Hi, as a previous owner of a mk1 Octavia hatch which was the last ones made before the mk2 it was a hatch pd 130 and used briefly to tow an 1100 kg caravan, 3 children and boot full of stuff!

It struggled more than expected so was swapped for a Volvo xc 70 d5, looking to change tow car again, so looking at an Octavia end of line 2019/2020 Octavia estate or hatch.

I have seen one physically at our local Skoda dealer ex management sel  150 dsg diesel estate, low miles.

Does anyone have similar gearbox/engine and tow a 1200kg all up weight caravan with 2 persons and associated gear in the boot, I read that it is a good match weight wise or should I consider a manual, or  190 hp td , a petrol engine or a vrs version, with slightly lower suspension! td or petrol.

I have looked at the latest Octavia and it does look very swish but as with all new car versions until the new model arrives the current model is the bees knees, also put off with the tech issues mentioned on here and the Skoda garage mentioned that they have had to replace some control units or something , so they are being honest at least when questioned.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Martin.

 

Yes, a TD150 will be reasonable, but if there is a manual TD184/190 out there, then definitely go for that. 

 

A braked towing - typically can be anywhere from 1800 to 2000kgs top weight, so 1200kgs plus luggage and passengers is about capacity.  Make sure you blow up the tyres and ideally use a proper Skoda towbar if you can afford that.

 

http://www.towingcapacity.co.uk/car-make-model/skoda/skoda-octavia/

You ask if you should go for a petrol vRS... That's what I tow 1420kg with and I suppose the firmer, lower suspension and lower profile tyres would add to stability over the standard Octavia. It tows the van very well - obviously it has power and torque in reserve at all times! I've had a few jockey wheel strikes but only when the boot is fully loaded and I've not judged the speedbump or dip in time. 

3 hours ago, Swirly182 said:

You ask if you should go for a petrol vRS... That's what I tow 1420kg with and I suppose the firmer, lower suspension and lower profile tyres would add to stability over the standard Octavia. It tows the van very well - obviously it has power and torque in reserve at all times! I've had a few jockey wheel strikes but only when the boot is fully loaded and I've not judged the speedbump or dip in time. 

Hi Swirly, did you get a Skoda tow bar fitted and is the tow ball fixed or removable/fold out of the way, what body type is the car.

Is the car firm riding when solo, and is it dsg.

Appreciate your thoughts.

Martin.

 

4 hours ago, varaderoguy said:

Yes, a TD150 will be reasonable, but if there is a manual TD184/190 out there, then definitely go for that. 

 

A braked towing - typically can be anywhere from 1800 to 2000kgs top weight, so 1200kgs plus luggage and passengers is about capacity.  Make sure you blow up the tyres and ideally use a proper Skoda towbar if you can afford that.

 

http://www.towingcapacity.co.uk/car-make-model/skoda/skoda-octavia/

Hi Varaderoguy, yes I thought that also 190 better, our Volvo is a manual, never had an automatic and  towing puts extra stain on things but has self levelling rear suspension which is better but Volvo have gone silly with prices.

Which car do you use to tow with.

Appreciate your thoughts.

Martin

1 hour ago, kentdale said:

Hi Varaderoguy, yes I thought that also 190 better, our Volvo is a manual, never had an automatic and  towing puts extra stain on things but has self levelling rear suspension which is better but Volvo have gone silly with prices.

Which car do you use to tow with.

Appreciate your thoughts.

Martin

If you can find one; a Scout TDI 184 4x4 would be a good bet for luggage, towing and general ability.  Have a look at these on Autotrader.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?sort=relevance&make=SKODA&model=OCTAVIA&aggregatedTrim=Scout&include-delivery-option=on&year-from=2018&max-engine-power=200

Edited 23 May, 20215 yr by varaderoguy

1 hour ago, kentdale said:

Hi Swirly, did you get a Skoda tow bar fitted and is the tow ball fixed or removable/fold out of the way, what body type is the car.

Is the car firm riding when solo, and is it dsg.

Appreciate your thoughts.

Martin.

 

Mines an estate with a Westfalia detachable. Fitted by an independent who (if you read the forums) did everything wrong - bypass, no coding etc. However, the caravan gets to the destination without falling off and the indicators work.... 😀 For info I had no intention of towing a caravan at the time of ordering / buying the car. 

 

I ordered it in manual purposely because, whilst I do like automatics, I'm not a fan of the DSGs. The potential repair costs also put me off, but when serviced properly they should be reliable. 

 

The clutch has survived a ridiculous hill start with the caravan on the back. One off temporary lights on a 16% hill near Pateley Bridge and it took what seemed like an age to engage and pull away. But overall up to now, towing is no problem for the manual transmission. 

 

Solo, the suspension is acceptable in my opinion. Its the 19" wheel / tyre combo that compromises the ride, but it's not harsh. 

 

Forgot to mention the fuel economy  whilst towing: 16 to 25mpg depending on conditions and your right foot!

 

It just takes all the abuse we throw at it - my occasional spirited driving, the caravan, 2 young boys in the back, bikes, tip runs, B&Q runs, several solo France Holidays. Its a remarkable car. 

Edited 23 May, 20215 yr by Swirly182

49 minutes ago, Swirly182 said:

Mines an estate with a Westfalia detachable. Fitted by an independent who (if you read the forums) did everything wrong - bypass, no coding etc. However, the caravan gets to the destination without falling off and the indicators work.... 😀 For info I had no intention of towing a caravan at the time of ordering / buying the car. 

 

I ordered it in manual purposely because, whilst I do like automatics, I'm not a fan of the DSGs. The potential repair costs also put me off, but when serviced properly they should be reliable. 

 

The clutch has survived a ridiculous hill start with the caravan on the back. One off temporary lights on a 16% hill near Pateley Bridge and it took what seemed like an age to engage and pull away. But overall up to now, towing is no problem for the manual transmission. 

 

Solo, the suspension is acceptable in my opinion. Its the 19" wheel / tyre combo that compromises the ride, but it's not harsh. 

 

Forgot to mention the fuel economy  whilst towing: 16 to 25mpg depending on conditions and your right foot!

 

It just takes all the abuse we throw at it - my occasional spirited driving, the caravan, 2 young boys in the back, bikes, tip runs, B&Q runs, several solo France Holidays. Its a remarkable car. 

Thanks for the info,how does 9 mpg in the volvo during a steep long climb in the Black forest 6 miles worth!, normally 25 mpg towing and 40 solo.