4 x 4 Yeti as a towcar

[Blackray]

Are there any Yeti owners that use the 4 x 4 Yeti to tow a caravan. I'm undecided between a Yeti 2.0 Tdi 4x4 Yeti or a Superb, which would most likely be a FWD vehicle

 

If there are Yeti caravanners on here how do you find the Yeti as a towcar please? Is it a stable tow and what weight of van do you tow with it?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Ray

[Cumbrian28]

Hi Blackray,

I towed a 1250kg caravan for 12 months, including many miles in France, and my ?Yeti proved an excellent, stable, sure footed tow car. (It replaced a FWD car which was good in most circumstances but totally useless when trying to tow up an incline from rest on wet grass).

I would whole heartedly recommend a Yeti as a tow car as long as the 85% weight limit is followed.

Steve

[Brijo]

Hi Blackray

 

Lots here if you Search 'caravan' or 'towing', for example.  There was good info in http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/230223-towing-with-the-dsg/ beyond that referring to the DSG.  Several members with 140/170 diesels tow/have towed big 'vans without problem.  My own recent experience has been with a 1425kg max Elddis; this worked out at 91% but the Yeti is steady as a rock and barely notices the load; consumption is quite reasonable, too. 

 

You wouldn't expect me to recommend looking at a Superb, would you?  (Nice motor, though, but too big for me!)

[Blackray]

Cheers BriJo, that's great thanks, my van is 1430 MTPLM so yours is exactly the kind of answer I'm after. I'm currently towing it with my Octavia L & K est. officially it's around a 98% match, however that is working with the listed kerbweight. Before deciding to buy this van I took the octy to a weigh bridge. It had nothing in it except half a tank of diesel and me I weigh around 13 stone. The listed weight from the calibrated weigh bridge is 1560 KG, that is some 230KG more than listed by Skoda. I have been told that Skoda measure the kerbweights on an ex works dry vehicle, no fuel lubricants etc. So given that I suspect the actual running weight of a yeti would be around the 1600 kg mark.

 

Sorry for droning on lol

[eribaMotters]

I use a 2WD 110bhp Diesel Yeti to tow. My van is only lightweight, a 900kg eriba. The Yeti replaced a diesel VW Touran, that had towed a 1300kg eriba before the present 900kg eriba. The Touran was a very nice towcar, but the Yeti is better, despite being both smaller and lighter.

If I had the money and a larger van I would definetly have a 4WD Yeti on my list.

 

Colin

[Llanigraham]

I tow a Bailey Ranger 460-4 with a 140 4x4 and have found it brilliant.

Very stable even at French motorway speeds and surprisingly economical.

 

This months Practical Caravan has a review of a 'Burb tow car

[Blackray]

What weight is your bailey Llanigraham?

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[Llanigraham]

What weight is your bailey Llanigraham?

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MPTLM of 1260kg.

[Trevor M]

Two things: firstly, in response to the OP, I tow an 1150 MTPLM Elddis with a TDI 170 Elegance with no problems whatsoever. Average towing consumption is around 32 mpg driving sensibly, ie. cruising about 55mph.

 

Secondly, Llanigraham's resonse suggests to me that he believes French motorway speed limits are higher than our own; I believe this is only the case where the Gross Train Weight the towing vehicle is capable of handling is less than 3,500Kg - not the case with most? Yetis I suspect. This is somewhat perverse, as it means a 'small' tow vehicle may be permitted to tow some trailers faster than would be the case for a larger vehicle towing the same trailer. There has been a considerable debate on this subject on the Practical Caravan website forum, and interpretations seem to vary, but last time I looked I believe the French authorities were said to have accepted they have made an error, and may re-address the issue.

 

Edit: I am not sure if it is the maximum permissible weight of the towing vehicle plus the MTPLM of the trailer which counts, but the same situation could occur regarding a small vehicle being allowed to tow faster than a larger one.

 

Trevor M

Edited 2 January, 2015 by Trevor M

[busdriver]

Cheers BriJo, that's great thanks, my van is 1430 MTPLM so yours is exactly the kind of answer I'm after. I'm currently towing it with my Octavia L & K est. officially it's around a 98% match, however that is working with the listed kerbweight. Before deciding to buy this van I took the octy to a weigh bridge. It had nothing in it except half a tank of diesel and me I weigh around 13 stone. The listed weight from the calibrated weigh bridge is 1560 KG, that is some 230KG more than listed by Skoda. I have been told that Skoda measure the kerbweights on an ex works dry vehicle, no fuel lubricants etc. So given that I suspect the actual running weight of a yeti would be around the 1600 kg mark.

 

Sorry for droning on lol

Hi Blackray,

 

Like you, I had a L & K Octavia Estate before buying a 170 Yeti.  I have towed the length and breadth of the UK with the Octy and the Yeti - the Octy has a long overhang and can be 'twitchy' at times.  The Yeti is in a different league.  Having towed caravans for 42 years, throughout Europe, including down to the former Yugoslavia twice, with a variety of tow-cars - my present 170 Yeti is the best of the bunch.  I have never had a moment of concern.  Mind you, I currently only tow a Bailey Pageant (Monarch), all up weight being a mere 1239kgs, but I would be very happy to tow something 200-250kgs heavier.  Plenty of power and MPG seems to depend which way the wind is blowing, but 30mpg is easily achieved.  Buy a 170 Yeti - you'll never regret it.

