Volkswagen has given a demonstration of its impressive pulling power by claiming two category wins and the overall title at the Towcar Awards 2011. These are judged by experts from What Car? and Practical Caravan magazines as well as The Camping and Caravanning Club.

The new Passat Estate TDI 170 PS, which went on sale in January, won the ‘1425 -1574 kg kerbweight’ class as well as the Towcar Awards champion trophy, while the Golf was once again the winner of the ‘under 1425 kg kerbweight’ category.

Judges praised the Passat for its common rail diesel engine, gearbox, towing stability, refinement and space. Commenting on the car’s performance, Nigel Donnelly, editor of Practical Caravan summed up their views by saying: ‘The Passat Estate is very good at just about everything. In many respects, it’s borderline brilliant. Great to tow with, practical and economical.’ In voting for the overall winner, he said: ‘There’s no shortage of impressive towcars this year. That made choosing one overall champion a tough job. Our judges are a demanding bunch. We want a car that tows brilliantly, is a pleasure to travel in, economical to run and easy to live with. The car that fits that brief better than any other is the Volkswagen Passat.’

He added: ‘It’s superb to tow with. Some cars have the knack of relaxing the driver. The Passat is one of them. Unshakeable stability and steering which is responsive but never nervous mean you’ll end long tows in the Passat feeling fresh, ready to unhitch and start enjoying your holiday.’

On the Golf, Donnelly summed up: ‘The Golf easily won this class last year. In 2011, the competition is much tougher, but the Golf is still our favourite small towcar. Some lightweight cars feel nervous with a caravan behind them. Not the Golf. Even in strong crosswinds our judges found the VW stable and reassuring, a subjective impression backed up by the Al-Ko ATC sensors on the caravan, which showed very little movement from the tourer.’

In total, 50 cars were put through their paces at the MIRA testing ground in Warwickshire for their towing ability and were assessed for a host of other qualities including driving performance when not towing, practicality, value for money and safety.

On receiving the award, Kevin Rendell, Product Marketing Manager for the Passat in the UK, said: ‘I’m really proud to accept these trophies for the Passat Estate. The towing market is a hugely important one for us. This isn’t just a car people buy to get them from A to B: it’s often the key to all their holidays and leisure activities. They need it to be practical, economical and comfortable – and just take everything they throw at it! We’re delighted that the panel of judges have seen that the Passat Estate ticks all these boxes, and hope that in turn our car will delight its towing owners.’