Towcar Awards
The Jaguar XF has been named the overall winner in the Towcar Awards 2012.
The annual event, run by Practical Caravan, in association with The Camping and Caravanning Club and What Car?, is widely regarded as Britain’s toughest test of towcar prowess.
Britain's top towcar is Jaguar's excellent XF 2.2D
The awards for Jaguar follow recent wins by the company in the 2012 What Car? / JD Power car customer satisfaction survey where Jaguar was top car manufacturer and the XF was awarded best executive car.
Volkswagen also triumphed after being awarded four accolades; the Golf for the up to 1424kg category, the Passat Estate for the 1425-1574kg category and the Tiguan for the 1575-1724kg category. The Passat also picked up the much-coveted ‘Green Award’.
The Land Rover Discovery 4 once again reigned supreme as king of the heavyweights, winning the 1900kg+ category.
Now in its sixth year, the Towcar Awards 2012 saw 34 of the latest models hitched to caravans in the quest to find the best. Testing includes thorough examinations of the car’s practicality and dynamic stability assessments. This, combined with the real-life buying and owning information from What Car?, ensures the Towcar Awards delivers definitive verdicts that buyers can trust.
Nigel Donnelly of Practical Caravan said: “The judging process this year was particularly difficult, with really well deserved category winners from Volkswagen and Land Rover. However, it was felt unanimously that the Jaguar XF is just that bit more special. The Jaguar is an outstanding car, whether hooked up for towing or solo. When towing, its stability is unshakeable and at times it’s as if the caravan isn’t there. Its performance during the testing process was exemplary.”
He added: “The judges were also impressed with the vehicle’s fuel economy, with figures suggesting that 52.3 mpg is possible on the official combined cycle. The forecast resale values for the Jaguar XF are promising and in the long term this makes for a very sensible and almost future-proof purchase.”
Robert Louden, the Club’s Director General concluded: “The Towcar Awards is now an established event in the Club’s calendar and we know that the results have become fundamental to campers and caravanners who are in the market for a new towcar. Members of the Club’s technical team are on the judging panel and the first-hand experience they gain each year is invaluable. Hopefully, with our help, people are able to enjoy safe, comfortable and enjoyable motoring as a result.”