 

Happy New Year

Busdriver 

[Llanigraham]

Two things: firstly, in response to the OP, I tow an 1150 MTPLM Elddis with a TDI 170 Elegance with no problems whatsoever. Average towing consumption is around 32 mpg driving sensibly, ie. cruising about 55mph.

 

Secondly, Llanigraham's resonse suggests to me that he believes French motorway speed limits are higher than our own; I believe this is only the case where the Gross Train Weight the towing vehicle is capable of handling is less than 3,500Kg - not the case with most? Yetis I suspect. This is somewhat perverse, as it means a 'small' tow vehicle may be permitted to tow some trailers faster than would be the case for a larger vehicle towing the same trailer. There has been a considerable debate on this subject on the Practical Caravan website forum, and interpretations seem to vary, but last time I looked I believe the French authorities were said to have accepted they have made an error, and may re-address the issue.

 

Edit: I am not sure if it is the maximum permissible weight of the towing vehicle plus the MTPLM of the trailer which counts, but the same situation could occur regarding a small vehicle being allowed to tow faster than a larger one.

 

Trevor M

 

Trevor, as I and my French friends read it:

Max towing weight of my Yeti - 2000kg

MPTLM of caravan - 1260kg

Therefore LESS than 3500kg.

 

And yes you are right about the strange interpretations!!

[gumdrop]

I know this for the 4x4 lads, but my 2WD tows my Bailey Orion 400/2

(and previously an Eriba Troll) beautifully I get around 35-38mpg.

 

Edit MRO 959  MTLP 1076

Edited 2 January, 2015 by gumdrop

[muddyboots]

Trevor, as I and my French friends read it:

Max towing weight of my Yeti - 2000kg

MPTLM of caravan - 1260kg

Therefore LESS than 3500kg.

 

And yes you are right about the strange interpretations!!

I'm no towing expert, but I think there's a weight stamped on the car plate, which is maximum gross train weight or something similar, and that's the figure that is referred to - not the actual calculation of car + caravan weights.

From memory it's over 4000kg.

 

Don't quote me on that though!

[eribaMotters]

I'm with you Muddyboots.

I believe it is the theoretical max train weight, as on the B pillar and not the actual max train weight of the combination. I know this does not make sense.

My 2WD 110bhp diesel is plated at 3465kg max train weight, so I am legal to tow at the higher speeds.

 

Colin

Edited 2 January, 2015 by eribaMotters

[countryboy]

Hi Blackray,

 

Like you, I had a L & K Octavia Estate before buying a 170 Yeti.  I have towed the length and breadth of the UK with the Octy and the Yeti - the Octy has a long overhang and can be 'twitchy' at times.  The Yeti is in a different league.  Having towed caravans for 42 years, throughout Europe, including down to the former Yugoslavia twice, with a variety of tow-cars - my present 170 Yeti is the best of the bunch.  I have never had a moment of concern.  Mind you, I currently only tow a Bailey Pageant (Monarch), all up weight being a mere 1239kgs, but I would be very happy to tow something 200-250kgs heavier.  Plenty of power and MPG seems to depend which way the wind is blowing, but 30mpg is easily achieved.  Buy a 170 Yeti - you'll never regret it.

 

Happy New Year

Busdriver 

I'm with Busdriver on this, as seen from the side I have a Sterling at about 1300 kg, used to pull with my Octavia L&K 140 DSG and now with the Yeti Elegance 170 4x4. I found that the Octavia knew it had the caravan on the back and could be a bit twitchy at times and knew it had the caravan on the back whereas the Yeti tows the caravan rock solidly and hasn't been defeated by any grassy excursions so far. As a towcar I would prefer the Yeti as it has the same power and a lot less overhang than the Superb to enhance stability. Also I think it has a slightly higher rated towbar so you can have a bit more weight up front to get you closer to the 5 to 7 % recommended weight of the caravan on the tow bar. Though I've always found that about 60 to 65 kg static load on the hitch gives the best stability for me.

 

Ian

[Llanigraham]

I'm no towing expert, but I think there's a weight stamped on the car plate, which is maximum gross train weight or something similar, and that's the figure that is referred to - not the actual calculation of car + caravan weights.

From memory it's over 4000kg.

 

Don't quote me on that though!

 

 

I'm with you Muddyboots.

I believe it is the theoretical max train weight, as on the B pillar and not the actual max train weight of the combination. I know this does not make sense.

My 2WD 110bhp diesel is plated at 3465kg max train weight, so I am legal to tow at the higher speeds.

 

Colin

 

Are there-in lies the problem as there is no definitive translation of the Regulation, only the French language version, and that seems to be open to interpretation. 

