Volvo pull off Towcar Award with excellent all rounder

The 4X4 Volvo XC60 D5 SE Geartronic has beaten tough competition to be awarded overall winner in the third annual Towcar Awards, as judged by experts from What Car?, Practical Caravan and The Camping and Caravanning Club.

Record numbers of towing vehicles are expected on the roads this summer due to Brits deciding to have a ‘staycation' as they tighten their belts. An extra five million Brits are expected to holiday in the UK this year instead of their usual overseas trip.

"With over £1 billion annually spent on towing cars, there is a real thirst for unbiased buying advice. Consumers want to buy a great towing car that works for their holiday - when they are towing a tonne and a half of wood, metal and plastic. It also has to work in real life, on the daily commute, weekly shop and school run too as well as making sense financially. The Volvo XC60 does all this and more," said Practical Caravan editor Nigel Donnelly.

The Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI 140 SE 5dr picked up two awards, the first for the under 1425 kg category and also the much coveted Green Award with judges praising its towing abilities, on road practicalities as well as being good value, yielding low C02 and maintaining high residual values.

British built Jaguar XF was awarded the ‘Money No Object Award' for the 3.0 Diesel S Premium Luxury model with judges praising its effortless, quick and rock-solid towing abilities making every journey special to drive or travel in.

The 39 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:

Under 1425kg	Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI 140 SE 5dr	*GREEN AWARD*
1425kg-1574kg	Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi Zetec 2WD
1575kg-1724kg	Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI 170 4X4 Elegance
1725kg-1899kg	Ford S-Max 2.2 TDCi Titanium
1900kg +	Volvo XC60 D5 SE Geartronic	*OVERALL WINNER*
Money No Object	Jaguar XF 3.0 Diesel S Premium Luxury.