Looking for advice on which 2nd hand Skoda Superb model would be best as a tow car for our caravan, I've been told they make great tow cars.

 

My budget is up to about £10k and I'd like an estate model.

Our caravan weighs 1450kg, 

 

Any advice on which model, year, engine, gearbox etc I ought to be considering with my budget please? Or which models to avoid?

Thanks

Dale.

Can't help you on budget but I'd certainly aim for DSG. Probably in the 2.0 diesels or 2.0 petrols.

I tow a 1350kg van with a 280 and it's a nice combo if a bit thirsty (23mpg towing).

Previously I had a Mk II 170 diesel. That could break traction from a standstill on poor surfaces making some local roundabouts a nuisance if I had to stop. Never had that problem with 4wd. You may tow on better roads though 😀

For piece of mind you'll have to check kerbweight carefully as while the caravan weight is within the towing limit for the bigger engined cars, that figure is just for restart on a gradient for a ballasted flatbed trailer, not a huge great wind-sail in crosswinds passing artics. The usual recommendation is for the caravan to only be 85% of the cars actual weight, so load the car not the van - this is so the tail doesn't wag the dog. Every day in summer the radio's traffic and travel feature upturned vans (and cars) and if you've ever seen how the vans turn to matchsticks dumping everything including the kitchen sink it really is worth trying to get the combo right.

I had a snake many, many years ago and it fair makes you pucker!! Always back off before descending Rhualt hill 😱.

I tow with a Superb 2L Manual estate and it's great but my van is much lighter. I use a motor mover to position my caravan if the pitch is awkward. If I had a real squish gearbox I'd maybe mess about trying to park but definitely not with a manual or a twin clutch - the stench of clutch burn on some tight or sloping campsites is horrible.

19 hours ago, Dale_Stevens said:

Looking for advice on which 2nd hand Skoda Superb model would be best as a tow car for our caravan, I've been told they make great tow cars.

 

My budget is up to about £10k and I'd like an estate model.

Our caravan weighs 1450kg, 

 

Any advice on which model, year, engine, gearbox etc I ought to be considering with my budget please? Or which models to avoid?

Thanks

Dale.

Hi,

Personally I would definitely go with a 2 litre diesel - ideally with 4x4, especially as it’s 1450kgs...

The cheapest mk3 Superb with 4x4 would be the manual 2litre 150ps diesel in SE-L spec, but you’d struggle with a 10k budget.
Have you considered mk2 Elegance spec 2litre 140ps manual or 170ps DSG diesel 4x4 estate?

 

Steve

We have a Superb 190SE-L Estate with DSG gearbox & two a 1550kg caravan ( I have been towing for 30 years). In an ideal world the 4x4 would be great but ours is fine so long as your sensible when pulling away. We have towed the van from Sussex up to Scotland earlier this year and will be leaving for Spain next week. The car is at least as comfortable as anything else we have towed with, it has plenty of power, all in all one of the best tow cars I have ever driven.

Thanks for the advice. I'm still trying to get my head around the different models and gearboxes, and whats in my budget.

I'd normally buy a diesel for towing, but is it looking more like the diesels days are becoming numbered?

 

A quick search on Autotrader (other car sales web sites are available) for sub-10k diesel estate Mk IIIs shows a number of 2.0 2015/2016 cars with a mix of manual/DSG gearboxes around the GBP8.5k-10k mark with corresponding high mileage.  Petrols seem to be limited to the Mk II 3.6 (old and thirsty).

 

I've never towed with a manual as I had a DSG Superb Mk II estate before I even thought of a caravan so can't comment on the difference but the general consensus in the caravan world is that some form of automatic is preferred to avoid all the stick stirring.  A DSG just gets on with it up hill and down dale leaving you to concentrate on avoiding the idiots who will do anything to get in front of 'that bl**dy caravan!'

 

Obviously diesels have typically been the tow car of choice due to the high torque (good for pulling heavy things) and better fuel economy compared to petrols.  It all depends on where you want to spend or save money really and how much you tow.  Assuming you just have the occasional jaunt, the kerb weight is sensible (85% is typically a recommendation for novice towers and not a hard and fast rule) and you're in no great hurry then a 1.6 may be sufficient.

 

Of course the government/millenials/tree huggers (delete as applicable) don't like diesels (remember when the govt. loved diesels and they could do no wrong?) but they'll be around for years to come.  It might mean you get a better deal today (diesels are evil) but then lower resale value later (cos diesels are evil) compared to a so-so deal today on a petrol and so-so resale value.

 

Or trade in for a cheaper caravan and put the profits into the car 😁

 

What do you tow with today and why the decision to change?

I’ve just found a 65plate SE-L executive estate (2litre 150ps diesel, manual) on the auto trader which is a little over your budget at 12k, but it has the factory fitted foldaway tow bar and is 4x4. High mileage at 74k, might be worth a look?👍🏻

 

Steve.  

48 minutes ago, unclerichy said:

What do you tow with today and why the decision to change?

 

I tow with the wifes company car - VW Tiquan, which is lovely.

But the wife often has to work late into the evenings, or is away with work in the car when I need to get the caravan from storage etc. I'd like a second tow car so i can get the caravan from storage and bring home, or even take the caravan to the site & set it up, and then maybe return home for her if we aren't too far from home. I get days off in the week and would like to go away in the caravan on my own, with her joining me when she can (or hopefully not :-))

 

A Yeti would be great, but at 1565kg I think they are a bit too light for my 1450kg caravan.