Tow Cars - petrol or diesel?

[Wave Sweeper]

I've got a diesel Octavia Scout (roughty toughty 4wd version), I think it's just over 1500Kg so will tow a 750Kg unbraked trailer.
Apart from a couple of annoying electrical niggles it's been great so far and will do nearly 40mpg towing my Storm 17.
It has a good size boot and is comfortable and easy to drive.
I live on Exmoor so the 4wd and extra ride height were our main reason for choosing it.

I too have an Octavia Scout, and was about to write about it when I spotted that Ged had already said almost exactly what I would have. I used to have a 2WD Octavia Estate which was even more frugal, but am glad of the 4WD especially when on slipways. The extra ground clearance is good too not only when mildly off road but also on our ever deteriorating road network! I do feel guilty about the Diesel though - not just the NOX but also particulates. It handles both the Bayraider (for sale!) and my (heavier) Drascombe Longboat with ease.

I did try a Yeti a while ago and found it very unpleasant to drive in comparison to the Octavia, more of a van than a car!


The company handling my claim for compensation from VW recently withdrew from the case!

[Graham W]

The Skoda Yeti has now been replaced by the Karoq, which is a scaled-down Kodiaq.  It gets good reviews.  You can bet that after the NOx cheating fiasco, future VW Group diesels (including those used by Skoda and SEAT) will be irreproachable.  However, avoid VW automatic transmissions (DSG).  The one on my Golf has been faulty right from the start and they are notorious, even on the latest models, for causing multiple problems.

[david]

Not having  these, Skoda , in the states. I searched  for  them. This review  seems  to  also have other comparable  vehicles  you may find  of interest.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/skoda/karoq

[Andy Dingle]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/business/volkswagen-boss-matthias-mueller-paid-10m-despite-diesel-cheat-nq9xndsh5


Just about sums it all up really..
I wonder what yacht Herr Muller is sailing this year... ? Probably not a second hand Swallow.

[Graham W]

To be fair, he looks like he's sitting under my BR20 sprayhood.

[Rob Johnstone]

Skoda ceased production of the Yeti about a year ago. The Karoq (?) is the wider, longer and much more expensiive replacement. Skoda are following the Kia strategy  - or so it seems - get the market reputation with a good value model and then bring in bigger ones to milk the punters!

[Peter Taylor]

Prices? If anyone is contemplating a new car, be aware that good discounts are available. In buying a new Hyundai I was originally attracted by their "scrappage scheme". However I used https://www.carwow.co.uk to search for a good price and was offered an even better deal by one main Hyundai dealer which was outside of the scrappage offer (allowing the possibility of trading in or selling my old car to further lower the cost*).

It turned out that he was planning on using the Hyundai "Affinity program" which offered a discount (around £2000 for the car I was buying). It applies if you work for or had worked for certain firms, was a member of certain clubs, or... are a member of a registered charity. The latter condition must encompass most people... I used National Coastwatch Institution but could have used RNLI, or National Trust, etc. For the dealer to offer the discount Hyundai needed proof that I'd been a charity member for at least a few months (can't remember the actual requirement - the point is you can't join on the day to get the discount).

I would imagine that other manufacturers have similar schemes. CarWow is a good way to find them. Having got a good quote through it, you can then use it to barter with your local dealer.

Peter

*sadly my old Citroen Berlingo had had a hard life and was practically worthless but the thought was there!

[Matthew P]

Further to Rob's suggestion, has anyone else experience of LPG conversions?  Seems like a good way to mitigate the thirst and alleged environmental damage of a big engine in an older car. 

Is LPG conversion cost effective?

Does LPG effect reliability?

Is LPG availability a problem?

How is road tax effected?

Matthew
BR20 Gladys   

[Graham W]

Skoda put a concept car on show in Geneva that may be a preview of the true successor to the Yeti.  It's called the Vision X and is a hybrid drive that is smaller overall than the Karoq.  It's driven by compressed natural gas (CNG) and a small electric motor.  It's almost certainly funkier than what the final version will look like and the general unavailability of CNG in the UK probably means that that won't make it through to the final specification either.  See https://www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/skoda-vision-x-concept-hybrid-natural-gas-crossover

[BobT]

Perhaps a little off the track.

When I first had my BRe I had a Peugeot 3008 1.6 Diesel which was OK if a little under powered when tackling the hills in Wales or the Lake District. Reversing up any sort of slope was also stressful on the clutch.

I now have a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (which was purchased for a host of reasons) which tows really well. As for economy I can get to my local launch site and back using no petrol! Travelling further afield with the boat in tow I get about 30 plus mpg. Over the year that I have had the car doing a variety of local and distant trips I have averaged out at about 50 mpg.  This does not include any cost of recharging the batteries as I do this at home and we have solar panels and economy 7 so very difficult to estimate.

The trailer was originally un-braked but I was concerned that all up BRe, trailer, engine and other supplies would push the 750Kg limit so I had the trailer "braked". This made a difference when towing with the Peugeot (especially down the hills in Wales and the Lake District) but I suspect the 2 Tonne PHEV would not have been bothered, in fact an un-braked trailer might mean I recouped more energy into the batteries down hill and braking!

Regards to all
Bob