This year's winner of the 2017 Towcar Of The Year was taken by Volkswagen and the Passat Alltrack.

Volkswagen’s Passat Estate Alltrack lifted this year’s overall trophy, and also scooped class and category wins in The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Competition.

The competition’s 47 entrants, which were split into seven price classes and two weight categories, saw winning vehicles from Volkswagen, Citroën, Peugeot, Škoda, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

However, it was the Volkswagen Passat Estate Alltrack that took the overall victory. It was described as “one of the classiest mid-range cars by a mile”.

Each towcar was thoroughly tested – being judged not only on its towing performance over the testing circuit at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, but also for ‘caravanability’.  Caravanability evaluates how well the car caters for caravanner’s needs – how much typical holiday gear and caravan essentials it can accommodate, how easily it can be hitched up to a caravan and the quality of towing information available in its handbook.  Also added to the marking equation was the towcar’s value for money.

Seven driving judges evaluated each car for its dynamic abilities and ergonomic qualities – the test route included tight and twisty ‘country lanes’, 17% hill stops and starts, as well as circuits of a high-speed bowl.  They were also put through rigorous reversing examinations. These four days of rigorous evaluation highlighted that every vehicle could be considered a respectable towcar, so long as it was properly matched to its caravan.

Price class awards in the competition went to: the Citroën C4 Cactus Rip Curl BlueHDi 100; Peugeot 308 SW Active BlueHDi 120;  Škoda Superb SE L Executive 2.0TDI 150PS; Volkswagen Golf Estate Alltrack 2.0TDI 4MOTION 150 PS; Volkswagen Passat Estate Alltrack 2.0TDI SCR 4MOTION 150 PS; Mercedes-Benz E220d AMG Line Saloon; and the BMW X5 xDrive40d M Sport.

All-wheel drive vehicles competed in two additional weight categories; ‘Under 1800kg’ and ‘Over 1800kg’. The BMW X5 xDrive40d took the ‘Over 1800kg’ prize, while the Volkswagen Passat Estate Alltrack took first place in the ‘Under 1800kg’ category before going on to win the overall title.

The results of the competition were announced at The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Awards ceremony, held at the Royal Automobile Club in London on 22 September.  The awards were presented by Olympic athlete, Roger Black MBE.

Grenville Chamberlain, The Caravan Club Chairman, said: “It was a thrill to see such a great choice of vehicles being put through their paces during the Competition – the winning manufacturers should feel very proud of their achievements.  These vehicles will enable our Caravan Club members to have wonderful holidays and effortless towing experiences.”

TOWCAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS - Kia takes the green award for the ultra frugal 1.6 litre CRDi 2 model.

• cee’d Sportswagon described as “Impressively economical”
• Fuel economy better than any other contender
• £19,895 1.6 CRDi ‘2’ model tested

Practical Caravan has endorsed what many keen load-lugging drivers already know – the Kia cee’d Sportswagon 1.6 CRDI is the “greenest” tow car on the market!

Capturing the  Green Tow Car Award in the magazine’s annual, exhaustive testing competition, the £19,895 ‘2’ version was described by David Motton, Tow Car Editor as being “impressively economical to buy and run as well as being a respectable tow car.”

He went on: “If you want to tow a caravan without spending a fortune on fuel, look no further. Towing a tourer weighing 85 per cent of its kerbweight the cee’d Sportswagon returned a commendable 31.6mpg – beating every other car we shortlisted.

“At the legal limit the Kia is a stable tow car and in an emergency lane-change the cee’d Sportswagon performed well, always pulling the caravan straight again, even when it stepped out of line,” he added.

Simon Hetherington, Commercial Director of Kia Motor (UK) Limited said: ”This honour endorses everything our customers tell us – and the cee’d Sportswagon is very popular amongst the caravanning community. They love the blend of economy, refinement and of course the industry-leading seven year warranty.

“We are delighted to win this award because it sums up the dedication our engineers have committed to developing affordable, responsible motoring in today’s budget-conscious marketplace whilst not sacrificing dynamic ability or desirable creature comforts,” he said.

One is never enough, says a couple that wanted ONE new car, but bought TWO MG's.

A couple who had their eye on an MG6 couldn’t resist buying themselves another MG when they dropped by their local dealer to take a look. 

