SsangYong Korando

SsangYong has announced it is sponsoring The National, The Caravan Club’s premier event of the year. The six-day celebration is open to all and offers a wide range of activities for everyone. The event has been timed to coincide with The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and is being staged at Eastnor Castle in Hertfordshire, from the 1st to the 6th June.

One Korando crossover is up for grabs as a competition prize for members and there should be a range of other SsangYong 4X4s on show. Steve Gray, marketing and communications director of SsangYong Motor UK, commented “This is a perfect fit for SsangYong. All three of our cars, the new Korando crossover, Rexton 4X4 and Rodius MPV make great tow cars, and represent a real value for money proposition for caravanners. We are very pleased to be teaming up with The Caravan Club on what we hope will be the first of many opportunities to partner the caravan community”.

Further information on the event can be found at The Caravan Club website and we also have SsangYong contract hire on the site now.

Volkswagen Passat Estate

If you are looking for a top towcar for your caravan or trailer, Volkswagen has just scooped its third 2011 Top Towcar Award bringing the overall number of towcar awards this year to three.

The readers of Caravan Times, the UK’s largest online caravan magazine, have just chosen the Volkswagen Passat from a list of five top towcars as their number one choice. Chris Jeffries, Editor of Caravan Times.co.uk, said,”Among our forum members Volkswagen is renowned as a reliable, practical and economical choice. The Passat Estate beat off strong competition this year and we expect to see plenty of them at campsites across the UK in 2012″.

The Passat was also recognised earlier this year in June 2011 when the Passat Estate TDI 170 PS was named as champion at the Towcar Awards where experts from What Car?, Practical Caravan magazine and The Camping and Caravanning Club also gave it top honours.

The Jetta also triumphed at The Caravan Towcar of the Year Awards 2012 winning its price category and the Overall Towcar of the Year award, with the Touareg also picking up a couple of awards too.

The Story of Sprite Caravans

Veloce has released the details of a new book, “The Story of Sprite Caravans“, which has been written by Andrew Jenkinson, an author who has been following the UK caravan industry since 1969. The Sprite was introduced in the early 1950s and became a great success, not only in the UK but also as a worldwide brand.

The new book charts the history of the Sprite and explains why it was one of the most successful caravans and features factory shots of the Sprite being produced in the 1950s and 1960s, with rare archive photos of US Sprites as well. This is the first book dedicated to one caravan brand and it is available direct from Veloce or at all good bookshops. The price is £14.99 or $29.95.

Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer

The Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer 1.7 CDTi (125PS) SE ecoFLEX has won the Green Award at the Practical Caravan 2011 Tow Car of Year awards. Each car was tested by a panel of six judges for its towing ability, buying and owning costs, drive quality when not towing and also practicality.

The judges commented,”The Astra Sports Tourer impressed everyone who drove it. In spite of having just 123bhp to call on, it took a respectable 19.2 seconds to tow from 30-60mph. The Astra Sports Tourer is an excellent small estate with impressive economy and low emissions”. Vauxhall car leasing on all Astras is on the site now.

TyreSafe

TyreSafe, the not-for-profit tyre safety organisation, has issued a recent update to its caravan tyre safety leaflet which provides updated axle load and tyre pressure tables. They have been in consultation with tyre manufacturers and caravan manufacturers to compile the new recommendations.

The new leaflet provides simple advice for caravan owners and updated tyre pressure tables. With high levels of stress placed on caravan tyres, it is vital that your tyre pressures are correct and that the maximum vehicle load should not exceed 90% of the combined tyre load capacity, as indicated by the load index.

The leaflet is now available free of charge off the TyreSafe website

Volvo XC60

Volvo picked up the £25,000 to £32,000 price category at the Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Awards 2010, beating rivals from Isuzu, Skoda, Honda, Subaru and Toyota.

The Volvo XC60 D5 AWD SE was praised for its sure-footed handling, flexible power and all-wheel drive capability. Grenville Chamberlain of the Caravan Club said,”This vehicle has an extra powerful version of Volvo’s excellent five-cylilnder engine as well as AWD. Gear changes are smooth and speed builds up rapidly”.

The D5 delivers 205PS and comes with a choice of 6-speed manual or 5-speed Geartronic (auto) transmission and is also fitted with Trailer Stability Assist (STA) to counteract “trailer snaking”.

Golf SE

Volkswagen has won the top prize at The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Awards 2010, claiming the £16,000 to £20,000 category as well as overall Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2010.

The winning model was the Golf SE 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS which impressed the 10 judges with its strong performance when towing in a variety of different situations. Barry Williams, one of the judges said,”Absolutely faultless stability made the Golf steadfast on the test track and when the punchy engine had whisked its way to 60mph it was still ready to accelerate, even in sixth gear. Agile handling enables the car to tackle the most demanding route. The Volkswagen Golf SE 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS is a truly capable towing vehicles and a worthy winner”.

Mazda6 Estate

The second generation Mazda6 has won another award at the Caravan Club 2010 Towcar of the Year Awards in the £20,000 to £25,000 Class. The Judges said,”Towing 1,347kg, the good looking estate car romped up the long 14% hill in third gear and tackled a 17% stop-and -restart quite easily. A super car at a super price”.

The exact specification of the car that was tested is the Mazda6 2.2-litre Diesel Estate TS2 163ps Manual. Twenty-eight cars were put through their paces at the Millbrook Proving Ground and whether you are looking to tow a caravan, a horse box or a jet-ski trailer, the Mazda6 offers a great vehicle specification and could be for you, with 26 models in their line-up.

Skoda Superb

The Skoda Superb 3.6 V6 260bhp 4×4 DSG has won an award at the 2010 Towcar of the Year Awards, for the “All-Wheel-Drive Vehicles Under 1800kg category”. Last year, the Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI took the top prize in the contest.

The judges said,” The Superb feels as solid as a rock and it handles so well you can push it hard through the twisty roads with real confidence”. One of the partners on Comparecontracthire.com has an excellent special offer on contract hire on all Skoda models. If you are looking for a capable vehicle to tow a caravan or a boat then the Skoda Superb is a model to consider.

Kia Soul

The Kia Soul has won a class victory in the under £16,000, 2010 Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Awards. The entrants are tested at the Millbrook Proving Ground and the evaluations cover hill starts, acceleration, braking capability and towing ability. In addition, a team of caravan specialists then evaluate the cars in some suitability tests, in everday caravanning situations. 

The judges said, “The Kia Soul Shaker gives a spirited performance, has a usable bodyshape and promises low running costs. As a towcar for small caravans or trailer tents, Kia’s hatchback is a worthy winner”.The Kia Soul has a braked and unbraked towing capacities of 1,300 kg and 550 kg respectively, with a ball weight of 52kg.