by Marcus Dubois and Holly Tribe
2010 was another superb year for the caravan industry with a significant number of new caravan models launched. We felt it important to hear the views and opinions of our readers when creating our first awards. And so we invited Caravan Times readers to put forward their favourite tourers, parks, towcars and dealers of 2010 in the first ever Caravan Times Reader’s Poll.
Throughout the week we’ve been announcing the category winners, and today we look at one of the closest fought battles in our poll – the award for the Caravan Times Reader’s Best Towcar of 2010.
A big thank you for all of your suggestions which covered a range of towcar classes. Despite regular family cars such as the Volkswagen Golf and Fiat Doblo being shortlisted, it was the SUV class which quickly rose to the top. The Land Rover Discovery, Range Rover, Kia Sorento and Kia Sportage all pulled in votes due to superior towing capability and heavier kerbweight.
Range Rover vs Kia Sorento
As votes started to total up quickly, the battle became a straight duel between the Range Rover and the Kia Sorento. Both are large SUVs yet vastly different in price and capability. The Range Rover is a British institution and a remarkable vehicle which exists in a class of its own. It offers limousine-like refinement for such an enormous car, yet boasts superb capability off-road. No 4×4 has such a prestigious image – but cost is always an issue. Even the TDV8 diesel Range Rover has eye-watering running costs.
As such the Kia Sorento may be a coarser vehicle but it boasts a versatility of its own. A fine new diesel engine and six-speed transmission means class-leading economy, and the new suspension mean the Kia also handles like a car rather than a van. And while the towing capacity is less than the old Sorentos the Kia still remains a fantastic towcar.
And so by the narrowest of margins the Kia Sorento was awarded Best Towcar 2010 in the Caravan Times Reader’s Poll.
Kia Sorento: Best Towcar of 2010
Winner of the Caravan Club’s Towcar of the Year Award 2006 the Kia Sorento has become a growing favourite among caravanners over the last few years. Well known for its ability to tow large trailers and caravans, the latest 2011 model Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi KX-3 has a braked towing capacity of 2,500kg. Comfortable for passengers with acres of space for extra luggage, voters may also have praised the Kia for its versatility as a great seven seater family car.