TBH, it wasn't often I exceeded the UK limits and have been passed regularly by the Dutch and Belgians doing well over the limit.

[Gobmax]

Hi Guys,

12 Months Ago I bought a  "Innovan Caravan" after research in Aus. regarding Legal Tow rates.

 

Yeti in  Aus is rated at 80 KG Ball weight, 2000KG Towing Capacity, after Purchase did trip from Toowoomba Qld to Home,  200 KM,

nearly "crapped" myself at bottom of the Range I was doing 130 KM/Hr. and did'nt know my little "Penguin" was so comfortable behind my "Snowman".

 

Have done many Trips ie: Brisbane to Cairns,Mt. Isa & Home as well as all points between.

 

Can Totally recommend Yeti as Tow vehicle as long as research, & know limitations.

 

PS: Milage towing is most impressive , normally get 650 Km to 50 L, Towing 500 KM to 50 L.

 

Hope this helps, Geoff

Edited 2 January, 2015 by Gobmax

[IainM1970]

I towed a 1400KG Sterling with my 170 Yeti for two years .... perfect.  Best towcar I have ever had.

 

Replaced it with a 177 Tiguan when we changed to a heavier caravan ... nowhere near as good, not bad, but not as good.  Consequently waiting to pick a Volvo XC60 D5.

[speedsport]

Stability is down to the "lever" effect of the trailer acting on the rear of the tow vehicle.

The closer the centreline of the rear wheels of a towing vehicle are to the tow hitch (ball), the more stable the combination is likely to be as the rear overhang creates a shorter "lever". A greater sideways moment on the hitch is therefore required to have an affect on the towing vehicle. ("The tail wagging the dog" syndrome)

So, as the Yeti has one of the smallest rear overhangs behind the back axle of any 4x4 (apart from a LR Defender), it makes a very stable tow vehicle.

 

In their day, the Austin/Rover 1800, 2200 and Princess (the wedge shaped one) were considered to be good stable tow cars for exactly the same reason.

 

Conversely, the Mk1 (& 2?) Octavia Estate has quite a long overhang (ie a longer lever) so stability issues are likely to be more pronounced.

[Guy Incognito]

I have seen Yetis on site a few times with far larger vans than I would have expected them to comfortably tow.  I helped an older gentleman hitch up to a 170 4x4 and he said it was by far the best tow car he had owned.  I do not know what he had previously owned mind.

 

I have a towbar fitted to my Superb and it is far better than the CRV it replaced.  The estate won towcar of the year several years running and it feels nice and stable an deven with just the 140 engine mine pulls happily enough returning 30 to 35 ish mpg.

[geordiebroon]

Yeti tows superbly but is not heavy enough to tow very heavy vans - mine is 1350 KG Max.

[Llanigraham]

Yeti tows superbly but is not heavy enough to tow very heavy vans - mine is 1350 KG Max.

 

But you could say the same about any SUV.

If you have a very heavy van then you have to buy a very heavy tow car, such as a Disco or similar.

[Blackray]

Thank you everyone. The decision made itself for me in a wierd way. I came across a superb estate elegance at an unmissable price. So the order form is signed. Thank you for all your advice and help.

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[900000]

I suspect this thread has gone off the rails a bit veering into the combined weight more than what the OP was actually asking. Assuming the Yeti and Superb has the same weight, as does his caravan, was the question not more about if an all wheel drive vehicle is better at towing than a 2wd vehicle? I tow a caravan with my 4x4 DSG Yeti. It goes fine. As would a 2wd 110 Yeti as would a Superb. But what does the 4x4 bits add? Try getting a caravan out of a muddy field for one. Yes, the 2wd car will probably do it, but a 4x4 will just do it far more effortlessly:

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/317012-mud-over-a-ton-of-caravan-wet-grass-no-problem/

You'll see how all the wheels are spinning there a bit and then all bite and off I went.

What does having 4x4 add the rest of the time? Total utter confidence in a car let me tell you. This is my first all wheel drive car and the way it puts the power down rain or shine is just amazing. You can spin the front wheels on any fwd car easily. But I have never been able to spin the Yeti's wheels rain or shine (I always have the traction system on and have only switched it off when playing in the snow). The system instantly just puts the power down wherever it is needed. It is really a very reassuring feeling.

The downsides? It adds about 90kg or so of weight to the car that you always cart around, whether you need the added grip or not and does affect fuel consumption a bit. But the added fuel consumption is a price I'll gladly pay for the added grip.

One more advantage of a Yeti as a tow car over the Superb is that the distance from the towball to the car's rear axle is VERY short which leads to a very stable and easily manoeuvrable rig. The Superb has a very long rear overhang which won't make it as stable as a Yeti. See this thread on how that works:

http://caravanchronicles.com/guides/understanding-the-dynamics-of-towing/

If you go for the Superb make sure you get a cracking deal though since that dinosaur is just about to be replaced. So you should insist on getting a good deal.

[g6zru]

Couldn't put it any better!

 

Fred