an interest in things caravanning. I enjoyed reading the Tow Car 2014 reviews and find them quite interesting. My current run about is a Subaru Forester 2.0 petrol, no turbos, no DPF, no inter cooler or DMF. Blessed simplicity and low cost servicing. However should anyone be considering a current Forester be aware that despite what the C&CC say it does have a space saver (not tow rated) and you cannot get a full size spare wheel as an option in UK.But the good news is that a full size will fit into the well as in Oz the importers were adamant that they would not take them unless a full size wheel was included. You have to give up some boot stowage in a foam stowage tray but there is still room for some well packed bits and pieces. The full size doesn't quite sit flat but that's no hindrance. Alternatively some owners deflate it a bit. The Subaru Forester Owners Org website has lots of posts from Oz and US.

Regarding the mighty Disco 4 I have just returned from a long weekend off road in Snowdonia where for the second time I three months my 19 year old SWB Pajero had the honour of towing a D4 which could not make it over rock steps. The pity of it was that I was solo so not able to take a pic. They are a great car but totally impractical for greenlanes. And I have since rediscovered the joys of camping too, and my wife seems keen to join me, but only if there is a majority vote between me and the dogs! Happy touring.

 

[Sedo]

Perhaps it's best reading the Caravan Club magazines articles when actual owners who do tow reply to surveys on certain models of vehicle.
That way you're seeing an all aspects report over ownership periods.
I always find them interesting reading.

 

[NigelHutson]

There is always a lot of confusion over who does what. The Tow Car of the Year event is the Caravan Club's competition. How the judging panel is made up, I couldn't comment. The recently announced winners are from the Practical Caravan/What Car?/Camping and Caravanning Club's event. The driving judges consist of David Motton (a very experienced tow car driver indeed, and former editor of PC), a road tester from What Car? (this year Rory White, who does the more scientifically backed testing - GPS and ATC data for example), Ian Hewlett (C&CC's Technical Office and regular tow car driver), Debbie McGarry (Events Co-ordinator C&CC), and me (first and foremost, a life-long caravanner, retired Police Grade 1 Advanced driver, LGV and PCV licence holder - both used commercially, and now a contributor to PC. My own rule is "to tell it how it is"; something that I regularly do at the event. I personally put forward strong arguments as a caravanner during the various debates - and generally wear down the opposition!). We are often accompanied on the tests by volunteer members of the C&CC, so to answer one of the questions above, the testers aren't all journalists.

The winners will never suit everybody, for a number of reasons, but just because something isn't a winner doesn't necessarily make it bad. Indeed, there are some brilliant tow cars out there that don't win, generally because they're let down on a certain aspect such as practicality. However, that car might suit a caravanning couple, but not a family.

David Motton does a brilliant job in organising the event, and then publishing the results. But, as I say, it will never suit everybody.

On the subject of secondhand cars, I tend to look at the results from a couple of years ago when I think of upgrading, although I am very lucky indeed to have actually driven the vehicles back to back in thr first place. My last two tow car purchaces have been made as a result of doing this event. Sadly, my funds (like one or two on this forum I suspect!) won't run to a new Range Rover Sport (pretty much universally agreed upon this year to have been the best tow car we have ever tested!). Ah well, if my six numbers come up..........

 

[Raywood]

To my mind the overall winner has to be a car that can tow a wide variety of caravans and the Nissan is a bit too light for me for that reason. My main gripe however is the publishing of the Nissan towing limit of 1800 kg without any comment. I do think you could stress that this is unrealistic for caravan towing and refer readers to the advice elsewhere as otherwise there is a risk of some novice thinking this is a suitable car for a caravan approaching this figure.

 

[NigelHutson]

Please see my first post on this thread which I hope explains what the event is all about. I assume that the manufacturer's towing limit (as well as the 85% recommended/tested) is quoted when you say 1800kg. Unfortunately I am away at the moment, so can't see. The Nissan is too light for me as a tow car, but towing what it can, it is excellent. If looking at tow cars as purely towing vehicles, then yes, the best of the heavyweights would always be the winner, but the event is about all aspects of ownership.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Ray,

If we take your criteria of "the overall winner has to be a car that can tow a wide variety of caravans" will naturally dispose the winner to be a heavy car, which for any one with a lower than average weigh caravan will be heavier than is necessary. So that alone makes the car less than ideal. Such car may be beyond the scope of some caravanners.

 

[Sedo]

What I find interesting in this months Practical caravan is the Bailey Pursuit write up when it's commented on the MTPLM weight of 1420Kg being within the scope of quite a few large estate cars and small MPV's.
Maybe I'm miss reading but if you play with the constantly mentioned advisory 85% your choice is somewhat limited.
Yes I know modern cars have all kinds of wonderful technology, super efficient engines and brakes but I think you'll find, especially in the award cars tested unless you get up into the expensive car bracket you're playing with higher percentages than 85%.
Also I don't think 1420Kg is outlandish in fact I would imagine a lot of caravans fall around this MTPLM bracket.
There seems a propensity as well for newer cars with the newer gearboxes seem to experience clutch problems. So would it be advisable to dial in another £1000 on your budget for a mover if you haven't already got one to help.