Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2012 winners announced
The Volkswagen Jetta Sport 2.0TDI DSG has been awarded the accolade of The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2012.
The Volkswagen Jetta Sport 2.0TDI DSG took the top honour in its price Class and went on to be voted overall winner of the twenty-ninth Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Competition. It was judged the winner by a panel of 11 judges who applauded its suave design, its practicality as a caravanning family car and its great performance when towing in a variety of situations.
Held, as in previous years, at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, the Competition attracted 30 entrants.
Class wins in the Competition also went to the Škoda Superb Estate Elegance 2.0 DSG and the Volkswagen Touareg Escape 3.0 V6 TDI.
From these Class winners the sleek, stylish and very capable Volkswagen Jetta Sport emerged as the overall victor.
The results of the Competition were announced at The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Awards ceremony at the Royal Automobile Club in London on 21 September.
Special guest, former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert, attended the testing regime at Millbrook and then presented the prized Class awards to representatives from the winning manufacturers at the Awards ceremony.
Johnny Herbert says, "It was a real eye-opener being at Millbrook seeing all the cars being put through their paces, they really are put to the towing test."
Grenville Chamberlain, Caravan Club Chairman, commented, "The Club extends its congratulations to all the winners in this Competition. Special plaudits go to the terrific Volkswagen Jetta, it really is a great vehicle and it proved itself time and time again with the judges during testing."
Where, When and How…
Testing took place in August at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, arguably the best car testing facility in the country. This year 30 cars were divided into three price Classes and two All-Wheel Drive categories (under 1800kg and over 1800kg); on the basis that anyone thinking about buying a new car will first consider their budget.
Manufacturers were invited to submit for testing any cars that were new launches in the period 1 August 2010 to 30 September 2011, or existing models that had been substantially modified (eg new engine, different transmission etc). The Caravan Club also invites the previous year's overall winner to submit its car for re-testing.
The cars entered are carefully scrutineered to make sure they conform to the exact specification declared on the entry documentation. Track tests, using six expert drivers, assess each car's towing ability as well as acceleration, braking and the ability to cope with demanding hill starts. Another team of four 'caravanability' judges makes a careful assessment of each entrant's usability in terms of everyday caravanning. Will it carry a set of awning poles, for instance, and do you have to get on your hands and knees to connect the caravan electrics?
All caravans used during testing were supplied by Bailey of Bristol and loaded to 85% of the relevant car's kerbweight. Noseweights are set at the car manufacturer's recommended limit, 5-7% of the caravan's running weight or the maximum stipulated weight for the caravan coupling head, whichever is lowest.
