Not sure which car???

bigjl

OddballJamie wrote: »

Not sure if an auto NA petrol Zafira would have enough power to tow 1200kgs.

Would need to check what the max towing weights are but i suspect they are more like 1400kgs. The 1.8 would pull l it easily as from memory they have 140bhp, not sure of the torque.

Will do a quick google and see.

bigjl

1.6 with 103bhp or 123bhp was 1000kg braked

1.8 with 138bhp was 1200kg braked

2.2 petrol with 147bhp or 1.9 cdti with 150bhp was 1500kg braked

1.9cdti with 120bhp was 1300kg braked

OddballJamie

bigjl wrote: »

1.6 with 103bhp or 123bhp was 1000kg braked

1.8 with 138bhp was 1200kg braked

2.2 petrol with 147bhp or 1.9 cdti with 150bhp was 1500kg braked

1.9cdti with 120bhp was 1300kg braked

Thought as much, the NA petrols just wouldn't cut it.

I've got the 1.8 138bhp in my Astra, it's a good engine for a car of that size but I wouldn't fancy it in an Insignia or Zafira, not enough torque and would be very thirsty. Needs the revs to get the best out of it.

knightstyle

Thanks again, looking at a Rapido pop top caravan, all up weight about 1000kg have found http://www.towcar.info/advise.php to get advice on towing limits for cars.
Not in a hurry as we don't need it till next year but thought we would get a few test drives in now.
By the way MUST be automatic or similar and we don't have a problem with our Auris MMT gearbox.
DW likes the look of the Juke which is why I included it.

bigjl

The 1.8 needs to rev.

Certainly in the mk1 Zafira and Astra of the same vintage it really suited the 4 speed autobox, kickdown is your friend!

BiL has a Vectra with a 2.2 petrol engine(direct injected) and i have noticed that is a little lacking in torque.

Though i have driven turbo diesels personally for the last 5 years exclusively and in conjunction with a petrol car and i would miss the low down urge.

I don't think it would be too big a disadvantage.

And these Mk2 Zafiras are used bargains at the moment if they fit your needs.

bigjl

Never noticed you need an auto.

Juke is big money in auto if you can even find one the reason i know that is the wife wants an auto next and wanted a Juke. But no diesel auto mesns i am trying to convince her to look at a Renault Captur.

The old 4 speed Vauxhall auto is robust not so sure about the later 5speed in the diesel Zafirs mk2.

I would steer clear of French autos to be honest.

There are lots of Rav4s with autos but i think they will mostly be petrol engined.

Mercedes B Class may fit the bill from a driving position perspective.

My dad mived to a Qasqhi or Kumquat however you spell it and was happy with the driving position.

As with anything your budget is your limiting factor which is why i think so many that have to tow end up with a cheap 4x4 as they hlare costly to run everyday so end uo being relatvely cheap to buy.

I do have a soft spot for the Freelander but would only have the BMW engined TD4 or the early diesel with i think the L Series lump in it.

Another option could be a Forester as they are fairly common in auto though only in 2.0 petrol and 2.0 turbo petrol, later ones may be 2.5 from memory.

Perhaps a Galaxy would suffice?

My sister and BiL are on thier third, well one Alhambra and two New shape Galaxys since '99.

Addison Lee sell off their fleet at three years old. Later ones have Powershift box which is like a DSG box and earlier ones have a traditional autobox, all have high miles between 80k and 110k but prices start at around £6k to £8k.

Buy on condition and you should be ok. They are serviced every 10k and are actually well looked after considering the miles. Most are out straight back to Private Hire work!

The larger your budget the wider your choice will be.

System

knightstyle wrote: »

Thanks all for your ideas, thinking of a Rav 4, CRV, Juke.
Definitely not a Range Rover or similar 4x4. Not a motorhome as it will be our only car and we often have to drive 220miles to aged parents without towing. The Auris is ideal for this.
Your experiences/ideas welcome.

For 6k you will comfortably get a MK2.5 petrol or diesel. A MK3 you would most probably be looking at a very early version (2007) petrol and probably low spec and high mileage.

I have had both the MK2.5 and have a MK3 currently. I've only had petrol versions. They are both very comfortable. Apart from towing (which I have no experience of) they also make nice every day drivers. Not overly large so quite easy for town driving and good on motorways too. Boot is fairly large for both. I have a 2 year old and a 2 month old and have never run out of space!

I personally preferred the MK2.5. The thing you have to note with this model was though that the spare tyre is on the boot door so the door opens outwards. This means that in car pars you have to park the CRV nose first if you expect to have a lot of shopping to put in. Street parking can be an issue sometimes if you have a lot to unload but the door won't fully open because of a car parked behind. The door does open slightly to reach in and grab something but if you have a lot of stuff and not enough space to open the boot door then you may need someone to hold the door half open for you (it will automatically try to shut if you don't fully open it) while you grab the stuff. But also note that the boot door window also opens so you can gain access without actually opening the boot.

You might also want to consider the Nissan X-Trail. This again has both petrol and diesel versions in your price range. I owned one of these and it was a great family vehicle.

Rav 4 is also good according to reviews but I don't have any personal experience. A lot of people I know that bought these said they looked at the CRV MK2.5 but didn't like the looks so went for the RAV4. This vehicle will also have the spare tyre on the boot door so the boot will open outwards and not upwards.

No idea about the Juke. The only time I have seen one inside is when I went to buy my Qashqai and saw one open in the showroom. The boot is tiny and it didn't really seem like it was built for motorway cruising.

There is also the Suzuki Grand Vitara. These are very reasonably priced so at £6k you most possibly would get more for your money than may be a CRV and Rav4. I have no experience of towing so check the ability to tow but the do a petrol and diesel and I can't imagine these having less power than a CRV or Rav4 as they have more options in the engine range.

If you fancy something with a bigger engine then Jeep do a lovely diesel engine in their Cherokee or a V6 petrol.

silvercar

I drive an auto juke. No problem on the motorway. If you need to put more than one suitcase + 2 holdalls in the boot you will need to take the boot mat out, plenty more space underneath, but need to play tetris to fit things in.