Practical Caravan tow test – petrol vs diesel

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[Haze]

Towing anything at all... Diesel. One word, torque.

[bosse]

That blue Tiguan is so nice. And I sure would go for the TDI, for all the reasons you mentioned.

[martincole]

Diesel is still the optimum when you need to haul loads, how many petrol trucks are there? Inappropriate choice of diesel vehicles for mostly city use has led to unfair stigmatising. All internal combustion engines are not good for air quality in urban environments. But diesels emit far less CO2 per kilo hauled. Anyway the future is electric, which will lead to its own set of problems.

[leesmith]

I look forward to a video like this about electric cars once affordable ones with towing capability exist. I also wonder how sites will or wont let us charge them from the hook up.

[OwnerOP]

Well Diesel is best. No matter what they say.

[richarddickson]

Its a pity you did not try the new 1.5 tsi 150bhp engine. Think it might have done better in the mpg figures.

[robinwells]

I wonder how long these DSG boxes will last as caravan lugging beasts. I suspect big problems ahead.

[slava_trushkin]

Petrol engines have been improving by becoming smaller and getting more out of those small engines. They are not suitable for towing because they are not powerful enough. Big engines needed for towing are not economical at all, I wouldn't buy one even without towing. 1.5 times difference in fuel consumption is not going to get better.

[davidmbell]

Dubious as to the estimated future value of the diesel... can only get worse the way they're being stigmatised. People would have to weigh up the amount they actually tow, if commuting is primary, and towing every so often, I think as a drivers car, petrol would clinch it.

[JimMadden]

I own a 2018 Tiguan here in Canada and when I mentioned anything to do with towing, they said the max capacity is 1500lbs, which is roughly 680kg. Are they really that different overseas?!

[colintindale]

Can not understand why they did not use the 190 diesel which is a closer matched power wise to the petrol and the engine most people would choose to tow a caravan. Most people who i know that have bought a Tiguan including myself have bought the 190 diesel.

[alltechthings]

the gasoline with dsg had an advantage in the 30-60

[ulsterprodspb]

It sounded like you where flooring the petrol

[volt]

In the 60s they towed heavy vans with 48 bhp

[sparkmeister]

Can we have a fair test next time. 185bhp diesel against the petrol, both with a DSG.

[laddie-]

Top spec petrol compared against mid tier diesel

[michaeldooley]

Not a fair test. The diesel had you changing gear. The petrol had a dsg 7 selecting the most accurate rev to change. The dsg 7 is better and more efficient at selecting the right gear on the test

[tudorino]

I tow a 1500kg food truck with a Rav 4 2.0 petrol. The torque is not the best... It suffers... It has only 198 nm with 158 hp. I need a diesel. The same rav 4 2.2 diesel has 348nm.

[eddieharris]

This test is void should both be manual or auto, diesel engines are cleaner now than they have ever been just look up a diesel exhaust pipe squeaky clean.

[Maxsdiscos]

I didn't think it was legal to TOW at 60MPH on a single carriageway road, unless it has been signed as 60 or higher.