Mr and Mrs Murdoch, from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, were in the market for a new car when they decided it was time to hang up the awning and leave the days of caravanning behind them. 

They needed a new car that would still give them enough room, but would be a downsize from their caravan-towing estate.

In the latest caravanning magazine Mr Murdoch received, he spotted the MG6 in an article about it being crowned the ‘under £17,500’ class winner in the 2015 Towcar of the Year Awards in September. 

He said: “Even though we weren’t looking for another car capable of pulling a caravan, we both thought that the MG6 looked great and was fantastic value, so we thought it was well worth dropping by our local dealer to take a look.”

As soon as the couple walked into Kerridges, Needham Market in Suffolk, Mrs Murdoch was distracted by another car sitting in the showroom; a white MG3. She said: “I fell in love with it straightaway, so Bruce and I decided he’d get his red MG6 and I’d get my MG3!”

Mr Murdoch said: “Even though we’ve downsized from a Ford Mondeo estate, the MG6 has still got so much going for it. The car has got some real go to it too, and being able to fit our Labrador Retriever into the ample-sized boot is great.”

Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing for MG, said: “We always like hearing stories of customers enjoying their new car, and it’s even better when they decide to buy two! We’ve got some great deals on at the moment so, with our minimum £2,000 part exchange offer running until the end of the year, now is the perfect time to check out the great range we offer.”

Land Rover Discovery scoops yet more glory at the The Caravan Club’s Towcar of the Year 2015 Awards.

• Land Rover Discovery scoops yet more glory at the The Caravan Club’s Towcar of the Year 2015 Awards
• Discovery wins overall Towcar of the Year, as well as the 1800kg+ and £50,000+ categories
• Ninth and tenth class wins for Discovery in nine years following its success in the Tow Car Awards in June

Land Rover Discovery has taken three top honours at The Caravan Club’s Towcar of the Year Awards 2015. The club’s judging panel voted the Discovery HSE Luxury its overall winner as well as the top model in two classes – for all-wheel-drive vehicles of more than 1800kg and for vehicles priced in excess of £50,000.

At an awards ceremony at the RAC in London, the judges gave strong praise for the model, with special mention for its “rock solid stability, master-class hill start, and its electric parking brake, which holds really well and releases automatically when pulling away”.

The Caravan Club tested 39 cars for this year’s competition, carried out by caravan journalists, national motoring journalists and Caravan Club members, with the aim of providing drivers with sound advice for all their towing needs. The judges assess each car’s towing abilities including acceleration, braking and coping with hill starts.

Land Rover Discovery is available with a number of intelligent technologies to enhance the towing experience. Trailer Stability Assist detects the presence of a trailer and, above 37mph, monitors the trailer and uses selective braking of the appropriate wheels to help correct any problems. Towing Assist, a next-generation reversing aid, is also available with the optional Surround Camera System. Towing Assist predicts the trajectory of vehicle and trailer, providing guidance when coupling a trailer and a predicted path for the vehicle on the touch-screen when reverse is selected.

Earlier this month Land Rover previewed how the future of towing may look with world-first Transparent Trailer and Cargo Sense research concepts. Transparent Trailer uses a series of cameras that enables the driver to view a see-through rendering of their trailer in the rear-view mirror, enhancing visibility.

Cargo Sense, provides the driver with live data on the condition of storage or livestock during transportation. Pressure pads provide details of movement within the cargo area and temperature sensors ensure that an optimum ambient temperature is maintained throughout the journey.

Jeremy Hicks, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover UK, said, “2015 is proving to be another fantastic year for Discovery. It has been at the top of the judge’s lists of capable towing vehicles consistently for the last nine years. Along with our recent research concept announcements, we are demonstrating our strong ability to develop ground breaking technologies that put the needs of our customers first. Innovation and capability are cornerstones of our DNA and Discovery continues to lead the way in these areas.”

Value - Practicality - Equipment - Space - Towing capability, that will be a Ssangyong then !

• Prices from just £14,995
• Contemporary new front styling
• Completely redesigned interior
• Greatly improved NVH
• 5 year limitless mileage warranty

SsangYong is giving its Italian designed Korando crossover a fresh new look for 2014.

Already noted for its great value, high level of equipment, space and 2 tonne towing capability - the Korando SE recently won The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Award 2014 for vehicles under £16,000 - the car now gets a makeover inside and out, and enhanced driving refinement.

