double post … or we bought two !!
41mpg towing? Aye right! 
emmerson2:
waynedl:
41mpg towing… Must run on fairy dustI must admit that I find even 31mpg a bit hard to believe, never mind 41mpg!
I used to get early - mid 30’s out of my Nissan Tino 2.2 Diesel towing my van, and it was a great towing vehicle on a run, BUT the turbo didn’t kick in till around 1100rpm, so setting off felt like you were torturing the clutch.
Got rid and got a BMW 530D Estate with the ‘self levelling suspension’, now this thing tows anything anywhere, 2t tow limit, but with 1.9t horse and horsebox on the back, it went up through Kendle hills up the M6 at 60mph, however, 25mpg is a decent run with the van on the back
kerbut:
but the fuel consumption is crap ,its only doing 31.7 mpg towing ,its booked in to go on the computer to see if there is a fault as it should be doing 41 mpg.
I didn’t phrase that very well, it should have read 31.7 towing ,41mpg according to the book not towing, but looking on the Kia owners website not many get 41mpg.
I can squeeze 30 mpg out of my diesel Audi without too much effort but my wobbler is a small 4 berth and on the lighter end of the scale.
I got meself a 730d but it has no tow bar and don’t fancy spending another few hundred quid getting another one fitted so will have to use the diesel Passat, but going by the Caravan Club surveys they are the best for towing anyway. Would have been nice to use the BM though 
I can get high 50’s on normal type runs solo with the Passat so wonder what I would get towing the van at a ton & a half ?
raymundo:
I got meself a 730d but it has no tow bar and don’t fancy spending another few hundred quid getting another one fitted so will have to use the diesel Passat, but going by the Caravan Club surveys they are the best for towing anyway. Would have been nice to use the BM though
Don’t always believe what is said on these ‘surveys’, there’s a lot of thicko’s around, for years 4x4’s were voted the best until they started rolling down the motorway.
Don’t get me wrong, never had many issues with front wheel drive towing, but then my van wasn’t a ton and a half - are you sure the Passat is rated that high ■■
But, taking the wobble box up to Loch Lomond in Sep and there was a steep up hill with a sharp right bend on it (see link at bottom), with the BMW and all the weight pulling us backwards, it was brilliant, just pure traction and torque made it easy, however at the same time, I was thinking how I’d have hated to do that same corner / hill in a front wheel drive vehicle, I suspect it would’ve resulted in quite a bit of wheelspin and burnt rubber.
My diesel estate does over 55mpg solo, put the caravan on the back though and that figure drops to the mid thirties. 
I drive sensibly but swiftly with the caravan on the back, but aint dumb enough to try overtaking where there bollards in the middle of the road.
Max towing for my Passat is 1500kg but 1338 kg at 85%.