Sorry if this is long winded but: I had a Toyota RAV4 2 ltr. Diesel and it was due a change in 2020. I wanted to stay with diesel and wanted something that was brave enough to tow our Eriba 310 Familia with comfort. I opted for a Hyundai Tuscon 1.6 ltr. Diesel, I was offered a pretty good trade in deal as it was the last of that particular model, an ‘N Line’. Everything fine and dandy to start with and it is brave enough to tow the Familia without exhausting the horses.
6 months in and the bother started.. suffice to say I am on Fuel Pump No. 4 ( yes 4 ! ) the “Infotainment” system is a total disaster: Android Auto does not now nor ever did operate and last week it left us on the side of a motorway. Reason: I ran out of Diesel with a 220 Km range and a quarter tank showing: Reason: Faulty Fuel Gauge !! It’s a disaster in my opinion. I have zero confidence in the car and would like to change. Trouble now is finance. A car change at this time was not in the plans. Perhaps most of the car’s problems are now ironed out but perhaps not. The Fuel Pump issue ..well “ they all do that sir but we have a really great new one in it now” ! By the by, it now has 21000 Km ( 13000 miles ) on the clock, from new.
What I like best about a car is reliability and the next best thing is reliability also. Fancy bells and stripes are not my thing really.
Looking at my options I am considering a Suzuki Vitara. The 90 grand Volvo went by the wayside when my Lottery numbers failed to come up yesterday. By parting with as much as we would like to afford right now, we could get a new ‘All Wheel Drive’ 1.4 Petrol Vitara on a trade in. I don’t know exactly how to determine a car’s towing ability. Not it’s max towing capacity but how comfortable it really feels to drive towing a caravan. I have no doubt that a Vitara could tow our 310 but will it be a real struggle by comparison to the 1.6 Diesel ? ( when the Hyundai it’s going )
Has any one on the Forum towed with or have experience of this particular new type Suzuki 1.4 petrol ? I would love to hear any opinions please. The on-line Owners Reviews seem to sing the praises of the car’s reliability, mainly the older model type, but will towing be an issue ?
Thank you in advance.
Chris B.

Thanks Colin,
Thats interesting. I too had a Yeti. a 1.6D. I bought it new in 2011 and sold it in 2015 with 148K Km on the clock and not a single warranty issue. I would buy another one in a heartbeat if still available. Great all round car and loved how clever and quick the rear seats could be jigged. I am gutted with this Hyundai.
I am torn between holding onto it now for another couple of years and trading it in. If only I could test drive the Vitara, with our caravan hitched up ! I like it but I'm afraid to pull the trigger on the deal because of the uncertainty with it's towing abilty.
Chris

Colin,
Many thanks. Much appreciated.
Chris

Hi,
We tow our Triton 420 GT with a 2019 69 plate Suzuki Vitara 1.4 turbo automatic, the engine generates 140 bhp. The Vitara does the job with ease, plenty of power and very stable, in fact I have to put the speed limiter on to prevent picking up too much pace. Fuel consumption drops from 40 mpg to 34 mpg when towing. We are really pleased with the combination. DF

Hi David,
Only catching up this evening. Many thanks for your recommendation, no matter how many reviews I read and Youtube videos I watch, theres nothing like real world experience.
Great forum once again
Much appreciated.
Chris

We tow our Triton with a bog standard petrol Renault Mégane. Yann says he forgets she's on the back.

A 310 has a max weight of 900kg or 1050kg if upgraded at birth. Some Vitaras are rated at 1500kg max towing and some 1200kg, so whichever you have they're rated well over the max your van can legally weigh and should be absolutely fine. In my opinion too many people over provide in car capability. If the maker says it will pull 1200kg then that's ok for me to pull 1200kg. A Familia can be towed by much smaller car's then a Vitara. My old 1.2 litre Yeti would drag it no problem.

Another petrol head here. Towing my 2007 Triton 430GT with A Seat Ateca 1.4cc 150 PS and 250Nm torque between 1500 & 3000 rpm.

But never mind the figures, the car drives beautifully solo and without any complaint towing.

I shall buy the last petrol engined tow car off the production line before they are banned. Probably by then, electric cars will be viewed with the same doubts as diesel engines are now.

Been through the same thought process. We have a 2007 Triton 430. Just trading in my 1.6 diesel Octavia for a S/H 1.4 Boosterjet Petrol Vitara. It will cost more in fuel, but I will have the AWD for the grass CLs we prefer to visit (all year). Getting it in a couple of weeks so will report back on how she tows. The solo drive was great.

Dear Speedy,
I don't think you've kept up with the revolution in power to capacity that's occurred in the last decade or so. Turbocharged petrol engines produce enormous amounts of power and torque these days compared to times past.

I mean at one time Ford even offered the Mondeo with a 1 litre engine. I doubt if it melted the tarmac but that's not the point. IIRC my old 2017 1.2 litre Yeti would happily pull 1200kg as would our 1 litre Scala. In fact the latter had a maximum weight which if added to a 1200kg Eriba would give almost 40 bhp per tonne, which is the exact ratio that is recommended for satisfactory towing. Under that and hills might be a challenge and above that is additional to what's really necessary.

Quote: Pepé Le Pew wrote in post #13

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Quote: Steamdrivenandy wrote in post #10

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In my opinion too many people over provide in car capability. If the maker says it will pull 1200kg then that's ok for me to pull 1200kg.

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I'm sure it'll sound as if I'm taking the opposite viewpoint just to be awkward, but I couldn't disagree more.

I'm not ashamed to say that I've always bought the most powerful car I can afford to run rather than the least powerful one I can get away with.

I'm not saying you're wrong; simply that we come at this from diametrically opposite positions.

As the saying goes, there ain't no substitute for cubes.

Cubes give you a safety margin as well as making whatever vehicle you're in (or on) one heck of a lot more fun.

Extra cubes mean less stress when towing, both mechanically and psychologically. Planning a journey doesn't need to take the topography into account so you don't have to fret about your palms going sweaty and your mouth going dry at the sight of a hill.

If you end up in the situation where it'd be more prudent to get past those artics in the inside lane as quickly as is reasonably possible rather than being obliged to sit with your nose between a pair of Scania buttocks, unable to see more than fifty yards ahead, cubes will let you do that.

You could argue that you shouldn't get yourself into that position to begin with by driving defensively and anticipating properly, but the fact of the matter is that it's impossible to anticipate everything everybody else might do.

And if that happens, I want to be out of there as quickly as I can.

Driving with no margin of power makes me very nervous. If you need to accelerate out of trouble, you can't.

I don't like that.

Respectfully yours

Speedy Gonzales

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