Volkswagen tops for towing... again

The Volkswagen Jetta Sport 2.0TDI DSG won its class and was also voted overall winner at the 30th Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Competition held recently in London.

It’s the second year in a row the prestige, five-seat sedan has got the overall nod, with a panel of 10 judges praising its suave design, practicality as a caravanning family car and great performance when towing in a variety of situations.

The competition attracted 23 entrants and was conducted at the testing Millbrook Proving Ground. For the first time vehicles were divided into four Vehicle Excise Duty tax bands (plus two all-wheel drive categories, under 1800kg and over 1800kg) rather than the usual price class system.

The change was implemented by the Club in a bid to provide more relevant information on issues like the environmental footprint of the various tow vehicles being assessed, to its one million members.

As well as the usual tests of vehicles’ dynamic abilities, including high speed towing and emergency braking, two new tests were introduced this year to evaluate acceleration as well as reversing abilities.

The judges also looked at 'caravanability' including such things as how easy it was to connect the caravan electrics. Bailey caravans were used for testing, with each loaded to 85 per cent of the relevant car’s kerb weight.

Other class winners included the Volkswagen CC, which has a maximum towing capacity of 1800kg; Skoda Yeti (1600kg), Mercedes-Benz ML350 (3265kg) and Chevrolet (Holden) Captiva 7 (1500kg).

However, it’s unlikely a car like the Jetta would win the overall prize if a similar competition were ever held in Australia. Many caravans sold Down Under tip the scales over two tonnes fully loaded, and require at least a medium to large SUV or ute.

Caravans available in Australia that specifically cater to smaller tow tugs, are usually sourced from Britain or Europe, including Bailey, Sprite and Adria.

Caravan World magazine last year nominated the very capable (but thirsty) Toyota LandCruiser as its pick of the premium tow tugs, although the choice was limited to just four, heavy-duty vehicles.

For more on tow vehicle performance of Australian-delivered vehicles, check out some of our recent Tow Tests, and view some action from the Towcar of the Year competition via the links below...

Mazda BT-50

Jeep Grand Cherokee
Volvo XC90
Nissan X-Trail
Land Rover Discovery
Nissan Pathfinder 550
Subaru Outback