scout
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Post by scout on May 12, 2015 10:49:13 GMT
We will shortly be looking for our next motability car so far we have narrowed it down to four and wonder if any members have any thoughts on the ones we have short listed they are Kia Sportage 1.7 crdi Skoda yeti outdoor 2.0 tdi Ford C max 1.6 tdci Vauxhall Zafira tourer 2.0 otd Thanks Yours Scout
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Post by Carper on May 12, 2015 13:14:18 GMT
We changed ours last year, and after a lot of looking decided on the Ford Kuga 2.0L Auto. It is a very good tow car although the boot could do with being a bit bigger, we saved £500 as there was an offer on at the time. We needed a car which could comfortably tow a Caravan with an MTPLM of 1440kg, which the Kuga does easily.
Les
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Post by Dickers on May 13, 2015 13:55:06 GMT
On another forum, there was a character who thought that all he had to do was buy a caravan, put a towbar on the back of his car, hitch up and disappear into the wide blue yonder. He thought that he could get around the "no more than the kerbweight of the car" law by loading up the car. After several exchanges of posts, he was still adamant that he could do that. It is sincerely hoped that he did not get stopped by the boys in blue!
It all comes down to the MTPLM of the caravan you propose to tow, the kerbweight of the car and its torque. Remember, in the UK, it is illegal for the caravan to be heavier than the kerbweight of the towing vehicle. The recommended max of the caravan MTPLM is 85% of the kerbweight of the towing vehicle. Note, the 85% figure is a recommendation only. If, as you propose, you go for a diesel, wise choice. The more torque at low revs the better. It gives a safety margin for towing.
There is also the noseweight of the caravan to take into account. The recommended nose weight for any caravan is 7% of the MTPLM. There will be a maximum noseweight for the towbar which is fixed by the towbar manufacturers and a maximum noseweight decreed by the vehicle manufacturer. This load is governed by the mountings on the towing vehicle and the twisting action on the towbar owing to leverage created by the towball distance from the vehicle mounting points. The lower figure of the two for the noseweight should not be exceeded.
But you knew all that already!
Who said matching a car and caravan for safe towing was easy?
Hope you find a suitable vehicle soon so that you can get out and about.
Dickers.
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scout
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Posts: 43
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Post by scout on May 13, 2015 18:55:45 GMT
Thanks for the reply Dickers the four we have short listed are well within the towing limits for our van but it is still worrying how some people go into towing We were at a country fair the other weekend when someone had problems with their water and gas the van was bought on E Bay three months ago and not looked at until a week before they were due to go away with it there was a caravan dealer with an accessary shop on site so he sorted the problems out for just over £100 and they said well that's it's service for this year just hope I am not next to them next time they go away Yours Scout
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Post by QuasarKate on Jun 16, 2015 22:38:11 GMT
Hi scout we changed our motability car Christmas week 2014 for a Vauxhall zafira tourer 2.0 cdti and by far the best towcar for us for a long time. we tow a Lunar Quasar 544 2014 model which the mtplm of 1340 kgs and the cars max of 1500 kgs. Its a bit early to equate the fuel consumption yet as the car is still a bit tight but is looking ok. It tows well on motorways in sixth gear also on a roads and handles A1 with plenty of extra power when needed. We chose the 165 bhp engine for the torque and was only last December £249 deposit I think it has gone up quite a bit this quarter, My wifes scooter fits in the massive boot ok as well but we leave the two rear seats down. I hope this helps. Dave
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