Santa Fe v's Toureg

Ditzy_Mitzy

elantan said:

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

This is somewhat like comparing chalk and cheese.  The Santa Fe is, if memory serves, a jacked up family hatchback with, in 4WD form, some pretentions of being an off-roader.  The Touareg is an endlessly capable, honest and true SUV that is better than the Santa Fe in every conceivable way.  Be aware, however, that the average second hand Touareg will be one breakdown from the scrapyard and that they are immensely expensive to run; how does £300 for a tyre strike you?  

The Touareg, being related to the Porsche Cayenne, is also a high performance car.  Do you need such a thing?  If not, we revert to the Santa Fe; if so, there are probably better things available.  

Thanks Ditzy, 

I totally get what your saying they are two very different cars, surprisingly not as much difference in money as I expected though £33k for the Santa Fe £39 for the Toureg both similar mileage. 

Can you recommend another car to look at ? were looking for something that can pull 2.5 tonne effortlessly with good lumbar support heated seats and steering wheel ( husband has problems with hands and back, heat helps) 

What are you planning to tow, and how often?  2 1/2 tons is heavy, but not beyond the wit of some of the crossovers.  A Forester won't cope with that weight, apparently; they are four wheel drive, but the underpinnings are more car than commercial.  

Is this going to be your only car?  Things may be more easily solved with two vehicles rather than one, if that is an option.  What makes a good towing vehicle: separate chassis, weight and a solid back axle does not make a good car for the road.  If, however, you can run a second vehicle in the capacity of a tractor unit for towing only, the problem becomes easier to solve: buy a double cab pickup or farmer's 4x4 - Shogun, Land Cruiser (expensive), Hilux, Ranger, whatever and also buy whatever you fancy for normal use.  

If one car is the maximum, however, we return to the compromise already discussed.  Big SUVs - Cayenne, Range Rover, Q7, X5, ML - are going to be streets ahead of medium sized ones as they tend to be more truck-like and heavily built.  Smaller stuff often has car underpinnings, so loses on the towing front.  They are the easiest to live with, but the towing capacities tend to be lower and, of course, lighter vehicles have a harder time commanding bigger trailers.

So there we have it: there is no good answer to the question.  Towing vehicles fall into three broad categories, but there are disadvantages to each.  Sorry; wish I could be more help!  Don't know anything about heated steering wheels etc. either; my experience is with older stuff, but the bits about towing are still relevant I hope.  

Check your gross train weights*, too.  I hope you find the right thing!

*dependent on licence you can tow a trailer which weighs more than the towing vehicle.  The combination of the two, however, must not exceed the stated gross train weight (GTW) on the vehicle's plate.  

jimbo6977

Ssangyong Rexton? Long warranty, loads of kit, could pull a train.

Dogbyte009

Kia Sorento? Same platform as the Santa Fe and a longer warranty.

Goudy

So you want to tow a heavy trailer, want it reliable and to last, plenty or room, comfortable that will go anywhere and is tried and tested (by every rebel insurgency since 1951).

What about a Toyota Land Cruiser?

Towing capacity is around one Howitzer or 3000kg.

Flight3287462

Once the weight of the trailer is greater than the weight of the car you need at ask the question who is towing whom?

What manufacturers claim can be towed is not necessarily very sensible.


What are you towing?  (Two 16.2 horses will be about 1200-1300kg plus an Ifor Williams 511 will be 1000kg.)

elantan

Thanks all, sorry have been dealing with family issues 


We have totally discounted the Toureg it's just a bit overkill and over priced, we are still looking at the Santa Fe ( have been for a test drive, liked the car and the drive) 

we had thought about a truck but we have to take family members for hospital appointments etc and they just wouldnt manage getting in and out. 

We looked at the Kia Sorento but I dont think it had the same space ( to be honest all my cars are starting to meld into one now ) 

It's for towing a caravan ( we plan on upgrading as well) and occasional boat 

Flight3287462

Worth reading this and exploring it for options.

https://towcar.info/towing.php

Are you sre your caravan is as heavy as 2,500kg or was that a thumb suck?

diystarter7

elantan said:

Thanks all, sorry have been dealing with family issues 


We have totally discounted the Toureg it's just a bit overkill and over priced, we are still looking at the Santa Fe ( have been for a test drive, liked the car and the drive) 

we had thought about a truck but we have to take family members for hospital appointments etc and they just wouldnt manage getting in and out. 

We looked at the Kia Sorento but I dont think it had the same space ( to be honest all my cars are starting to meld into one now ) 

It's for towing a caravan ( we plan on upgrading as well) and occasional boat 

Hi OP

I hope all is well now

Re truck suv "too high" for that reason the SanteFe IMO is a good buy inc all the gadgets, reliability, and extended warranty and higher than all cars but not as high as proper suv's like my GLS or the Toreaue for that matter.

Sorento is pretty high as well but a lot of car for the money but looks dated inside, the previous versions - but you could add steps to it if you needed

Good luck