Sunday, May 02, 2010 at 20:45
Jason,
I have a Golden Eagle caravan (15'6" internal) with a tare of 1,320kg.
In 2008, my wife and I set off for a trip from
Bathurst to
Darwin,
Cairns and back, a round trip of approx 14,000 kilometres.
The van had an ATM of 1,620kg, allowing for a load of 300kg, a load we struggled to keep under.
Our tow vehicle for this trip was a 2008 Captiva SX manual diesel, which had a tow capacity of 2,000kg and more significantly, had the self-levelling rear
suspension.
The Captiva performed faultlessly,except for a failed throttle sensor in
Darwin (fixed under warranty) but there were three issues that we felt made the vehicle unsuitable for long term touring:
1) First gear was not low enough to provide for confidence when performing multiple
hill starts,
2) The fuel tank capacity of 65 litres (if I remember correctly) makes for very frequent fuel stops. We averaged 13.86 litres/100 klms when towing and carried two fuel jerry cans on the van, and
3) The spacesaver spare tyre effectively means that you do not a spare at all. This is because you cannot use it to replace a failed front tyre as this is the principal driving tyre (the Captiva is essentially front wheel drive) and you cannot use it on the rear as the tyre cannot support the weight of the car and towball. Also, while the spacesaver is rated to 80km/hr, I also understand that the tyre is only good for a distance of approx 80 kilometres, not much use in the Australian back country!
Jason, not putting the car down, we travelled 14,000 kiloemtres in nine weeks and my wife's and my back never once complained about all the driving, fantastic ergonomics, just not a towing proposition.
Peter F.
AnswerID:
415144