hi, iam looking to purchase a 2002 octavia tdi elegance estate 110 bhp, I am more than happy that the engine will have enough power and torque to pull my caravan approx 1000kg but I am a little concerned about the low nose wieght of 60kg on the tow ball. has any of you had any experiances that can help me. cheers

Octygone is probably the man to ask about caravans.

His was a 130bhp octavia but it should be similar enough and he seemed to think it was a good car for towing.

Didnt it win a 'caravan car of the year' or something, the Octy diesel?

As far as the nose weight goes, that's not too bad, just need to try and balance your caravan up a tad

Octygone is probably the man to ask about caravans.

His was a 130bhp octavia but it should be similar enough and he seemed to think it was a good car for towing.

hi Doc, how do i contact Octygone?

hi Doc, how do i contact Octygone?

Click on the members list towards the top of the page and find him in the list.

If you click on his profile then there is a "send private message" button towards the right hand side.

I tow a Swift Challenger 470 with an Octavia 110TDi Elegance.

You will have no problem doing 60mph in fifth on all but the steepest hills. Stick a tuning box on and the only problem is getting by slower traffic and lorries.

As for nose weight. The overhang is long so a heavy nose weight does squash the back end down. I've fitted a set of the donut suspension assisters and comfortably run with a nose weight of around 70-75kg although I don't load the boot with heavy gear. I did have to move the spare wheel out of the front locker and suspend it under the van with an Alko spare wheel carrier.

Here is a pick of my outfit and it does tow very level.

Cheers

Lee

HI I tow with a Oct'y2 great cars, before that Fabia tdi 100 bhp noseweight 50 kg, cleaver loading not a problem pulled 1000kg at 60 no problems.

You will have no problem doing 60mph in fifth on all but the steepest hills.

Cheers

Lee

i tow with a vRS estate and i must admit i do have problems with 60 in 5th ....... slowing the damn thing down to that ( are we allowed to tow at 80 - uphill in france?? )

seriously though - a sincere welcome to another caravanner - ignore the comments that are bound to come from the less educated rabble - we've heard all the " jokes" and whinges many times before and they weren't funny the first time

Although the engines are not the same my nose weight is , and having towed for ,000's with it i've never had had problems with towing .....forwards......when you start reversing and shunting around the clutch can be a bit feeble and refuse to play again till its cooled down :( shame they spoil a great tow car by fitting a crap clutch - but most makers do the same

a little care when loading and you should have no problems

As Lee said .....fit doughnuts in the springs and 70 kg is fine you couldn't pick a better car to tow with, loads of torque and very stable, fit a tuning box and it will all seem very easy ...best car I have towed with in 25 years of caravaning

I tow with an 02 110 tdi estate

there is one BIG problem that has already been mentioned, and that is holding the damn thing back to 60mph :D

Seriously though, the noseweight isnt a problem, I have mine at around 70kgs, and dont have ANY problem, yes I know its over the manufacturers limit BUT the plate on the towbar says max 70kgs

Another thing that never fails to impress me is the fuel economy when towing 35mpg WITH van on back

Go for it, you know you want to

:D:D

thanks to all you guys, looks like there's gonna be another octy owner on the block.

thanks to all you guys, looks like there's gonna be another octy owner on the block.

If you can afford it and if you can find one go for a 130 tdi it may stretch the van but you'll have no problems towing or overtaking if you need to