vw caravelle 140 or 180ps

[mikealbury]

hi, Im new on here and in a bit of a fix my existing tow car (2-12 santa fe ) has to go and we would like to replace it with a vw caravelle 140ps or a 180 bi turbo.
done the usual (tow car calculations via web, asked neighbours cat etc) but have not found any reviews or recent forum activity re the combo or for that matter any combo. I know there are other cars but due to circumstance we need this particular car BUT i cant decide to trust the two tow car info calculations we have done.
we have a mltpm of 1725 and the car match is fine. 78/83%
Can anyone who tows with a caravelle, transporter or combi with either 140 or 180 please let me know their experiences. we have been given 48 hrs to make the decision and if we can make the 140 work would prefer to due to tax,running costs etc. very interested to hear from anyone but especially those with larger heavier vans!
fingers crossed.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

I don't have VWs, but downsized engine-wise from 150PS to 130PS about 18 months ago on cars approx 1500 kg in weight towing a 1210 kg van. I noticed the drop in engine power and was probably spoiled with 150PS, so much so that I am changing up again. Unfortunately I couldn't get 150PS again so I've got to accept 170PS. Also, fuel consumption dropped from 35 mpg (with 150PS) to 19 mpg (with 120PS) as the smaller engine was straining harder.

The 150PS engine pulled up motorway inclines without changing out of 6th gear but with the 130PS engine I have to anticipate inclines and change down a gear before the slope starts in order to maintain constant spped on the cruise control.

I may be biased but I say go for the more powerful engine. My VED will go up from £20 per year to £30 per year when changing from 130PS to 170PS.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello mikealbury

Welcome to the forum. I cannot recall any previous contributor reporting using a VW caravelle or other VW based van tow vehicles.

Whilst Woodland experience with his Astra is I am sure an accurate reflection of his towing, I'm afraid you can't really use that to make an assessment of an entirely different make and model.

In particular, the fact the Caravelle is based on a commercial van platform, the gear box will have very different ratio's to any road car, and that will probably play to your advantage. Even though the Caravelle will use the same engine as used in several of the VW groups cars, the higher ratios will endow the Caravelle with probably better pulling power to cope with hauling a caravan.

Woodlands is right in respect that a more powerful engine will offer more flexibility within gear, but I suspect that you will find enough performance from the 140bhp unit without going to the expense and running costs of the 180.

 

[Gafferbill]

.....so you believe the power output figures as quoted by engine manufacturers?

 

[Dustydog]

.....so you believe the power output figures as quoted by engine manufacturers?

And I thought the VW boffins knew what they were talking about
Switzerland has just banned the sale of VWs we today. hmy:

 

[intransient1]

Hi Mikealbury,
ProfJohnL is correct the van gearing is designed for load lugging and as such will have superior towing performance.
If you find the power is unsuitable tuning boxes are an alternative, I fitted one to my kuga 140 output what a difference it has made.