Caravan & Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year 2024

Comments on this article from our visitors

Message posted by David Klyne on 31/10/2023 20:53:14

There was a lot of derision on the CMC forum about such an expensive car winning but strangely there used to be a guy who caravanned years ago, may even have been a member of this forum, who purchase a Cayenne when they first came out. His name was Harry if any recalls him? Strangely when we were on our way to Norfolk a couple of weeks ago we were crossing the M1 and in the opposite lane was a Cayenne towing a caravan so whilst perhaps not common they are used as towcars and I imagine they have plenty of oomph?

David

Message posted by JuanHuNose on 31/10/2023 21:04:19

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An EV may make a great, stable towcar, but as one of their criteria is `practicality` have they taken into account how often and how long each takes to recharge sufficiently to get from A to B with a `van on the hitch?

Having to `re-fuel` three times to get where I want to go (but having to tow a lighter `van as the towing limits are so low), and faced with queueing at motorway services (and having to unhitch as you can`t get to the chargers with a `van without bringing the place to a standstill) to get some `leccy just doesn`t appeal.

No matter how often we get them rammed down our throats)

Message posted by iank01 on 01/11/2023 08:32:59

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How many people can afford a Porsche as the cost is eye watering however it does prove how out of touch the CAMC are with their members.

Message posted by Dave and Cyn on 01/11/2023 09:01:41

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Meanwhile back in the real world loads of 10 year plus vehicles are still happily running around towing like good un's!!
It's

Message posted by daveyjp on 01/11/2023 09:06:09

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Its a VW in a different dress. A Skoda Kodiaq will be more affordable.

Message posted by blueexpo97 on 01/11/2023 10:20:15

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No if's or but's it's the Bentley for me.

Message posted by 664DaveS on 01/11/2023 11:20:35

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I would seriously consider the Porsche if the lottery came up. Plus a 911 cabriolet for fun

In the real world we are happy with our recently acquired Tucson hybrid.
(It certainly goes well!) plus our Mini convertible.
Not sure about the Bentayga but I like the big Range Rover and the Defender. Wife likes Bentley convertible.
No interest in full EV at the moment.

Message posted by tango55 on 01/11/2023 11:39:49

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The post is just related to towcar awards of the year which maybe the case but it still doesn't relate to the practicality of re-charging en-route or on site. It appears that the CAMC are just trying to promote the use of electric vehicles for towing so their views could be somewhat biased. What is a worrying concern now is that some caravanners are charging their EV's direct from the standard electrical bollard which is resulting in burning out the circuit breakers. One particular site in the south (not going to mention the name) claimed that in a matter of one week, three breakers had to be replaced due to people charging their electric vehicles from the electrical bollard. The cost of each replacement was currently £30 but could possibly increase in 2024 but that's why some campsites are now installing designated charging points on site specifically designed for EV charging. If drivers of EV's are going to follow the trend and continue to re-charge directly from the bollard then it will be another excuse for sites to raise their pitch prices. Personally, I can't see any benefit from towing with an EV and at the extra cost of buying one I would rather keep my money in my wallet.

Message posted by martin734 on 01/11/2023 15:34:32

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Interesting choice of winner. I actually think though that the full size Range Rover is a better tow vehicle than the Porsche Cayenne and I have driven both. The Range Rover has a nicer interior and a much better ride than the Cayenne. It is much bigger and roomy inside with a better spec between similarly priced models. I have been a bit baffled by some of the previous winners, especially from the likes of Kia and Hyundai. Whilst I accept that Kia and Hyundai do make good vehicles can you really say that they are better vehicles than a Range Rover or a Porsche Cayenne or even an Audi Q7? If you are looking for the best car, then the vehicles should be judged purely on their merits, with price completely ignored. If you want to include price, then there should be categories for certain price ranges.

Message posted by David Klyne on 01/11/2023 20:22:05

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Quote: Originally posted by martin734 on 01/11/2023
Interesting choice of winner. I actually think though that the full size Range Rover is a better tow vehicle than the Porsche Cayenne and I have driven both. The Range Rover has a nicer interior and a much better ride than the Cayenne. It is much bigger and roomy inside with a better spec between similarly priced models. I have been a bit baffled by some of the previous winners, especially from the likes of Kia and Hyundai. Whilst I accept that Kia and Hyundai do make good vehicles can you really say that they are better vehicles than a Range Rover or a Porsche Cayenne or even an Audi Q7? If you are looking for the best car, then the vehicles should be judged purely on their merits, with price completely ignored. If you want to include price, then there should be categories for certain price ranges.

