The best SUVs for towing

If someone was to come up with the ideal template for a car you’d use for towing, then an SUV would likely be it. That’s because they’re usually spacious, have strong engines, and are often four-wheel drive.

To help you choose the perfect vehicle for your needs, carwow has worked out the definitive list of the top 10 best SUVs for towing.

• Land Rover Discovery
• Range Rover Sport
• Volkswagen Touareg
• Land Rover Defender
• Audi Q7
• BMW X5
• Mercedes GLE
• Porsche Cayenne
• Skoda Kodiaq
• Volkswagen Tiguan

Take a look at the pulling power of these awsome SUVs

Land Rover Discovery

There’s a few reasons you often see a Land Rover Discovery hitched up to a horse box. For a start they’re enormous inside, so can take all your equestrian/holiday stuff with ease, and it can carry seven people when needed. Sure… when all seven seats are in use, the boot is small. Still, the 3.0-litre diesel is strong, and Discovery has the sort of off-road skills that a mountain goat would find impressive, so manoeuvring on wet grass should be no problem.

Range Rover Sport

The Range Rover Sport may not exactly live up to the Sport part of its name, but it is a cracking SUV that will be up to towing anything short of a cross-channel ferry. The engines are all strong and refined, and the four-wheel-drive system makes short work of anything short of a wall. The interior is luxurious and roomy for five, although the optional two rearmost seats are definitely for kids only.

Volkswagen Touareg

Buy a VW Touareg and you’ll be getting a bit of a bargain. Yes, it seems odd to describe a car that starts at £46k as such, but compared with its rivals it represents great value. There’s loads of space for five adults but there’s no seven-seat option. Still, the boot is big enough to take everything you can’t fit in the caravan. The 3.0-litre diesel engine makes short work of towing, and there’s even an optional four-wheel-steering system for extra manoeuvrability.

Land Rover Defender

The chunky Tonka Toy-style looks isn’t a case of form over function with the Land Rover Defender. It is an extremely capable car whether you’re pulling a trailer across a muddy field or caravan along an A-Road. It’s only a five-seater, mind you, and top spec models are quite expensive – we’re talking nearly £80k here.

Audi Q7

Luxury is undoubtedly the Audi Q7’s game, so it comes with a beautiful, high-tech cabin made from some of the finest materials available. It also has seven seats as standard and a vast luggage area when the two rearmost seats are folded into the boot floor. The air suspension makes life comfortable, and the engines (which feature mild-hybrid technology) won’t give hauling a heavy trailer a second thought.

BMW X5

If you want an SUV that will make mincemeat out of towing a heavy trailer, and then put a proper grin on your face when unhitched, then the BMW X5 is that car. The cabin, too, is guaranteed to make you feel good, with sumptuous materials everywhere and a vast array of technology to ease each journey. The 3.0-litre diesel is the best engine for towing because of its punch and economy, and is ably backed up by the slick-shifting automatic gearbox.

Mercedes GLE

There’s no denying that the Mercedes GLE is a bit of a looker, but its talents run deep. If you tow regularly, the best engine option is the 400d, which has loads of low-rev pulling power, and is pretty economical too. It seats five in decent comfort, although the two third-row seats are definitely for only kids, really. One caveat – you’d be wise to choose the optional air suspension because the ride’s too firm without it.

Porsche Cayenne

In essence, the Porsche Cayenne is more like a sports car with a tremendous view out. So, you’re enveloped in a driver-focused interior that’s made from beautiful trims, and all the controls give you the feeling of being in something truly sporting. There’s no diesel option these days, so the 3.0-litre V6 is the Cayenne of choice for those who tow, because even though it’s the entry engine it still gives the car real torque and economy. Yes, there are only five seats, but the boot behind them is truly vast.

Skoda Kodiaq

You’ll really like the Skoda Kodiaq, even though it’s been around for a while now, because it’s the Leatherman of the SUV world, which is to say it has something for everyone. It’s a great family car, with the option of seven seats, and if all the seats are flat it makes a great van. The 150hp 2.0-litre diesel is the one tow car fans should look at, because it combines strength with real thrift. We’d go for the four-wheel-drive model.

Volkswagen Tiguan

You might have to pay a bit more for a Volkswagen Tiguan, but it’s worth it. Why? Well, it’s one of those cars that takes the stress out of every journey, because it’s quiet, comfortable, easy to drive, and makes you feel genuinely good about sitting in it. Most Tiguans are five-seaters with a decent boot behind, while the Tiguan Allspace offers seven seats. The 150hp 2.0-litre diesel is the powertrain of choice, and the DSG gearbox makes low-speed manoeuvres with a trailer much easier.