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Hi there, we are looking at getting a vehicle suitable to tow a caravan of around 1700kgs (fully loaded). What torque would be needed to maintain a decent speed on NZ's hilly roads? We are considering a Renault Koleos with torque of 226/4,400. Can you explain what that means and whether it would be suitable? Thanks.

Hi there,
The new Koleos petrol cvt has a maximum braked towing capacity of 2000kg. So will be able to tow your caravan. The diesel is rated to 1350 and would not be suitable for towing that weight, we thought the diesel would tow more. However I would be wary of towing 1700kg with a cvt transmission.
As CVT transmissions are not known for their strength.
However we think that this vehicle may be a bit lightweight to tow 1700kgs.
You may need to look at larger vehicles like Toyota Highlander, BMW X series, Mazda CX9
which have tow ratings over 2000kg.
Torque is rated in newton meters, and the maximum torque is measured and logged at engine rpm. This figure is basically when the engine produces the most power.
So at 4400rpm the Koleos engine will be producing it's maximum power.
The tow rating of a vehicle is measured by the ability of the vehicle to stop within the legal limits, while towing a specified weight.

OK, thanks for that info.