Hello.

I have had my 2010 Octavia estate for a few years now and love it, particularly its fuel economy. We have recently bought a caravan (permissible laden weight 1200kg) and although we bought it having researched tow limits/weights etc, I still worry that it may be a bit underpowered. We have used the unit only one, on a fairly flat route, and it seemed to cope well but, being a natural and expert worrier, I have reservations about how it would cope with an unexpected hill or having to hold it on a hill. Does anyone here tow a caravan with a 1.6tdi? Does it manage well? I would be reluctant to trade it in for a higher powered, less fuel efficient car but would do so if necessary on safety grounds. Thank you.

Row the gear box when needed and change down before required when going up hill.

Hill start should be no problem but it may be a slow take off than you expect.

I tow that weight with a 1.6FSI and no problem.

You could try getting it remapped or a tuning box such as dtuk one if you are after more torque for pulling

Thank-you jong123, that's reassuring.

wiilydog, I've only recently heard about engine remapping - it sounds intriguing!

We are going away soon with the family (2 adults, 2 kids) on our first 'big' trip with the car and van - I'll report back as to how it went, which will hopefully be useful to others on this forum with a similar combi.

Edited 8 July, 20169 yr by esmorris

You will be fine watch out for the nose weight and plus up your rear tyre pressures X 4psi over the maximum it makes a big difference to handling.

Also check wheel bolts on the caravan and lights and tyre pressure.

Enjoy.

Thanks jong123. Caravan tyres are brand new so should be fine. Will do car tyres as you suggest.

Looking forward to a follow up report.

The Octavia is very softly sprung on the rear suspension so with any weight on it tends to squat very low.

 

Something to be aware of.

Not something I have noticed when loaded and towing providing the hitch nose weight is not exceeded.

Hi. We're just back from our trip. And survived!

The car did ok - the back end didn't feel too spongy at all, in fact it felt better in that respect than when we have had 3 bikes on the towbar and the rest of the car laden with camping gear. Nose weight was about 62kg.

MPG was very respectable averaging 34mpg over a 170 mile journey (mixed motorway and A-roads).

The unit always felt very stable which was great, and it handled very well.

Strangely, it felt more comfortable to drive on the A-roads as opposed to dual carriageway/motorway; on the motorway I sometimes felt it lacked some power. However, this may be because I am completely new (apart from a few test runs) to towing and was not sure how it would feel on a longer journey on unknown roads; also, perhaps, because it feels odd at first doing 50-55mph on a motorway. It did feel quite 'juddery' - again, I'm not sure if that happens with all tow-cars or whether it is more apparent in a relatively lightweight car?

Overall, although it felt safe to drive and tow, in an ideal world I think I would personally be more comfortable having something with more power behind it. If it looks as though we will be frequent caravanners then I may look to replacing my beloved 1.6 Octavia - reluctantly!

As an aside, we found we needed to buy the extra-long arms for our Milenco towing mirrors in order to get an adequate view beyond the back of the caravan.

Thanks again for all comments and advice, they were much appreciated.

Edited 18 July, 20169 yr by esmorris