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I have just bought a lightweight UK caravan [850 kg unladen]and need a suitable tow vehicle. I dont want a serious off roader, just enough to get out off wet and slippery DOC camping sites.I would expect it to be as economic as possible, but with enough power to tow easily. I dont want a diesel!! This is will be our only vehicle. I have been thinking along the lines of a subaru outback 2.5 four or 3.0 six awd, or possibly a forester. thanks.

Diesel is often a good option for tow vehicles, but you seem quite certain that diesel is out of the question.
The Subaru models you mention would be up to the job providing the caravan is fitted with brakes. Depending on the age of the car you are considering, something to consider with these cars is that they do have a reputation for high fuel consumption and perhaps overheating/head gasket problems on earlier examples.
Please see this link for Subaru towing weights.

Have a look at www.whattowcar.com. I found it interesting, and quite accurate (for instance, it's predicted top speeds were within a couple of km/h of what I actually got) - but that might have been luck. I found that they seem to tolerate much lower power/weight than I would be happy with on New Zealand roads - I would not go for anything less than 4Star performance in their ratings. It's European based, so car names and models may not be the same (e.g. Holden vs Opel).

What you will find is that a smaller petrol will use far more when towing than a bigger petrol engine (Unlike diesels, petrol becomes much less efficient when it works hard). The trade is how much towing vs non-towing. Don't be surprised at 20litres/100km towing - which means you need to consider petrol tank size and how far from Service stations (that are open) you might end up - many AWD's have smaller tanks to accommodate the extra drive-train.

My experience with DOC campsites is they usually have pretty good access - sometimes a bit rough, but it's uncommon for traction to be a problem. Although a AWD would be ideal, also consider a two wheel drive car would be fine 99.99% of the time, carry chains for the other .01%. Chains give better traction than AWD - particularly if clad with road tires. Rear WD is better, but as UK vans tend to have light drawbar weights, and yours is quite a small one, a Front Wheel drive would be OK.

Personally I would go with the 3.0Lite 6 speed and take the fuel consumption hit when not towing. It will probably use less under tow, and be a lot easier driving, have more reserve when towing, - potentially lowing long term maintenance. Don't underestimate the difference a 6 speed makes for towing.

I don't know why you object to Diesel- make sure it's still valid for a modern car - if you have not already done so, take a modern one out for a test drive just to be sure.

Thanks for that very comprehensive reply, one reason i want a soft 4wd is to go a little further than the end of the seal. I have a 3 litre v6 and it did about 16 l/100km, it is auto and could not cruise under 85 km/hr without it continualy kicking down.The reason i dont want a diesel i will not be towing too often, and it will be our only vehicle.