Motoring: The top 10 tow cars for 2018
If you’re going to be doing a lot of towing, then you need the right car for the job. It must be capable, safe, comfortable and of course, able to legally serve the load it is tasked with carrying. The car should also have a range of features that makes life easy for the key person: the towing driver. These will include value for money, resale values, connectivity, driver assists and safety additions like extra air bags.
Drivers must ensure they are towing no more than 85% of your car’s unladen kerb weight. (You can check your car’s weight and legal towing limit online with your manufacturer). Remember, most drivers have B licences without the extra ‘E’ category that permits them to practice advance towing – so they are confined to a Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) of 4.25 tonnes (car and trailer combined), provided the trailer’s MAM does not exceed 750kg. If it does exceed 750kg (most caravans, for example, will weigh more than that), the legally permitted MAM of car and trailer reduces to 3,500kg. Additionally, the total weight of the unit being towed must not exceed the unladen weight of the car. Also, be aware that reduced speed limits usually apply when towing vehicles. When towing, you are restricted to a max speed of 50mph on single carriageway roads, and 60mph on dual carriageways and motorways (assuming no lower limit is in force, of course).
This guide, based on the latest Tow Car Awards, the UK’s most prestigious towing vehicle awards, will direct you towards the cars assessed to be best in their categories.
The Awards panel includes experts from What Car?, Practical Caravan, and The Camping and Caravanning Club – so they know what they’re talking about!
We are excited to announce that 3 of our SKODA ranges have been features and assessed as top award picks.
2017 Up to 1400kg - Small Car - SKODA Octavia Estate 2.0 TDI. "The facelifted Octavia is a roomy, well-priced, capable car that testers found towed excellently. They loved the 150PS SE L DSG model which is an automatic."
2017 1400-1549kg - Large Car - SKODA Superb 2.0 TDI. "Skoda triumphs again in this category. The Superb is renowned for its all-round spec and the huge amount of space inside. The 150PS SE L Executive model was the judges’ choice in this category."
2017 Fuel Economy Award - SKODA Superb 2.0 TDI 150PS SE L Executive."Skoda again, this time with its fuel-efficient Superb diesel that impressed with its cornering ability."
To read the full article by Paul Connolly,
CLICK HERE