Ford Focus 2.0 TDCI
Voted by many caravan and motoring magazines as the best small towcar of 2008 the Focus really is hard to beat. As a drivers car the Focus has always been a top contender recieving heaps of praise from motoring pundits over all its incarnations, the fact that it is a very accomplished towcar however, came as a suprise to many.

The place where most smaller cars fall down on towing tests is the lane change manouver, the low eight of the tow car frequently causes some instability, but the Ford Focus changes direction neatly and accurately whether towing or solo. In addition the strong2.0 turbodiesel engine fitted to the Focus is near perfect for towing caravans on holiday, with 133bhp and 236lb ft of torque the Focus makeslight work of towing even uphill and provides some power in reserve for overtaking. At a cruise the diesel unit is quiet and smooth which is exactly what you want on a long drive to a caravan park!

Skoda Fabia Estate 1.9TDI
Although the Fabia is a small car overall this estate version has a truly enormous boot for its class, 480 litres even before putting the seats down mean you can carry all t your camping and caravanning accessories with room to spare. Running costs are another area where the Skoda trumps the opposition, a list price of just #13,875 means it undercuts all main rivals by around #2-3,000 and the Skoda brand has ranked very high in JD customer satisfaction surveys in recent years so you are not getting an inferior product, you are simply paying less! On the downside the VW/Audi 1.9TDI diesel unit is a little grumbly compared to many latest generation diesel engines, however it becomes all but inaudible at a steady cruise and provides plenty of grunt for towing.

VW Golf 1.9TDI Match
The ever popular Golf hatchback in its latest form is a fine car whether used for towing or not,an accomplished all rounder it exudes a certain understated class without the negative connations of (say) a BMW. Voted by What car and Practical Caravan as the small towcar of the year in 2007 the Volkswagon Golf makes a lot of sense as a towcar, comfortable roomy and classy interior, composed handling and good refinement, along with the excellent (if slightly noisy) 1.9TDI diesel engine, make this a great little towcar for lightweight touring caravans.

For more information and guides on Caravanning in Devon please visit Caravan Holidays Devon for park reviews, caravan tests, tips and articles.

Volkswagon Estate 2.0TDI SE
Perhaps not the most exciting car in the world, but never the less one of the great all rounders. Does everything pretty well and nothing badly. First of all its a good load carrier with a 505 litre boot even with seats up with a low loading lip and a handy 12V socket, if more room is required seats are easy to fold giving over 1500 litres of capacity. When towing remains impressively stable and the newer VW/Audi groups 2.0TDI is both more refined and more powerful than the venerable 1.9TDI. Fuel economy is good with a combined figure of over 50mpg solo and around 30mpg when towing a light caravan. With a recommended towing weight of 85% you can safely tow up to 1255kg which oaffords a good choice of touring caravans.

Ford C-Max TDCI Titanium
Essentially a MPV version of the Ford Focus (a seriously good small towcar), as expected the C-max is also a great towcar although if wallet allows we would plump for the 2.0tDCI over the 1.6TDCI. The 1.6TDCI list price starts from £18,550 but as always Ford sale staff are happy to talk discounts and with a bit of haggling you can easily get the price down to a much more reasonable £16,000. The C-Max is a good drive solo or towing with precise handling and slick gearbox and brakes, the interior has plenty of space for driver and passengers along with good stowage for odds and ends in the cabin, add in a dash mounted gearchange and you have a very keen driving MPV.

Kia Ceed SW 2.0 CRDI Sport
The Ceed hatchback was an impressive development for KIA and this estate version (station wagon or SW) has a more powerful2.0 diesel engine and is even more impressive. A large and practical boot with easy access and a comfortable, modern interior, high standards of build quality and good safety, the Kia Ceed SW 2.0 CRDI really has everything you need if you are looking to tow a light touring caravan – but at an affordable price, just £16,395 on the road and thats before any discount is negociated with sales staff. Perhaps not as classy as the Golf or C-Max it is never the less well built and promises to be reliable.

Any of the above vehicles will be a great asset on your caravan holidays in the Uk or abroad!

There are many factors to consider when choosing a good towcar, one of which is the reality that most of the time you wont be towing with the car but instead driving solo, so a good towcar first of all has to be a good everyday car as very few of us will have the luxury of purchasing a vehicle just for towing!

Probably the first consideration should be load lugging ability, this is governed by the cars weight and the engines pulling power. Invariably the best tow cars are modern turbodiesels with plenty of low down torque. As for maximun towing weight it is recommended, despite what the figures in the car manual might say, that you do not exceed 85% ofvehivle gross weight.

The second factor is the stability of the vehicle when towing under braking, acceleration and cornering or lane changing. Good towcars are tested using accelerometers to measure G forces acting upon the caravans and the test cars to check  for dangerous or alarming instability or weaving.

Then consider the practicality of the car, factors such as size of boot, availability of 12V sockets, mirrors that will easily accept extensions and oddments stowage in cabin.

Good sources of information to help you choose a good towing vehicle are caravan holidays UK, Practical caravan and the Camping and Caravanning Club.