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Sounds like quite a large caravan. What are you towing it with?

A difficult problem - repeated hill starts can take their toll and could occur anywhere that you may come across a traffic jam. We approach a set of lights on an incline regularly and I always try to anticipate the what the lights may do before I leave the bottom of the incline.

Quote: Originally posted by millermicm on 13/6/2010

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Sounds like quite a large caravan. What are you towing it with?

A difficult problem - repeated hill starts can take their toll and could occur anywhere that you may come across a traffic jam. We approach a set of lights on an incline regularly and I always try to anticipate the what the lights may do before I leave the bottom of the incline.

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You say you were not impressed with the discovery, but with the low ratio drive if needed you can cope with any road in the country with a van that light.  Our van is lighter but even towing the horse trailer complete with 2 horses I don't think about hills when I start a journey.

If hills are a problem then get a 4X4.  On very steep starts in wet weather I would have thought wheelspin would present more of a problem with a two wheel drive.

Quote: Originally posted by willhay555 on 13/6/2010

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I guess I'm asking if hill starts are as big a problem for others/as I'm fearing, as my only experience was costly.

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encouragement would seem to be the order of the day   not 'never been a problem for me'   all right jack!!

I can sympathise with you and to some extent empathise    we have been touring since 1981  and our first visit to sarlat saw us on a site which ended in a smelly clutch  ejecting the wife and kids and pushing the van    of course that makes you nervous  and you will try to avoid anywhere where there are hills    prior to that I wnt up 1:6 without any consideration   a car will tow it's a car ain't it was the basic principle behind my engineering skills     I have kept away from the hills in france ever since    bought a citroen turbo to try to overcome the concern and that seemed fine   coped with the millau climb south   picos mountains in spain    these days I still stay away from 4x4s and use 'proper' cars with plenty torque and weight    seems ok so far but still haven't made it to the Alps   well it's cold at night anyway!

all I can suggest is to check the data in th handbook   go to places with a bit of a climb and test things out slowly     don't go mad and attack the hills      try to keep to places you enjoy      try hill starts in second without the van to test out the car but  be careful   

friend of mine overdid his early caravan career and towed over 150 miles in the snow simply because his experienced mate said it would be ok     guess what    the van now has a new owner and he does not tow anything these days    a very short 3 year career

agree fully with the final paragraph   and the heavier the car the better.....   but life has to be a compromise and not all are into the 4x4 category

 nb  2wd v 4wd    some 4x4 are engineered for extra strength but certainly not all   this principle was clearly displayed in the discovery range and the dead gearboxes experienced by many    many current 4x4 are made to look the part but not perform the part

If there has been a problem with gearboxes  on some discos it doesn't mean the car isn't 'engineered for extra strength'.  There are tens of thousands of them on the roads towing up to 3500kg.  Don't forget the earliest ones were pioneering this market and the odd niggle is expected as with all makes.

Discos have a proper girder chassis which most of the 4x4s coming out now don't have.  Manufacturers realise that most 4x4s never leave tarmac and go for economy and road comfort.

Is this what you mean by 'look the part but not perform the part'.  All 4x4s still tow better than similar 2wd cars in adverse conditions - they have more grip.  I would manage without one though if it was just for towing a van.