hi folks , looking to replace tow car in march but can,t make up my mind which one to choose so i was hoping you good people could help me. i have 10k-20k to spend ( used, 1 year old , upto 10k on clock ) , i quite like the mondeo estate but it only has 5 seats. me & my wife ( both 45 years old) only go caravanning now but owe 3 kids ( 21,20,17 years old )will be flying down to the south of france with 2 friends ( 19, 22 years old)all staying on owe pitch as they do each year for 10 nights so a 7 seater would be handy . we have a bailey burgundy series 5 & we tow with a kia sedonna 05 plate which we love but is too big for every day driving , a pig to park at asda , the cars i like are new shape kia sedonna which i know is up for the job & vauxhall zafira1.9tdi 150bhp which is smaller so better for every day driving & also has the 7 seats which would be handy for them 10 nights in france, any ideas on those 2 or others....pete
what tow car?
- Thread starter GingerPete
- Start date
Hi
We tow our series 5 Bailey Pageant Bretangue with an S Max, Titanium, 2ltdi. Tows our caravan like a dream. Day to day you have 5 seats with the option of 7 for times such as your kids and their friends joining you. We are a family of 5, kids approaching teen years and are tall. Hubby has used the car several times to carry 7 adults to meetings etc with work. We changed to the S Max partly due to the need to have the option of 7 seats. The S Max works for us.
Annette
We tow our series 5 Bailey Pageant Bretangue with an S Max, Titanium, 2ltdi. Tows our caravan like a dream. Day to day you have 5 seats with the option of 7 for times such as your kids and their friends joining you. We are a family of 5, kids approaching teen years and are tall. Hubby has used the car several times to carry 7 adults to meetings etc with work. We changed to the S Max partly due to the need to have the option of 7 seats. The S Max works for us.
Annette
We have a Zafira CDTi 150 which we use to tow our Pageant S7 Bretagne and it does it fine.
While there may be better towcars, I do 25000 miles a year so I need something economical for everyday use.
In December I got our Zafira 1.9 CDTi Elite 150 (leather, cruise control, climate control and ESP etc)which was 8 months old with 4500 miles on the clock for
While there may be better towcars, I do 25000 miles a year so I need something economical for everyday use.
In December I got our Zafira 1.9 CDTi Elite 150 (leather, cruise control, climate control and ESP etc)which was 8 months old with 4500 miles on the clock for
We tow our Pageant Burgundy with a VW Touran - highly recommended. Used to have the 2.0 TDi 140 bhp - recently changed to the 170 bhp - both are great for towing - fantastic torque. 7 seats are OK for occasional use - not a huge amount of legroom! But the size is good for towing and also good for around town use solo. Economical to run, too, although I know they can be a bit pricey to buy, but are within your budget.
thanks for the replies,i like all of these cars , but the s-max/galaxy seems to tick the most box,s , the seddonna is lovely but too big , zafira/touran both a like on the small side for 7 adult size passengers....thanks ..pete
Watch out for big (7 seat) people carriers, your traction might suffer, and if you go any where near wet grass, you might get stuck.
Just my experience with a VW Sharan.
Just my experience with a VW Sharan.
Hello Wombat,
The vast majority of MPVs, are based on a saloon car platform, thus the overall length and wheel base is often the same as one or more the the same manufactures cars. Most MPV's are also slightly heavier (unladen) than their saloon cousins, so there should not be any deterioration in traction of most MPV's.
I run a larger than average Renault Grande Espace, and I tow heavy trailers onto and off wet grass sites. At times traction is a concern, but I have seen much smaller cars having far more trouble. I conclude it is the drivers skill and control that makes the most difference.
Much the same applies to driving in snow and ice, I have often found that I can make progress when others seem to have difficulties.
The vast majority of MPVs, are based on a saloon car platform, thus the overall length and wheel base is often the same as one or more the the same manufactures cars. Most MPV's are also slightly heavier (unladen) than their saloon cousins, so there should not be any deterioration in traction of most MPV's.
I run a larger than average Renault Grande Espace, and I tow heavy trailers onto and off wet grass sites. At times traction is a concern, but I have seen much smaller cars having far more trouble. I conclude it is the drivers skill and control that makes the most difference.
Much the same applies to driving in snow and ice, I have often found that I can make progress when others seem to have difficulties.
There's more what makes for safe and comfortable towing than the weight of the towcar. Therefore, one shouldn't let kerbweight be the overriding factor affecting your decision.