I am a bit biased as I am currently on my fifth Kia in a row. The first two were Sorento's and they were very capable tow cars. I am not sure how you judge whether one brand is better than the other but I suspect many, including me, are mindful of the price and with a Kia car being, probably £20000 cheaper and doing as good a job it would be difficult to justify, even if one could?

David

Message posted by Fiona W on 04/11/2023 10:43:45

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Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 01/11/2023
What is a worrying concern now is that some caravanners are charging their EV's direct from the standard electrical bollard which is resulting in burning out the circuit breakers. One particular site in the south (not going to mention the name) claimed that in a matter of one week, three breakers had to be replaced due to people charging their electric vehicles from the electrical bollard.

As far as I recall, CAMC explicitly forbids this. EVs are to be recharged at the specific stanchion or plugged into a 3-pin socket in the caravan. The EV charging cable end would need to be modified to plug into a pitch socket?? Or maybe there’s an adapter?
Anyway, a rule has to be enforced or else it’s pointless: owners & managers may now have to walk around their sites & check at random times but especially last thing at night. Tedious, but has to be done if there’s an idiot on site that doesn’t think the rules apply to them.

Message posted by Mrs. Bonce on 04/11/2023 11:00:52

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Most CLs now specify that they don't have charging points and say where the nearest one is to be found. Seems that there are always numpties who ignore this.

Message posted by saxo1 on 04/11/2023 12:28:42

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If they are burning out the MCBs that must be a loose connection, possibly causing the contacts to overheat. MCBs are rated to continuously carry their max rated current plus 1.13% indefinitely.
saxo1

Message posted by tdrees on 07/11/2023 09:59:19

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Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 01/11/2023
The post is just related to towcar awards of the year which maybe the case but it still doesn't relate to the practicality of re-charging en-route or on site. It appears that the CAMC are just trying to promote the use of electric vehicles for towing so their views could be somewhat biased. What is a worrying concern now is that some caravanners are charging their EV's direct from the standard electrical bollard which is resulting in burning out the circuit breakers. One particular site in the south (not going to mention the name) claimed that in a matter of one week, three breakers had to be replaced due to people charging their electric vehicles from the electrical bollard. The cost of each replacement was currently ï¿½30 but could possibly increase in 2024 but that's why some campsites are now installing designated charging points on site specifically designed for EV charging. If drivers of EV's are going to follow the trend and continue to re-charge directly from the bollard then it will be another excuse for sites to raise their pitch prices. Personally, I can't see any benefit from towing with an EV and at the extra cost of buying one I would rather keep my money in my wallet.

A circuit breaker that is burning out because of a high load is not installed correctly. The whole point of a circuit breaker is to prevent high currents from damaging equipment.
Thatï¿½s not an EV charging problem, itï¿½s a fault.

Message posted by Monty15 on 08/11/2023 12:04:15

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I'm very firmly of the opinion that CAMC has entirely 'lost the plot'! Nothing much they seem to do or publish these days seems to gel well with members, clearly they are just about as far removed from the 'common man' as it's possible to be in both thought and action!

When choosing 'Tow Car of the Year', SURELY they must factor in the concept that it should be something available to the masses not the minority extremely wealthy elite at any time in it's expected life, even as a s/h and a few years old version, it will always be out of reach for the majority!

It may well be a fine tow car, and it may well be deemed best in class (I suspect there are better when more realistic factors like load space are taken into account!), but it's still never going to be one for the masses and therefore NOT worthy of being overall winner!

Again with the EV choice, it may well be best in a very poor group, but it's overall practicality dooms it in the real world that us mere mortals occupy, and as others have pointed out, EV's even clash with club rules when it comes to charging on site, yes technically you 'can' recharge on site via your unit, but it's in a even more impractical way than the whole EV concept suffers from anyway! As much as I like the general concept of EVs, the impracticality of them as tow vehicles and the restrictions of recharging on site almost make you think there was little point in including the sector at this time in the awards!

Probably one of the least worthy and most fanciful TCOTY awards I've ever seen! Simply looks like a bunch of wide boy journalists out for a 'jolly' playing with 'rich boys toys' at our expense! No credibility whatsoever, it just serves to undermine faith in CAMC at a time when they seem hell bent on wrecking the club in every way they can!

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Caravan & Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year 2024

Overall winner: Towcar of the Year 2024

Class winner: Caravan weight under 1100kg

Class winner: Caravan weight 1100kg - 1300kg

Class winner: Caravan weight 1300kg - 1500kg

Class winner: Caravan weight 1500kg - 1700kg

Class winner: Caravan weight over 1700kg

Class winner: Electric vehicles

Class winner: Hybrid vehicle and Family towcar

Class winner: Luxury

Class winner: Pick ups

Class winner: Large Family Towcar

Class winner: Judges’ Award 2024