Caravan advice - is my Saab up to it?
I have recently bought a used 4-berth medium-sized caravan, for the first time. I am safety minded, and a bit concerned that my current SAAB 9-3 Sportwagon is a little lightweight compared to the recommendation by the Caravan Club that the caravan should not exceed of 85% of the weight of the towcar.
When I tow, I load the caravan very lightly and the car relatively heavily to be as sure as I can that the combination is safe. The car seems to tow perfectly. I am considering changing the SAAB for something a bit heavier, but the obvious choice of Mondeo, even as a diesel estate, does not change the percentage figure quoted on the ‘What Towcar?’ website, very much.
My wife will not consider a Skoda because of irrational historical prejudice. I would be very grateful for your opinion on a Vauxhall Antara, which seems good. It has "on demand" 4-wheel drive, a 2.0 diesel engine, reasonable price (possibly 2 years old) and looks ok and value for money, on the face of it. On the other hand my mates tell me not to bother with 4-wheel drive, and I have seen some disparaging reports on Antara reliability on the Internet.
Should I be looking at the acclaimed (but even bigger) Hyundai Santa Fe? I have never had a 4-wheel drive before, dismissing them as "Chelsea Tractors". The Caravan Club, whilst reasonably helpful, sit on the fence if asked anything specific.
When I tow, I load the caravan very lightly and the car relatively heavily to be as sure as I can that the combination is safe. The car seems to tow perfectly. I am considering changing the SAAB for something a bit heavier, but the obvious choice of Mondeo, even as a diesel estate, does not change the percentage figure quoted on the ‘What Towcar?’ website, very much.
My wife will not consider a Skoda because of irrational historical prejudice. I would be very grateful for your opinion on a Vauxhall Antara, which seems good. It has "on demand" 4-wheel drive, a 2.0 diesel engine, reasonable price (possibly 2 years old) and looks ok and value for money, on the face of it. On the other hand my mates tell me not to bother with 4-wheel drive, and I have seen some disparaging reports on Antara reliability on the Internet.
Should I be looking at the acclaimed (but even bigger) Hyundai Santa Fe? I have never had a 4-wheel drive before, dismissing them as "Chelsea Tractors". The Caravan Club, whilst reasonably helpful, sit on the fence if asked anything specific.
Asked on 21 January 2010 by DW, Spalding
Answered by
Honest John
The original Antara/Captiva is okay, but the ride quality is poor and the balance between ride and handling is close to if not the class worst. They were revised for 2010 with new 163PS and 184PS 2.2 litre diesel engines and the current model is reportedly much better.
The Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 194PS R type diesel from January 2010 is an immediately better vehicle, especially the 6-speed manual and especially for towing. If buying the previous 2006-2009 Santa Fe, then it needs to be the automatic because the manual has too much of a gap between 2nd and 3rd, with 1st and 2nd artificially low to help preserve the clutch when towing.
The Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 194PS R type diesel from January 2010 is an immediately better vehicle, especially the 6-speed manual and especially for towing. If buying the previous 2006-2009 Santa Fe, then it needs to be the automatic because the manual has too much of a gap between 2nd and 3rd, with 1st and 2nd artificially low to help preserve the clutch when towing.
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