Hi Lutz
The first consideration when choosing a towcar has to be
the weight because of the 85% guide,the second is how
many wheels do the driving,and third what kind of fuel
then you get down to seats ,tax band,manufacturer,etc.
Forget the kerbweight and the van will be wagging your
tail,not to mention the man from the ministry,I would
like to know what other overriding factors I should
take into consideration when buying a towing vehicle.
Rob&Lynne&Woofers
The first consideration when choosing a towcar has to be
the weight because of the 85% guide,the second is how
many wheels do the driving,and third what kind of fuel
then you get down to seats ,tax band,manufacturer,etc.
Forget the kerbweight and the van will be wagging your
tail,not to mention the man from the ministry,I would
like to know what other overriding factors I should
take into consideration when buying a towing vehicle.
Rob&Lynne&Woofers
I'm sorry to have to disagree with you. The first consideration must be the towload and gross train weight limits, not the kerbweight. The 'man from the ministry' is not going concern himself with the kerbweight (except for driving licence purposes). The number of wheels driving is not necessarily going to be an issue either if you don't plan to use CC sites. The kind of fuel is likely to be more an issue of personal preference than a factor that is vital for towing. Likewise, the number of seats, tax band, manufacturer, etc. are going to affect the decision irrespective of whether you are going to do any towing or not.
Specifically for towing I would be looking for adequate performance when fully laden, ESP+ with trailer stability feature, a relatively short rear overhang, a suitable wheel/tyre combination and maybe self-levelling suspension, in that order.
Specifically for towing I would be looking for adequate performance when fully laden, ESP+ with trailer stability feature, a relatively short rear overhang, a suitable wheel/tyre combination and maybe self-levelling suspension, in that order.
Rob
I am afraid that I have to (again) agree with Lutz here.
I started towing with a Renault Grand Scenic and a Bailey Ranger 470/4. The match was well under 80%. It had 40 bhp per tonne so sufficient power. However it had relatively soft suspension and a (relatively) long rear overhang.
Later I had a Honda Civic 2.2 CDTi with esp, stiff suspension and limited rear overhang. This car had a 90% match, however it was a far superior tow car.
To add to the original post, rather than spending thousands of pounds extra on a bigger tow car which will cost significantly more to use day to day, perhaps consider retrofitting ATC to your caravan.
re your later post: Galaxy/S Max v Zafira/Touran. The Smax has very limited rear headroom so for occasional Adult use from my limited tests, in order I would say:
Only one for 7 adults for long journeys: Galaxy
Next: Touran - induvidually adjustable rear seats mean mixing and matching space is better than the Zafira.
Next Zafira single sliding middle bench is a bit restricticive, the backrests induvidually fold however.
S-Max is the only one of the 4 that as a 5'10" person I could not fit in the back of.
For 5 adults and 2 kids I would wholeheatedly recommend a S Max, it just depends how tall the people you want to put in the very back are.
Hope this is of help
Alan
I am afraid that I have to (again) agree with Lutz here.
I started towing with a Renault Grand Scenic and a Bailey Ranger 470/4. The match was well under 80%. It had 40 bhp per tonne so sufficient power. However it had relatively soft suspension and a (relatively) long rear overhang.
Later I had a Honda Civic 2.2 CDTi with esp, stiff suspension and limited rear overhang. This car had a 90% match, however it was a far superior tow car.
To add to the original post, rather than spending thousands of pounds extra on a bigger tow car which will cost significantly more to use day to day, perhaps consider retrofitting ATC to your caravan.
re your later post: Galaxy/S Max v Zafira/Touran. The Smax has very limited rear headroom so for occasional Adult use from my limited tests, in order I would say:
Only one for 7 adults for long journeys: Galaxy
Next: Touran - induvidually adjustable rear seats mean mixing and matching space is better than the Zafira.
Next Zafira single sliding middle bench is a bit restricticive, the backrests induvidually fold however.
S-Max is the only one of the 4 that as a 5'10" person I could not fit in the back of.
For 5 adults and 2 kids I would wholeheatedly recommend a S Max, it just depends how tall the people you want to put in the very back are.
Hope this is of help
Alan
hi folks thanks for the many replies & sorry i haven't posted earlier, still haven't made my mind up , got 2 favourites , sedonna but still a little too big for every day use & the family will only be in the car for 10 days while on hoilday & ford gaxaly but nearly 2-3k more than the sedonna , so now looking at estate cars & hiring a small car in france for them 10 days....thanks ...pete
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