General Towing a caravan

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General Towing a caravan

Oily 1

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Hi everyone,
Im in the market for an Mpv, I've had a look round and I have been wondering if the 1900 diesel Ulysse will pull my caravan ok, or wether I would be flogging the hell out of the little 1900cc,

any input would be handy as my ladies head gasket has blown:devil: :D
..........on her current car:eek:
and I need to make a decision on the next vehicle quick :confused:
(I want my car back)(n)
 
We tow a Folding camper and went for the 2.2 and am well glad of it.
We hardly notice the extra laod and it doesn't even hit the fuel economy that much. Although the 2.2 is more money you do get more extras with. We thoughtit was worth it.
 
I have towed a caravan with an 1800 turbo diesel (Focus estate), no probs. I now tow with an old 2L Spacewagon - again had no probs - other than my driving!!!


Sorry - should have added, I pull a 4 berth, 14ft caravan.
 
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What size is the caravan?

The multipla has lots of positive reviews in tow mags I think.
 
Again what size is the caravan? Check that registration plate on it which should display its Kerb Weight and/or Towing Weight then check your towing weights/kerb weights in the owners manual. Obviously you want the MPV weights to be more.

If i was a betting man i would envisage the MPV's to have little problems towing anything up to a large 4/5 berth caravan
 
I'm sure most MPVs will tow most small to moderate size caravans.
The advantage of the bigger engine is you just have more grunt when you need it. Also in theory you put less stain on the clutch and gearbox if they are beefed up to handle the extra power the engine can deliver.
I've towed in under powered cars and its fine most of the time but there's always the time you need to stomp your foot down to move ahead a bit sharpest and that's when the extra power is really worth it.
Also i find less of a MPG hit when towing with the bigegr engine of course I pay for that in poorer economy when driving unladen!
 
I have towed with both old and new Ulysse with no problems. The old model used the original 1.9 td and the new model th 2.0 td. I would have liked the 2.2 but as I had been using the old 1.9 with no problems and the new 2.0 is so much better in power terms I made do!.

One thing to check however is that the towing limit for both old and new models is limited by the ratings on the tow bar you fit and the reccomendations of the manufacturer with regard to towing limits. For both models this is lower than you might expect for a car of this size. I can't remember the actual figures and would not want to mislead you here, but you do need to check. For the old model this effectively limited your caravan choice as many modern caravans are on the heavy side. Don't just go on the Caravan Club recommended figure of maximum permitted weight of caravan being 85% of car kerb weight as this may be higher than the manufacturers limit.

On the plus side I have travelled many miles across Europe with a very comfortable and stable outfit. I particular the cruise control is useful and the cold drinks compartment and if possible get a removeable tow bar. The one fitted by my dealer is excellent, you don't spoil the look of the rear of the car and there is nothing to catch your shins when putting shopping in. Less useful is the sat-nav and a TomTom is much better and cheaper and would mean that a cd changer could be fitted.
 
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