Posted on 20/01/2017 12:56
Wondered if anyone has any experience or views of towing with this car. Have looked at tow weights (1600kg) / kerb weights and it all stacks up to be able to tow our caravan but just wondered about any practical experience or advice of towing with this car. do people tow with any other cars using similar hybrid technologies - what's it like?
thanks in advance.
Posted on 31/12/2017 20:52
Just ordered a merc e350e plug in hybrid. 1915kg kerb weight and 2100kg tow limit. With a 2.0 litre turbo petrol and good torque figures the numbers stack up as a good alternative to the passat. Only available as a saloon at the moment but I'm sure an estate will follow at some point.
not as expensive as it sounds with the basic SE model fairly loaded with standard kit coming in at a similar cost to the Passat with equivalent extras loaded.
looking forward to see how it tows (I have a 3.0 D BMW X4 at present) and take delivery of the merc in April, I will report on the tow after my planned trip with the van in June.
anyone else have one ?
Posted on 01/01/2018 19:47
The latest Practical Caravan Mag. compares petrol to diesel a VW Tiguen TSI v TDI. The outcome was that whilst the petrol was not far off the diesel pulling the caravan the fuel consumption made the diesel the better bet 30mpg v 20mpg. The hybrid using a petrol engine must with its extra weight due to batteries only fare even worse when towing. I guess on that basis it rather depends on how many miles you will be towing in a year. We will tow for around 5000` this year so a petrol hybrid on fuel consumption alone is a non starter. Now a diesel hybrid not completely dismissed by VW could be another matter entirely.
Posted on 01/01/2018 19:47 by TigiThe latest Practical Caravan Mag. compares petrol to diesel a VW Tiguen TSI v TDI. The outcome was that whilst the petrol was not far off the diesel pulling the caravan the fuel consumption made the diesel the better bet 30mpg v 20mpg. The hybrid using a petrol engine must with its extra weight due to batteries only fare even worse when towing. I guess on that basis it rather depends on how many miles you will be towing in a year. We will tow for around 5000` this year so a petrol hybrid on fuel consumption alone is a non starter. Now a diesel hybrid not completely dismissed by VW could be another matter entirely.
Posted on 02/01/2018 09:53
I'd have thought that the overall running costs of 30mpg vs 20mpg on a vehicle that's only doing 5000 miles a year would be negligible compared with the purchase price of the vehicle. 😞 Does the diesel or petrol engine ever power the wheels direct? Some (e.g. Vauxhalls Ampera) just use the engine to power a genny which then drives the wheels electrically.
Just asking ....... 😊
(my tow car struggles to do 30mpg solo)
Mthomo