Hi have recently bought new caravan,sterling saphire,unladen 1330 kg,laden 1550....present tug mondeo 130 bhp hatchback,great towcar no complaints,caravan club tell me I,m now in 4 x 4 territory but dont really want to go there,please help,dealer says there will be no problems with mondeo provided loaded right,been caravanning for years so realise probably safer changing my tug...any suggestions would be greatly appreciated thanks
tow car suggestions please
- Thread starter alan_5039782
- Start date
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I can understand you not wanting to go 4x4 route - what is the max towing weight your car can tow ? then look for your gross train weight which should be mentioned in handbook - providing
your car loaded and your caravan loaded does not exceed the gross train weight you should be OK. - can can check on
whatowcar.com as a guide will confirm whether its a good match or not.
your car loaded and your caravan loaded does not exceed the gross train weight you should be OK. - can can check on
whatowcar.com as a guide will confirm whether its a good match or not.
just bought a ford galaxy tdi, not really my cup of tea but
needs be.
Have to say i could get used to its roominess and verstility...
needs be.
Have to say i could get used to its roominess and verstility...
Personally if you tow a caravan I cannot understand anyone NOT wanting to tow with a 4x4.
So much safer - as set out by the caravan club in their Towcar of the year awards.
But hey - there are always those willing to compromise.
So much safer - as set out by the caravan club in their Towcar of the year awards.
But hey - there are always those willing to compromise.
relegated to the penalty zone for suggesting that the petrol diesel alternative fuel debate would be better of without "numpty" references to 4x4's
The issues are too serious in my view for that stupid Politically correct twaddle.
Not sure if I will be arround long (under this name at least) as we are about to upgrade to a new ISP that promises almost limitless addresses.
Whilst I do not intent to abuse this like the idiot Kanga - it does mean that an ban can be kicked into touch if I feel so inclined.
Any thoughts on who I was during the last month??????
The issues are too serious in my view for that stupid Politically correct twaddle.
Not sure if I will be arround long (under this name at least) as we are about to upgrade to a new ISP that promises almost limitless addresses.
Whilst I do not intent to abuse this like the idiot Kanga - it does mean that an ban can be kicked into touch if I feel so inclined.
Any thoughts on who I was during the last month??????
Hmmm, Santa isn't around much this month, am I close Clive?relegated to the penalty zone for suggesting that the petrol diesel alternative fuel debate would be better of without "numpty" references to 4x4's
The issues are too serious in my view for that stupid Politically correct twaddle.
Not sure if I will be arround long (under this name at least) as we are about to upgrade to a new ISP that promises almost limitless addresses.
Whilst I do not intent to abuse this like the idiot Kanga - it does mean that an ban can be kicked into touch if I feel so inclined.
Any thoughts on who I was during the last month??????
Hi Alan,
We had the same problem after changing to a heavier van.
I bit the bullet and bought a 4yrs old Audi A6 Avant, it has a
2.5Tdi engine which is a V6. All the bells and whistles including heated leather seats,(luxury at this time of year) and its a dream to tow with and even SWMBO likes it.
I get 30+towing at 50mph and on a recent long run got 46mpg.
There are cars out there that can manage a heavier 'van but I have to admit that the list isn't very long
We had the same problem after changing to a heavier van.
I bit the bullet and bought a 4yrs old Audi A6 Avant, it has a
2.5Tdi engine which is a V6. All the bells and whistles including heated leather seats,(luxury at this time of year) and its a dream to tow with and even SWMBO likes it.
I get 30+towing at 50mph and on a recent long run got 46mpg.
There are cars out there that can manage a heavier 'van but I have to admit that the list isn't very long
4x4's safer? I do a lot of driving and unfortunately see road accidents and some involving caravans. Just from my own observations, I see more remains of caravans that have been towed by 4x4 type towcars, im sure that a group like the CC could get statistics from insurance companies to prove or dispel this. I am not against 4x4's each to their own I think 4x4 have their pros and cons but the general term 'Safer' is a bit strong.Personally if you tow a caravan I cannot understand anyone NOT wanting to tow with a 4x4.
So much safer - as set out by the caravan club in their Towcar of the year awards.
But hey - there are always those willing to compromise.
I have a 2001 BMW 530d touring, 195 bhp, towing max 2000kg, 90kg nose weight, self levelling, pulls my Senator Indiana 1500kg no problem. Great towcar and economical as well.
What do you reckon is the kerbweight of your Mondeo? My TDCi 130 LX Hatch is 1507 kgs, so if yours is around this it will be less than the kerbweight of the car. So if you load to the max, won't this be illegal?
Graham
Graham
It's the manufacturers max towing weight or max gross train weight that are the legal limits to what can be towed not the car's kerb weight eg VW Sharan weighs 1750 kg but can legally tow 2000kg but insurance companies can introduce their own rules.
Being the sort of driver that likes the GTI type driving dynamics, I too understand you not wanting a 4x4, compared to a saloon or mpv of similar cabin space and power they are slow, thirsty, wallowy and thats before you put a caravan on the back! If I had a problem pulling my van off muddy sites I'd buy an audi quattro or a Passat 4motion
Being the sort of driver that likes the GTI type driving dynamics, I too understand you not wanting a 4x4, compared to a saloon or mpv of similar cabin space and power they are slow, thirsty, wallowy and thats before you put a caravan on the back! If I had a problem pulling my van off muddy sites I'd buy an audi quattro or a Passat 4motion
We towed our Sterling Europa 490 with an automatic Peugeot 406 2.0 and last year gearbox "melted" costing us
We towed our Sterling Europa 490 with an automatic Peugeot 406 2.0 and last year gearbox "melted" costing us
Alan I think if you loaded your Mondeo with all the heavy equipment it would still cope with the Saphire fine. If you wanted a heavier car without going to a 4X4 then there are 3 good ones which come to mind. The Honda Accord Tourer diesel Kerbweight of 1602kgs. VW Passat 2.0 SE Tdi 1648kgs , Skoda Superp 2.5 Tdi 1640kgs. I'm sure the Audi A6 is fine as well. The Passat has the advantage of a heavier noseweight (85kgs). One other to consider is the Rover 75 Tourer, if I remember it has a noseweight of 95kgs and a fairly heafty kerbweight and I bet you could pick one up without breaking the bank. All the best Rich
Sorry Alan didn't realise this was such a late reply you have more than likely bought one by now
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