the Standard is bogus - it must have been tested to the Standard. The noseweight limit
marked on the bracket may sometimes be higher than the noseweight limit for that
particular model of car (since the same towbar may be used on a range of vehicle
models). Check in the car handbook, and work to the lower of any specified values.
(See also The Club's leaflet, ‘Choice of Towbar’).
11. CLEAN LEAN AND GREEN
With ever-increasing fuel costs and concerns for the environment it is necessary to
recognise that it is not always practical to choose the best possible towcar, when this
vehicle may well spend most of its time operating solo.
If you choose a large, heavy caravan, do not compromise unduly on your
choice of towcar, as your safety and legality may be affected. If you only tow
a modest mileage a year, would an older, secondhand 4x4 be a better option
(low purchase price, possibly outside of the scope of emissions-based Vehicle
Excise Duty (VED, or Road Tax), restricted mileage insurance policy
possible), if you used it only for holidays and occasional other trips, instead of
buying a theoretically greener and more efficient new 4x4 but used it all the
time? You would perhaps need a small, efficient hatchback for everyday use,
as well, though. Far better – if possible – is to choose a lighter caravan, of
course, but even then, it is unwise to match it to too small, light or low-
powered a towcar.
As a general rule, the more modern a car is, the better its emissions
performance and fuel economy will be. Manufacturers are giving more and
more attention to these issues now, and tomorrow’s cars will be better still.
Alternative fuels may be worth considering. Sales of petrol/LPG capable cars
peaked in 2003 (at about 3000 new registrations), but LPG remains a cost-
effective way of running a larger-engined car, as the fuel is still currently
cheaper. If you can find an already-converted secondhand petrol 4x4, it could
be a good buy, even for limited mileage use. If you wanted to have a car
converted, however, you will probably need to be doing a high annual mileage
to offset the cost of conversion. Most common petrol/electric hybrids (eg
Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid) are not approved for towing, but a few are
suitable (eg Lexus RX400h), and are potentially very effective towcars. Their
characteristic of lots of torque from an electric motor at low speed is ideally
suited to hill starts or pulling away on a slippery field, for instance. Expect to
see more new models in this sector in years to come. Current electric-only
cars tend to be far too small and have too limited a range to be viable for
towing, but that may change in years to come.
Increasing engine efficiency means that having a large engine is no longer a
necessity for an effective towcar. Models such as the VW Golf GT Sport with
just a 1.4l petrol engine, but produces 140 or 170 bhp (depending on
specification) and 162 or 177lb ft of torque at 1750 or 1500rpm. That is the
kind of output which would have been obtained from a 2.5l engine only a few
years ago, yet this example will return around 40mpg and CO
2
emissions of
around 170g/km. Modern diesels of around 2l capacity or perhaps a little less
are capable of even better figures. Staying with the Golf GT Sport, the diesel
(20 Seiten)
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