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Ford Mondeo Estate Britain’s best towcar

19th June 2008 Print
Ford Mondeo Estate

The Ford Mondeo Estate 2.0 TDCi Titanium auto has beaten tough competition to be awarded overall winner in the second annual Towcar Awards, as judged by experts from What Car?, Practical Caravan and The Camping and Caravanning Club.

The 53 cars tested in this year’s awards, the UK’s largest and most rigorous towcar testing programme, were put through their paces for their towing ability and a host of other qualities including driving performance when not towing, practicality, value for money and safety.

To help buyers choose the right match for their caravan or trailer, the cars were judged in five categories by kerbweight. The category winners are:

Category Up to 1425 kg
Model Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi Titanium 5dr
List Price £18,550
What Car? Target Price £15,981

Category 1425-1574 kg
Model VW Golf Estate 2.0 TDI SE
List Price £18,085
What Car? Target Price £16,996

Category 1575-1724 kg
Model Ford Mondeo Estate 2.0 TDCi Titanium auto
List Price £22,855
What Car? Target Price £20,507

Category 1725-1900 kg
Model Jaguar XJ 2.7 TDVi Sport Premium
List Price £51,542
What Car? Target Price £41,772

Category Over 1900 kg
Model Land Rover Discovery TDV6 HSE auto
List Price £45,000
What Car? Target Price £41,772

The following cars were Highly Recommended within their categories: Ford C-Max (Budget Choice), Kia Sportage 2.0 CRDi Titan 4WD (Best Compact 4x4) and the Audi Q7 4.2 TDI Quattro S-line (Money-no-object), while the Peugeot 207 SW HDi 110 Sport took the Green Award.

What Car?’s editor, Steve Fowler, said: “The standard of towcars tested was higher than ever, yet the overall winner was a clear decision. The Mondeo is not just a great towcar, it’s also a great car when there isn’t a caravan or a trailer hitched to the back. It’s comfortable, spacious, good to drive and affordable.”

Nigel Donnelly, Editor of Practical Caravan, said: “Practical Caravan readers have known for years that buying a great car is no guarantee that you’re buying a great towcar. Thanks to the Towcar Awards, we feel that Britain’s towcar buyers are better informed than ever about which cars deliver the combination of value, practicality, economy and ability that they want.”

Only cars which received the thumbs up from What Car?’s expert road testers as having true towing promise were selected for the week-long test programme –they also had to be good to drive solo and to live with.

Vehicles were put through a series of specially devised tests for stability, hill starts, acceleration and braking, and practicality. These took place at the Motor Industry Research Centre (MIRA) in Warwickshire.

Matthew Eastlake, Director of Marketing and Communications for The Camping and Caravanning Club said: “It is essential that consumers have all the relevant information at their fingertips in order to make an informed decision about the purchase of a new vehicle, especially when a considerable amount of money is at stake. This awards programme is the largest of its kind and is instrumental in opening up the minefield of information about not only the best cars for towing but also the best all round vehicles.

The Club welcomes the results and is thrilled to be part of these awards.”

Around 400,000 households each year choose their new car on the basis of its towing ability – this equates to an annual spend of over £1bn on new cars used for towing.

The kerbweight of a car is the unladen weight with allowances for a driver and fuel.

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Ford Mondeo Estate