The Volkswagen Passat has won Tow Car of the Year for a record third time.
It won two clases and judges voted it the best model in terms of value for money as well.
Most people don’t usually get to tow their trailer, horse box, boat or caravan before choosing a new or used car, so that’s why the results of The Tow Car Awards 2015, Britain’s biggest and best annual tow car test programme, help everyone make a more informed choice of the best vehicles for more enjoyable, safer and stable towing.
From lightweight hatchbacks to heavyweight 4x4s, the good news from the team of experts from What Car? and Practical Caravan magazines and The Camping and Caravanning Club who judged this year’s Tow Car Awards is that the standard of cars was higher than ever. This made it tough to choose nine winners in the five weight classes (based on each car’s ‘kerbweight’), plus a Green Award, Best Petrol and Best Ultralight Tow Car Awards, and then one overall champion.
The dynamic and demanding towing test programme includes high speed stability, hill starts on a 1 in 6 gradient, plus emergency stops and lane changing manoeuvres.
This all takes place in the safety of the MIRA Proving Ground in Warwickshire, with each car correctly matched to a caravan (with any stability aids removed or disabled) supplied by the Swift Group, or a lightweight trailer, weighted up to the recommended limit of 85 per cent of its ‘kerbweight’ (or manufacturer’s maximum towing limit, if lower). In addition, they are also assessed for other factors such as running costs, practicality and solo performance.
The following cars from Citroën, Škoda, Volkswagen, Mazda, Volvo, Ford and Land Rover were this year’s winners:
The Tow Car Awards 2015 – results:
- Up to 1400kg: Škoda Octavia Hatch 2.0 TDI CR 150PS SE Business
- 1400 to 1549kg: Volkswagen Passat Estate 2.0 TDI BMT 150PS SE Business DSG
- 1550 to 1699kg: Mazda CX-5 2.2D 175PS AWD Sport Nav
- 1700 to 1899kg: Volkswagen Passat Estate 2.0 BiTDI SCR BMT 240PS 4Motion GT DSG
- 1900kg+: Land Rover Discovery 3.0 SDV6 SE Tech
- Green Award: Volvo V40 Cross Country D4 Lux Nav Geartronic
- Best Petrol Tow Car: Ford Mondeo 1.5T EcoBoost 160PS Titanium 5dr
- Best Ultralight Tow Car: Citroën C4 Cactus BlueHDi 100 Feel
- Overall Winner: Volkswagen Passat Estate 2.0 TDI BMT 150PS SE Business DSG
The new Volkswagen Passat is the first car to win the Tow Car Awards three times – 2007, 2011 and 2015.
