Message Forums

Quote: Originally posted by the black fox on 29/3/2018

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help I currently have a swift challenger 480se max weight 1262 kg and tow with a Volvo S60 2.4 auto ,lovely comfortable combo BUT as we dont use the van that often I'm finding the Volvos fuel consumption of approx 38mpg is a pain in the butt .any suggestions for a smaller engined less thirsty tow car that will pull the van when needed .but allow for better mpg generally ,have looked at the Picasso c4 1.6tdi but they give a towbar limit on them .
    cant afford new due to being on a pension so any ideas

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Quote: Originally posted by Pfenny on 29/3/2018

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Hi can I tow a 5 birth rapio with Astra 1.3 cdti

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Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 30/3/2018

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Quote: Originally posted by the black fox on 29/3/2018

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help I currently have a swift challenger 480se max weight 1262 kg and tow with a Volvo S60 2.4 auto ,lovely comfortable combo BUT as we dont use the van that often I'm finding the Volvos fuel consumption of approx 38mpg is a pain in the butt .any suggestions for a smaller engined less thirsty tow car that will pull the van when needed .but allow for better mpg generally ,have looked at the Picasso c4 1.6tdi but they give a towbar limit on them .
    cant afford new due to being on a pension so any ideas

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Is it a 2.4 diesel or petrol engine?
Do you check the tyre pressures frequently?
If not then that could have an impact on the fuel economy as I was getting around 38 mpg. with my D5 2.4 tdi. Volvo then checked the tyre pressures. They were a little low so inflated them to the correct pressure which now has increased the fuel economy to about 44 mpg.
Check the torque output on the Volvo first before you consider changing the vehicle because there are not many other vehicles in the same class that will match the performance for towing ability.

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Quote: Originally posted by the black fox on 07/4/2018

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Update there were a couple of other factors to sway us ,first off the seating in the Volvo is low to the ground and unfortunately my wife has had two rather nasty falls getting out of the passenger seat ,and as I’m also now in my early 70’s I have been finding it harder to get in and out of ,the other factor is the Volvo being a saloon has a boot which means bending down low to access again it gets worse with age , so today after a few weeks of brain wracking and searching we went to look at a Kia Sportage 2.0 Tdi and fell in love with it .it ticks all the boxes so bought it on the spot ,having a tow bar fitted before delivery so got to wait another week for it

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Quote: Originally posted by Colin21 on 07/4/2018

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Quote: Originally posted by the black fox on 07/4/2018

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Update there were a couple of other factors to sway us ,first off the seating in the Volvo is low to the ground and unfortunately my wife has had two rather nasty falls getting out of the passenger seat ,and as I’m also now in my early 70’s I have been finding it harder to get in and out of ,the other factor is the Volvo being a saloon has a boot which means bending down low to access again it gets worse with age , so today after a few weeks of brain wracking and searching we went to look at a Kia Sportage 2.0 Tdi and fell in love with it .it ticks all the boxes so bought it on the spot ,having a tow bar fitted before delivery so got to wait another week for it

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they are about Colin ,in actual fact we fell lucky with this one as someone had already bought it and paid for 3/4 tank of diesel .but never turned up to collect it .the dealer gave him time and got no reply so we have jumped in before anyone else bought it .we were actually after a more expensive one that had a towbar but that went on fri .and this was still there .the dealer is having a towbar fitted for us as part of the sale and surprisingly cheaply to .
       the deciding factors for me not only the condition A1+ but its just had a new clutch ,water pump and timing belt and 11 months 2 weeks m.o.t which was done for the missing previous buyer .   keep looking if your on e.bay search for nearest first in the parameters theres plenty on there .

Now there's a coincidence. I am currently looking at replacing my V70 with a Kia Sportage for the same reason. The seating height. The fact that the Volvo is now 18 years old has some bearing on it too. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a Sportage I can afford within about 200 miles from where I live. My budget is very limited unfortunately, being retired on a tiny pension.

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Quote: Originally posted by Colin21 on 08/4/2018

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I have tried ebay, autotrader, preloved, and carguru. Yes they are out there, and even sometimes at prices I could just about afford, but whenever I find one suitable it turns out to be in Aberdeen, Penzance, or Blackpool, and I am in Hertfordshire. I even tried upping my search price by £1,000 (which I couldn't afford) but the results were the same. They just don't seem to exist in this area, despite having a Kia main-dealer about 7 miles away.

I am almost at the point of giving up and spending the money replacing bits on the Volvo, which I've had for 9 years. It still runs well, and tows great, but it's getting a bit of a struggle getting out of it with my back problems. I only do about 9,000 miles a year now, so fuel consumption of 38mpg around town is fine. It doesn't do much less with the caravan on the back.

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