The Volkswagen Jetta and Touareg Awarded in The Caravan Club Towcar of The Year 2012 Awards

At the Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2012 awards, the Volkswagen Jetta Sport 2.0 litre TDI DSG has been named the winner over 12 rivals in the under £25,000 class.

Alongside the Jetta, the Volkswagen Touareg Escape 3.0 litre V6 TDI also won in the over £32,000 class and the all-wheel-drive vehicles over 1800kg category.

The awards were presented at a ceremony at the Royal Automobile Club in London. A panel of 11 judges selected the winners, who conducted towing tests at the Millbrook Testing Ground in Bedfordshire. 30 vehicles under went testing, covering towing ability, acceleration, braking, ability to cope with demanding hill starts and an assessment of usability in terms of everyday caravanning.

Of the Volkswagen Jetta, the judges said: "This car is as controlled as it is quick, offering stable towing both at speed and while driving around hills and bends. It steers smartly and accurately with little body roll, yet offers a well-damped ride even with a lively caravan on the back. It zooms up hills, stops on them securely and pulls away cleanly. And when you’re not driving it, it's great to look at."

The Volkswagen Touareg was called "A near-ultimate towcar", with the judges commenting: "The Touareg flew round the bowl at Millbrook with never a twitch, even on the hill circuit. On-rails cornering was interspersed with an apparently insignificant collection of steep gradients, including hill-stops and starts."

The Volkswagen Jetta Sport 2.0 litre TDI DSG features a 140PS common rail diesel engine, six speed DSG gearbox and 320Nm of torque from 1750rpm with a noseweight of 75kg.

The Volkswagen Touareg Escape 3.0 litre V6 TDI benefits from a 245PS common rail diesel engine with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It features permanent 4XMOTION four-wheel drive, raised suspension, a centre differential lock and a rear axle mechanical differential lock to cope with treacherous conditions off-road. 550 Nm of torque is available from 2,000 rpm, while noseweight is 140 kg, and overall towing capacity is 3500 kg.