i know ive asked this question before and got completely confused by the answers, so hopefully someone can simplify it for me, im thinking of upgrading from a tent to a tourer caravan, but i know i will need to change my car, i currently have a Skoda Octavia 1.6 petrol, im looking for a 2 possibly 4 berth caravan, and just wondering what car spec should i be looking for ?
I suggest you find a caravan that you like and come back to us with the weights and we can suggest some suitable cars for you. As we mentioned in your previous thread it is difficult to give meaningful advice when we don't have any particular vehicles and specific weights to deal with.
The basic figures you need are all mentioned in your previous thread.
With respect Drummer59, you're asking the same question that you did previously and we can't help you any more this time than we did before. It's impossible to give advice on a car that can "tow a 2 berth, possibly a 4 berth" caravan because everything comes down to weight, and one 2-berth caravan can be significantly heavier than another.
I suggest you visit as many dealers as you can, or perhaps a show and look at as many caravans as you can to get a short list of ones you like and can afford. Sit inside them. Imagine staying in one for a 2 week holiday. Once you've found one that you like, check the weight which will be on a metal plate somewhere on the outside of the caravan. A competent dealer should be able to show you. Once we have a specific weight (or range of weights) we can help further.
------------- "Don't wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect."
Skoda Octavia Estate 4x4 2.0Tdi, kerbweight 1,495kg. My caravan mtplm 1,318kg giving a 88% tow ratio. Good engine torque giving around 37mpg towing and 65mpg long runs solo.
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
this was on a caravan i was looking at Mass in Running Order weight: 765 kgs or 15.0584622653 cwt / hundred weight
Maximum allowable weight is: 1000 kgs or 19.684264399 cwt / hundred weight
If you had told us that these are the weights of the caravan you were looking at, we would have told you that it would be a good match, although it maybe a bit under powered, so there would be no point in changing your car.
Yes, in your previous thread you gave us a kerbweight of 1305kg and a max tow limit of 1200kg. Using the guideline of 85% of kerbweight you should be ok towing 1000kg which is below 85% and below the max towing limit of 1200kg. However, as mentioned previously a 1.6 petrol may be a bit underpowered at times and as mentioned previously a diesel engined vehicle is generally better for towing due to the higher torque figure at lower revs.
Quote: Originally posted by drummer59 on 27/7/2022
So my skoda 1.6 petrol would pull the above specs ?
In my view it would be severely underpowered. It's not just about the weight match but the performance as well as climbing even a short hill at 30 mph. you would most likely not make it to the top.