Your Questions Answered: Can I tow a caravan without huge fuel bills?

My wife and I are planning on doing some touring with a caravan soon. We have friends doing a big caravan trip with a Ford Everest V6, but their diesel costs seem pretty high. We currently have a Peugeot 2008 diesel, great for around town and economical, but it’s getting on and obviously can’t tow much. We’d like something suitable for towing and town use to replace the 2008, maybe a bit bigger but not a large SUV, maybe hybrid or EV. We are not going off-road, so 4x4 isn’t necessary. We haven’t bought a van yet, but are looking at something weighing around 2000kg tops. So can you recommend a tow vehicle less than $60K that is going to work for big towing trips with 2000kg behind it as well as an economical car for when we’re at home? - Gerry

Answer: Hey Gerry, that’s a really good question, but it is also a hard ask.

The highest towing capacity you’ll get with any new small SUV is 1200-1500kg, and some of those have restrictions on what caravan they can tow not only because of limited maximum towing capacity, but because of their low towball download maximum (typically around 75kg).

For a SUV that has reasonable economy, while still able to tow up to 2000kg, you’d realistically have to step up to a medium or large SUV.

There are no such EVs in your price range that have 2000kg towing capacity as yet (as well as a suitable towing range), so you’re limited to large hybrids such as the Toyota Kluger (which starts at $62,410 plus on-road costs, just above your spend limit).

Then there’s the petrol Subaru Outback (also classed as a large SUV), but it’s petrol-only. If you can get a lighter van, the petrol (not hybrid) Subaru Forester medium SUV can tow 1800kg (with 180kg towball down weight).

Even with these SUVs above, you’d have to allow for up to about 14L/100km towing in a worst case scenario, and in traffic (that is, driving in urban areas not towing) up to 10L/100km.

I’ve bought a new BYD Dolphin, and so far so good, but I have heard about problems generally with the 12V battery in EVs. Should I upgrade the one in my Dolphin as a precaution? I don’t want to get stuck because the small battery has failed. - Fred

Answer: Hi Fred, this is a well-documented issue with some EVs. While an EV relies on a large (typically lithium) main battery pack to power the electric motor(s), it also uses a conventional (often lead-acid) 12-volt battery.

This 12-volt battery powers the EV’s computers and supervises the activation of the high-voltage battery. It also powers ancillary items such as door locking, lights, dash and so on.

The 12-volt battery is topped up as required by the main battery via a DC to DC charger within the vehicle. If the lead-acid battery starts to fail (such as not holding charge or a dropped cell), it can cause sporadic faults or shut the whole system down, even if there is adequate charge in the high-voltage battery.

You can get the 12-volt battery health checked by a technician to see if its CCA (Cold Cranking Amps, a bit of a misnomer for EVs) and state of charge is still within spec.

If the existing battery has failed and is a lead-acid type, an absorbed glass mat (AGM) battery may be a more suitable, stable replacement.

I’m thinking about upgrading to a new small SUV, but would prefer a manual. I know manual cars are hard to get now. What can you recommend I buy, other than a Suzuki Jimny? It’s just a bit too small, a bit expensive, and I don’t need to go off-road. I’ll drive it on dirt roads, that’s about all. - Derek

Answer: As you’ve suggested, Derek, the issue here is that manual transmission vehicles are not offered much anymore – not only for SUVs, but for any vehicle on the market.

For small SUVs, there are only three models available with a manual transmission: as you pointed out, the Suzuki Jimny, the Hyundai Venue (both classed as light SUVs) or Renault Duster (small SUV).

Given you mentioned you’re not interested in the Jimny, that leaves the Hyundai (only available as a manual in base spec) with a $25,990 drive-away offer at present, while the Renault (manual only in 4x4 models) starts at $35,990 plus on-road costs for the Evolution, or $37,990 for the upper-spec Techno.

The Hyundai is smaller, cheaper, and more basic. The Renault is a little better equipped but is about $10K more expensive. There might be deals to be done on remaining 2025 Duster stock.

The Hyundai will likely enjoy better resale value and has a bigger dealer network for servicing or warranty work. The Renault is bigger, so roomier, and will be more fun to drive.

Even if you just drive on dirt roads, its supple suspension and all-wheel drive allow better grip and is also a good safety feature even for sealed roads.

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