We are currently on our second Superb which tows 'superbly!' but is diesel. It's that time when we need to look at our next tow car, we're thinking of moving away from diesel and noticed that there is a Superb hybrid. Has anyone towed with one? Or recommendations for a different hybrid estate. We prefer estates and we have 2 dogs and find the boot capacity is better than in a 4X4.
When we do tow, its usually for at least 100 miles and then we do (hopefully, next year) the long trip down to the south of France.
Any comments gratefully received...we know that we need to move away from diesel but are the current(no pun intended) batteries up to the job?
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It's not just about the distance you need to tow with a Hybrid but the UK infrastructure as a whole and the lack of investment. Many of the re-charging points are out of order which can add many hours of misery waiting for rescue to re-charge the vehicle batteries. I would remain with a diesel because they are not only cheaper to buy new but guaranteed to reach your destination every time in one go without needing any stop-off's along the way.
Gailbonney I can tell you my view on plug in hybrids as I have one ( I know nothing about the vw ones)
Mine is a bmw 330e which you can also get the estate version of, it’s got a electric range of up to 40 miles and a 2 LTR petrol engine, combined these equate to 290 bhp. It’s tow limit is 1500 kgs.
Considering it’s the most powerful car I’ve ever had I actually drive it the most sensible as for some reason hybrids really change your driving style.
I used to put around £50 a week in my Mondeo diesel in this bmw I use around £10/£15 a month. I use mine in full electric to get me to and from work so never use petrol.
When I’m on a longer journey I flick into
Hybrid and I get around 65mpg combined.
I haven’t towed with mine as I bought a car to use as a tow car,
I was on a Caravan club site last week where a guy had his Tesla plugged into the standard caravan socket charging his car. I charge my car on a standard 3pin plug I also have the fast charge cable which can be used at loads of supermarkets etc for free
Many people are saying they would like to move from petrol/diesel to electric/hybride as "it`s good for the environment". Really?
Quite apart from the argument on the energy and pollution involved in making these cars, what do they think happens to the vehicles they trade in? Unless they scrap them and not sell them on they will continue to emit whatever they do albeit in someone elses hands. Virtue signalling at its best.
I don`t decry anyone wanting a new car, but still don`t understand the "need" to move away from diesel or petrol if that is the most effective way of moving themseleves and their goods from A to B?
I recently had to swap my car as it had reached the end of its useful (for me) life and viewed as being beyond economic repair. Neither electric nor hybrid would have worked for me, hence another diesel. If a hybrid/electric would have been best I would have gone for one for that reason and that only.
I have heard that the price of used diesels is going through the roof,
Possibly because folks are holding onto them, resulting in a scarcity on
the used market, I have had my Ford Kuga deisel for about three and half
years, The prices of them now is amost the same as when I purchased it.
Like others have said there is no way that I will sell it.
If I was wealthy I would buy an electric car for my general running about and keep a diesel as a tow-car. As I can only afford to buy and run one vehicle I will just run my diesel X Trail because it can do everything I want it to do. If something should cause it to be damaged beyond economic repair, I would simply go out and look for another one the same.
Quote: Originally posted by dimbles on 07/11/2021
I have heard that the price of used diesels is going through the roof,
Possibly because folks are holding onto them, resulting in a scarcity on
the used market, I have had my Ford Kuga deisel for about three and half
years, The prices of them now is amost the same as when I purchased it.
Like others have said there is no way that I will sell it.
The price of any second hand vehicle is through the roof, don’t forget production lines have been halfed at best for the last 18 months.
Waiting times for new cars are up to 12 months.
Some Static caravan manufacturers are taking orders well into 2023 now
Quote: Originally posted by JuanHuNose on 07/11/2021
Many people are saying they would like to move from petrol/diesel to electric/hybride as "it`s good for the environment". Really?
Quite apart from the argument on the energy and pollution involved in making these cars, what do they think happens to the vehicles they trade in? Unless they scrap them and not sell them on they will continue to emit whatever they do albeit in someone elses hands. Virtue signalling at its best.
True but eventually they will
Be scrapped that’s the circle of life for a car
I don`t decry anyone wanting a new car, but still don`t understand the "need" to move away from diesel or petrol if that is the most effective way of moving themseleves and their goods from A to B?
£190 a month saving over diesel is a huge number. Lots of people never actually buy their own car the pcp/ personal lease them, with this kind of saving would go along way to paying for the car, making a conventional car uneconomical
Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 06/11/2021
It's not just about the distance you need to tow with a Hybrid but the UK infrastructure as a whole and the lack of investment. Many of the re-charging points are out of order which can add many hours of misery waiting for rescue to re-charge the vehicle batteries. I would remain with a diesel because they are not only cheaper to buy new but guaranteed to reach your destination every time in one go without needing any stop-off's along the way.
Tango we are talking hybrids on this post, these have diesel or petrol engines combined with electric, so you’ve less chance of running out, as when you run out of petrol you should still have some electric as they self charge.
Some hybrids are mild hybrids which have batteries just to run the car’s electrics making them more fuel efficient, these cars actually turn off and coaster on motorways whilst they charge there batteries
We won’t be able to buy new diesel, petrol or hybrid cars after 2030, though I read that some hybrids (models not specified in the article) may get a few years extension. I’m not convinced there’ll be a full range of electric MH models by 2030 though - are there any hybrids yet?
Our diesel Škoda Superb estate is 10 years old & we have a good independent garage which keep running costs down. Its only issue is the Sat Nav, which can’t find the satellites & so we are currently in the North Sea. We’ll keep it going for now as it’s cheaper than buying a newer one.
The Skoda Superb is mechanically identical to the VW Passat, the plug-in hybrid version of which was a class winner at this year's Tow Car awards and is also highly rated by Practical Caravan magazine. So provided your caravan isn't massively heavy, there's no reason to suppose that the Skoda won't tow it just fine. It won't quite be as good as the diesel, but probably good enough.
There is a big advantage to having a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) if you do a lot of short journeys and are able to charge the car at home overnight, because this enables you to make many of the journeys on electric power alone - thus saving a fortune in fuel. However, for those occasions when you do need to make a longer journey, and/or tow a caravan, you have a petrol engine to fall back on so range anxiety isn't an issue.
However, you should not automatically assume that you "need" to move away from diesel unless your motoring needs are similar to the above. PHEVs cost significantly more to buy than petrol or diesel, so it could take you a long time to recoup those savings if you have a low total mileage. On the other hand, if you do a lot of long motorway journeys, the MPG will inevitably plummet as the petrol engine has to cope with the job of moving the extra weight of the batteries around. So in either of these situations, diesel could still be the best answer for you.
Another issue, which only I seem to be concerned about is that you can't buy a PHEV with a spare wheel in it, because the batteries take up all the space. It's become something of a standing joke that I'll get a puncture whilst on holiday - it's happened 3 times in the last 4 years. Most recently it was in the New Forest, where the local tyre depot couldn't fit me in for another 2 days ("there are a lot of tourists getting punctures").
Since I had a spare, that was fine. But if I hadn't, I'd have been without a car. Yes, you can call on your breakdown cover but all they'll do is either take you home - not great - or drop you off at the nearest tyre place. And if they're busy, or closed, you're still stuck.
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Topic: Skoda Superb hybrid
via mobile 06/11/2021 at 10:11pm
