its your choice as you say but,the crdi engine is much better suited to towing my caravan is quite light 1025 kgs and i was towing with a new shape 1.8 avensis 130 bhp it was a bit of a struggle on hills and could get quite stressfull on occasions,we then bought a new 08 2.0l crdi 4wd xs sportage and you would not belive the difference the six speed box is exellent ,ride and allround feel of the car is good, very comfortable to drive,its coming up to 18 months old now and ive only done 8,500 miles.ps i live in gwent south wales but bought my sportage from burton on trent kia dealers use the net and also ring around you will be supprised at the savings to be made i got a 2,300 discount off the list price and that was before the credit crunch struck,happy hunting.h