Got a burning caravanning question? Ask one of our team on the email address below!
QARE THERE ANY BUDGET CARS?
I’ve been towing with a Dacia Duster diesel 4x4 for the past four years and touring for 20 years. I’ve been thinking of changing to a newer Duster, or possibly another budget 4x4, but the price of new cars is getting silly! There seems to be hardly anything on the market that costs less than £25,000 and will tow our 2019 Bailey Phoenix 440. Which cars would you recommend?
Clive Barrett
David Motton replies…
Like many other products, new cars have been getting more and more expensive as inflation remains high.
It doesn’t help that brands which used to cater for the budget buyer have steadily moved upmarket.
Dacia has largely cornered the value-for-money end of the market, although SsangYong also undercuts several of its mainstream competitors.
The SsangYong Korando 1.5 petrol manual is priced from £22,190. It has a 1505kg kerbweight and a 1500kg maximum towing figure.
If your Bailey is loaded to its MTPLM of 1316kg, that makes it an 87% match. Yes, this is a little heavier than ideal, but still acceptable for an experienced tow car driver.
Prices of the Duster diesel 4x4 now start from £24,445. It has a kerbweight of 1480kg (including 75kg for the driver not included in Dacia’s published kerbweight), so your Bailey would be an 89% match. Again, that’s heavier than ideal, but as you are an experienced driver and have been towing with an older version of the same model for four years, it shouldn’t be a problem.
The Dacia’s diesel engine is better suited to towing than the SsangYong’s petrol, and the Dacia has four-wheel drive, whereas the base-spec Korando is two-wheel drive.
I find it hard to look beyond another Dacia Duster.
QSAFE ACCESS TO A CARAVAN ROOF
We have been caravanning for 30 years and continue to love it, but my health isn’t what it was – I get nervous when using a ladder to access the sides and roof for cleaning now. Are there any alternatives that I can use to help me get to the top of my caravan without having to risk life and limb while doing so?
David Frame
Sarah Wakely replies…
There certainly are, David, and we’d recommend that every reader takes as much care as possible when