Externally, the front receives an all-new treatment - a slimmed down, black mesh radiator grille, more contemporary headlights and a wider, low level air intake are the principal enhancements.  The new headlight units now comprise projection lamps and LED daytime running lights for increased visibility and safety, surrounded by a stylish black and aluminium bezel.  Further illumination is provided on the ELX4 model with neat round fog lamps set discreetly within the lower bumper.

At the rear, the design changes are focused on enhanced style with detail improvements such as the rear light cluster, which now includes LED lights for improved visibility.

There are new designs for both the 16-inch and 17-inch wheels, and three new exterior colours - Sunrise red, Cosmic blue and Carbonic grey as well as Space black, Grand white and Silent silver.

The interior of the car has also been given a significant re-design, and now combines an attractive and comfortable ambiance for the driver and passengers alike.  There is a completely redesigned dashboard featuring soft-touch materials for a greater sense of luxury, complemented by natural matt wood grain insets, and abundant storage space that includes enlarged cup holders, a mobile phone tray and flip-down sunglasses tray.

The new Korando is powered by a modern yet well-proven 2.0-litre Euro 5 engine.  The top of the range ELX4 automatic is matched with the powerful, smooth and efficient 175ps e-XDi200 diesel engine with a maximum power output of 175ps/4000rpm and peak torque of 360Nm/2,000-3,000rpm.  Models featuring manual transmission get the 149ps e-XDi200 engine which delivers the same maximum power and peak torque as the automatic, and is perfect for lively driving as well as for going off-road and towing.

Korando offers two transmissions: a 6-speed manual with high fuel efficiency and smooth gear shifting, and a 6-speed automatic with optimum gear ratios for smooth, comfortable driving.

Great advances in reducing NVH (noise, vibration & harshness) have been made to this new car, with particular attention focused on its engine mountings.  Stronger, reinforced mounting brackets are used which effectively reduce engine noise levels by up to 9.3%.  Korando is fitted with Macpherson struts to the front and multi-link suspension to the rear to provide excellent ride comfort, and the three point mountings to the rear axle effectively minimise noise and vibration.  New rubber bushes have been fitted to the car’s reinforced sub frames, further helping to minimise intrusive vibration and noise from the road surface and engine.

Three of the four new models come with four wheel drive, and unlike its competitors a very high percentage of customers choose their Korando with 4x4, an intelligent and advanced all-wheel drive (AWD) system based on SsangYong’s highly regarded four wheel drive technology and years of experience.  The torque-on-demand system senses the road surface and driving conditions and distributes the power to the wheels that need it most.

Under normal driving conditions, 100 per cent of the engine’s torque is delivered to the front wheels so that the car runs with optimised fuel efficiency.  On icy or slippery roads or when driving on wet off-road conditions, power is distributed to both the front and rear wheels to ensure a safe, stable and dependable drive.  The technology also works perfectly to give a smooth and safe departure when driving away from a standstill on a steep slope, while a lock mode distributes power equally between the front and rear wheels at speeds below 25mph to optimise traction.

With a ground clearance of 180mm, an approach angle of 22.8 degrees, 28.2 degree departure angle and a ramp angle of 18.5 degrees, the new Korando is as at home off-road as it is on the road, and a highly capable off-roader.

In conjunction with the standard Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with emergency brake assist and four-channel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), the four-wheel drive system provides the best possible grip and control whatever the conditions.  Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Active Roll-over Protection (ARP) also feature.

The new Korando offers the practicality and convenience of an SUV and the creature comforts of a saloon car.  Its generous proportions and wide interior space make this the perfect vehicle for both everyday use and leisure activities.  In the rear, there’s sufficient shoulder room for three adults to travel in complete comfort.  The seat back - which splits 60:40 - can be reclined up to 17.5 degrees, while the flat floor and generous legroom make it ideal for long journeys.  Lift the tailgate and you’ll find one of the largest load areas in this SUV sector (486 litres with the seats up and 1,312 litres when folded).  The rear seats fold completely flat, while there’s also an under-floor tray for storing valuables out of sight.

The new look Korando is a genuine SUV offering great driving performance both on and off-road together with a 2-tonne towing capability.  There are four models in the range with a comprehensive level of equipment and at prices many of its competitors fail to match. 

Cars arrive at dealers before the end of the year and are available to order now.