THE Volkswagen Jetta Sport 2.0-litre TDI DSG has been named The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2012.

It not only took top honours in its price category, beating a dozen rivals in the under £25,000 class, but also took the overall accolade.

And in a double strrike for the German company, its Touareg Escape 3.0-litre V6 TDI proved it pulls everything but punches, securing victory in both the over £32,000 class and the all-wheel-drive vehicles over 1800 kg category.

Held, as for the previous 28 years, at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, the competition attracted 30 entrants, and class wins also went to the Skoda Superb Estate Elegance 2.0 DSG and the Volvo V60 D5 AWD Volvo Ocean Race.

Each entrant was put through their paces to assess their towing ability, acceleration, braking, ability to cope with demanding hill starts and an assessment of usability in terms of everyday caravanning.

The judges said of the Jetta: "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."

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert presented the Class awards and said: "It was a real eye-opener being at Millbrook seeing all the cars being put through their paces, they really are put to the towing test."

The Jetta Sport 2.0-litre TDI DSG has a 140PS common rail diesel engine, a six-speed DSG gearbox, and produces impressive amounts of torque - 320 Nm from just 1,750 rpm.