Swirly182

Well said 👍 A high annual towing mileage would make decent fuel economy more relevant. We like the mix of caravan breaks in the UK and all inclusive European resort holidays hence the acceptance of 24mpg whilst towing, not very much of the time.

@roottoot No it's an old school manual! As you suspect though, it's in 6th most of the time regardless of incline with plenty in reserve. Downside is 24mpg tops but I can live with that.

Absolutely use cruise control with the van 👍

I have no experience of the 1.6TDI engine. However I do tow a 1420kg caravan with my vRS estate (245bhp + decent torque) and know the effect on the cars performance when hooked up. I think you'll be chugging up hills and acceleration for overtakes on the motorway will be slow. Though, these are just my anecdotal thoughts and I would probably go ahead and try it? Could always consider a remap if it does struggle. Stability wise, I don't think there will be a problem as long as you get the nose weight somewhere close (mines slightly over 75kg) and load the caravan sensibly. I've found that loading the car boot up as opposed to the caravan isn't necessarily the way to go. The Octavia is a great stable tow car, which when you're starting out is more important than having ample power.

If you hardly knew the caravan was on the back, I would say there was something wrong! I agree though, the Octy is a great tower. In terms of tyre pressures, I go for the pressure mid way between normal and fully loaded. Whatever that is...

I know this thread has been revived but to add more info, my vRS TSI sat at 105degC mostly today with a jump to 107degC on an incline with an indicated air temp of 26degC. Caravan is 1420kg MTPLM, don't know actual weight. Towbar is aftermarket, no cooling upgrade.

My money's on rear tyres as Marky said. Saw toothing or out of balance.

I used to be into the detailing / taking nice photos of my cars. Now, it's a family work horse!

How old are the tyres?

Seen the Mini on the M61! It was refreshing to see it over the typical 3 or 5 series. I'm in eco mode at the moment (car and my brain) and most journeys average just over 40mpg indicated. Caravan trip this weekend however, so it will be down to around 20mpg.

Good result! They do seem to be decent tow cars, mine copes remarkably well with a 1420kg 'balloon' on the back. I tend not to do any real acceleration below 2k rpm and prefer to use the revs more.

The facelift had 230bhp in normal (or non 245) guise.

Get it bought! I haggled and got around £200 off the initial buy back price which brought it to £17k for a 2018 245 estate (launch edition or however they're described now!). Unlike a PCP deal, you'll have also paid for each option in full? Be a shame to let the car go...

Thank you for this suggestion - I've selected 'don't optimise battery' for the Android Auto app. Will test it tomorrow 👍 The OnePlus is indeed a fantastic phone in every way except this. But this is a big issue for me.

Strange this. My old Huawei Mate 10 Pro, which is the same era as the P20, worked really well with Android Auto. My wife still uses hers in a Tucson and as far as I know there are no issues. Sorry I can't be of any real help. Is it worth a reset of the phone? My new OnePlus frequently disconnects and reconnects after about 20 minutes of being plugged in. It's infuriating.

In the closed position I'm certain there will be ample clearance between the sunroof glass and the roof bars. It may foul if you open the sunroof however....

Seeing these 30mpg+ comments makes me feel a bit sick - I'm lucky to average 22mpg whilst towing the caravan 😩 and it's been down to 16mpg into the wind. I'm sure the vRS TDI will return decent mpg with the relatively small, lightweight trailer.

Just finished watching this now! Very cool to have your car featured on a somewhat popular channel 👍 I think his review was really well presented and he captured all what makes the vRS a really capable and likeable car.

This. Both cars look great, I'm sure the OPs still do from over two years ago! Satin black does seem to be the winner. My diamond cut / gloss black Extremes are in terrible condition even with barely any kerb or pothole damage.

I'm interested in the TDI Tuning box... For my 245 they quote over 300bhp for £295 (offer on) which I would hazard a guess is optimistic. But to me the numbers aren't relevant as long as it drives well - ? Also let us know if you see any change to the mpg during normal driving 👍

My 2L TSI manual does this also. If it's allowed to and not disabled!

I think you would regret downgrading to the cloth seats, even with the benefit of additional space (if this is the case). The alcantara do lift the interior and are nicer to sit in - a close family member has a vRS with cloth and I have alcantara so have some basis for an opinion 👍

On the 2018 model you can enable / disable the automatic function in the car menu under 'Wipers'. Might be worth checking if you have this option and that it is enabled?

😂👌

That'll be a 2013 to 2016/2017 car. I personally think the later clusters are superior, but each to their own. Or not in your case...!