A TOWING HERO

Tristram European’s West Auckland dealership kindly loaned a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace seven-seat SUV to tow the Hero Ranger with. There was just the one problem to solve before heading to the Huapai Golf Club for our early-morning photo shoot: the 2.3m width of the Hero made it pretty hard to see what was behind it with only the stock Tiguan side mirrors.

It was a problem solved in minutes by breaking out a $195 set of Milenco Platinum Grand Aero towing mirrors from RV & Marine Supplies (rvsupplies.co.nz). These can be attached quickly with their hand wheels; the only tool required is a small screwdriver to attach the mirror heads to the mounting bars.

With stainless steel and brass in key areas to ensure reliability and prevent salt corrosion – particularly useful in this ocean-wrapped country – these large mirrors are cleverly designed to fit well and securely, and are tapered to improve fuel efficiency by reducing aerodynamic drag. The Milencos can extend to a width of 2.5m on a compact SUV, more than enough to provide a clear rear view past the wheel arches of the Hero to the road behind. The brackets that attach to the mirrors of the tow vehicle are well insulated from vibration by rubber strips, and when it came time to remove the Milencos after returning the Tiguan to the dealership, these strips had completely protected the exterior paint. These mirrors will become a life-long towing visibility solution for their ability to be easily attached and removed from any vehicle without leaving scratches or marks.

Once hooked up, the Tiguan easily shouldered the burden of towing a fully optioned Hero that probably weighed around 925kg. The four-cylinder 2.0litre turbo-petrol engine develops 162kw of power and 350Nm of driving force, and is capable of delivering these maximums to all four wheels as required via a sevenspeed dual clutch gearbox. Expect to use around 9.1litres/100km on average when towing a camping trailer as light as the Hero Ranger.