Tow Car of the year 2024 - up market?

I wonder if any of the judges who thought EV tow cars were a good idea actually considered the true range of the vehicle whist towing (50% reduction seems to be the norm) or tried to find somewhere to recharge whist hitched. On motorways unhitching seems to be the only solution but not all service areas have access between caravan parking and charging bays.  

I think it would be hugely beneficial for the club to give guidance on range or economy while towing with an EV, though I can (partially) understand why they don't. The reason being, it's so dependent on what you tow.

For me (for what it's worth) I get between 130 and 140 miles from 100% to 0% while towing our 1550kg Bailey Unicorn S3 Vigo. Thats a drop from the normal 190-210 solo. The new version of the Polestar (82kWh) could probably achieve closer to 160-170 on a single charge. 

I am not sure that the TCotY awards are the right place to judge locations for charging while towing, but its a topic I would want and expect the club to take a view on. For example - to start and maintain a list of locations where tow through charging is possible, and at least for MCAs, where unhitch towing is possible and where unhitch towing is not possible. It would also be great if they could engage with MCAs on members behalf to improve charging wile towing facilities - I feel a letter to the magazine coming on...

Does anyone know who pays for the Towar of the Year event? I hope it's not us camc members.

Its all a bit of nonsense anyway, dominated over past years by VAG group cars. Just depends which manufacturer chooses to enter a vehicle. Also mostly now devoid of the useful information needed to make a decision like realistic towing range or technical stats which used to be included. Its not like the past when some cars were very iffy on power and torque and some stability / safety margins were questionable. But is does look like a fun day out for all concerned.

Whilst I believe such reviews or awards should have an aspirational element to them, they should also have a strong element of realism or relevance to the majority of the readership.

Unfortunately the works in question fall far short of what the normal club member find relevant or useful. 

They are also sadly lacking in the technical content they should hold contain, that would make them of any real use to members when it comes to choosing there next vehicle.

In short the reviews are a useless waste of time, space and expense. It is a disgrace that the club should associate itself with such a farce.

Colin

 Sponsored by Bailey?

Yes, though it's hard to see what Bailey gets out of it really.

It's more like advertising for the car manufacturers. Perhaps they have to pay to enter their car into the competition.

I'm guessing that Bailey only provide the caravans, which is a good bit of publicity on their part. Product placement.

I spoke with 3 club representatives at the NEC Stand last week and asked about their Tow Car of The Year published results, and the lack of detail about the cars in practical terms regarding their endurance whilst towing and their through-life costs with respect to battery-life and replacement costs. None had anything of value to offer, and two simply shrugged their shoulders.

Albeit disappointed I was not really that surprised. Looking forward to the magazine containing the test results to be come through the letter-box... but then again, maybe not.