I can echo Randa's comments. We have a VW Caddy with the same engine and in 3 1/2 years and 30,000 miles have not had an issue with the DPF. Carol does a 14 mile round trip to work in restricted speed zone and at the weekend we travel to on various roads to dog agility competitions with or without the 320GT. I drive economically, rarely revving the engine past 2200 rpm and have never needed to do the 2500rpm fix that VW recommend if the DPF light illuminates.

My friend changed from a Touran (pre-DPF) to a Tiguan and has never mentioned any problem, but has said how good it is for towing her 6 birth beast and also considers it 4 wheel drive version of a Touran.

Quote: ellen wrote in post #11

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We will also be looking to change our Chevrolet Orlando 1.8 diesel in the not too distant future. We have suffered for 2 years with the Dpf and tried everything to overcome the problems we are having with it. Had enough now and worry that replacing it with another diesel engine could give us more Dpf problems. Any recommendations for our next car, we like 7seaters if poss as this gives plenty of boot space or extra seats for the grandkids, a petrol with enough pulling power to tow our Familia with ease and a sunroof if poss. Our last car was a Zafira which did fit the bill but we have lost all confidence with them since the problem of some setting on fire. We have looked casually at the Citroen C3 picasso 1.2 puretech and can't believe the towing capabilities, it seems too good to be true as it seems to be a perfect match for our Eriba, how can this be with the engine being so small? As we don't want to swap one problem for another lots of research will be done before we swap vehicles. Any ideas folks? Thank you. Ellen.

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Thanks for your replies everyone, lots to think about. I've just realised that in my earlier post I said we loved the Tiguan that we had a look at, I should have said the Touran. The Tiguan looked superb but lacked the boot space we like whereas the Touran had just about everything we need. Ellen.

Don't they do a petrol Touran ?. Shaun

Not sure as I asked that many questions I've forgotten some of the answers, it's more than likely going to be spring when we swap cars so plenty of time to find out more.

I traded in my VW Touran last October following 4 mainly satisfactory years of ownership two years of which it was used for towing. Being a front wheel drive vehicle I always found it to be somewhat light in handling/steering when fully loaded. Not dangerously so but certainly it was noticeable. The final decision to trade the Touran in (other than for reasons of length of ownership) was during our first trip back to the UK and attempting to climb the wet and slippery ramp of the car ferry. By the time I'd eventually pulled the caravan (Touring 430, loaded weight approx 1050kg) up to the car deck the clutch was really smelly. I had no problems with the DPF during ownership over both long and short distance travel. It should also be stated that it was classed as Euro 5 and so had no extra AdBlue tank which I believe the newer model (Euro 6) has.

For a short while I was considering trading my then current Touran (1.6Tdi) in for the latest model but opting instead for the 2 litre model which I believe currently owns. What eventually put me off was the fact that VW, along with other manufacturers, were producing vehicles with much less overall weight and as a consequence better mpg. In some respects this is all well and good in respect of the climate but now one has to be really careful when considering the caravan to towcar weight relationship. I can't foresee this effecting Eriba towing but might it a decision is later made to purchase a more conventional caravan. Anyway, I digress somewhat as the prime disadvantage as I saw it over the newer Touran was the fact that along with VW making the rear seats lighter (with reduction in quality in my opinion at least) they also made them fixed. In the older Touran the second row of seats were removable which created a vast area of usable load space. Along with that, it allowed more flexibility in terms of load distribution in order not to overload either the front or rear axle. I know a lot of people simply throw things into their cars without giving a second thought to how the weight is distributed so long as everything packs in nicely, but to counterbalance the lighter front end weight the nice recessed area where the second row seats used to be allowed me to place more heavier items further forward whilst still keeping within axle load limits. Now probably a lot of this won't necessarily apply in your case as it depends on how much you take along when touring and I only mention it as something to keep in the back of your mind.

So in conclusion - generally a good tow car with the main disadvantages being (a) light at the front end (b) if OEM removable towbar fitted the distance from the centre of the tow ball to the bumper is just within the limit of what Al-Ko stipulate i.e. pretty darn close so extreme care is required when mating the caravan to the tow ball (c) OEM electrics DO NOT include FULL 13-pin electrics i.e. there will be no wiring at the socket for running the fridge (possibly also charging the battery??) although if a new vehicle is ordered full electrics, which involves extra wiring and relay operated by the ignition can be stipulated and (d) non-removable second row seats.

I have traded my Mitsabishi Shogun swb manual gear box in fo a Porsche Cayenne auto diesel which I find absolutely fantastic, very cumfortable reasonable economic and running costs not too high. Only problem is I frighten my self sometimes when I look n the mirror thing who is this following me so close, forgetting the eriba is on the back.
It is fitted with a electrically retractable tow bar which is connected to the vehicle management system and automatically compensates for any sway on the caravan.
I can fully recommend this car for towing anything up to 3.5 tonne
Good luck in your search for a new tow car.

Porsche Cayenne!!!! Very PC😃
Je suis slightly enviously green.
TonyP

Are yes but it is a DIESEL!! Surprising the price difference between the shogun and the cayenne is not very much and you get a lot of car for your money. I am able to diagnose any faults on the electronics and can cut down on the running costs and maintenance. Plus I can keep an eye on things before they need fixing being a retired engineer and old biker.

Porsche, cayenne towing an Eriba chilli???
hot match that,
never seem a cayenne in the towing awards in mags
how about a Yeti?
saw one towing a swift challenger around 1420kg, was sure the towing weight was lower
no it seems the towing weight is higher http://www.whatcar.com/skoda/yeti/estate...-5dr-dsg/70126/

rumoured new model to be a 7 seater
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/yeti

ford s max
http://www.whatcar.com/ford/s-max/mpv/2-...hift-awd/68847/
http://www.ford.co.uk/Cars/All-New-S-MAX


http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/ford/tourneo-connect ford tourneo

VW is 70% owned by Porsche I believe. Cayenne is only the same as a VW Touareg but with a Porsche tuned engine and suspension so it should perform as well as the VW as a tow car.

A late reply I suppose but after being a bit concerned about the ability of our Touran 1.6tdi (105bhp) to pull a Triton 420, I needn't have worried at all!! Perfect match to be honest and first trips included the Lake District area. We've had extras fitted to the Triton as well including water heater, battery charger and TV. Obviously some gear changing here and there but that's part of the reason they're there. The ample torque seems to be the secret but very comfortable in 6th gear on long level roads with power to spare. We removed two of the second row seats and simply stored heavier items in their place. Brilliant outfit for the two of us...........

Quote: Tritontypes wrote in post #27

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We removed two of the second row seats and simply stored heavier items in their place.

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We've just bought a 2015 Skoda Octavia 2L estate automatic and love it. We had a detachable hitch fitted as we have a very steep drive and worried that the car might not get up there with a hitch. We're off for our first tow this weekend and are really looking forward to it. The hitch which works well was fitted by the Skoda dealer we bought the car from.