My new diesel tow rig... 10 happy cylinders

[68Slalom]

Answering some of the questions...

yes.. it is heavy... 5825 dry curb wieght.

yes... the V10 has HUGE brakes... 6 piston 350mm on the front. So it doesn't get tossed around by the 'bu and it can still stop on a dime.

yes... these things are $$$$. MSRP on my car was $77,800 YIKES! So i picked it up with 14K miles on it.. it was a VW exec demo (for some VP) for 12 months. I paid $45,500. (and it still looks/smells new.)

yes... these things are $$$$ to fix. I have a VW bumper to bumper no deductable warrenty for 8 years and 100K miles (same coverage as the factory 4yr/50K)

yes... this can can go offroad - air susp can raise it up to 11" of ground clearance, or lower it down (and tighten up susp) for high speed driving. Mine has center and rear locking diffs.

yes... the V10 Touareg is sort of rare (which you can understand with that price)... i thnk they imported about 400-600 a year from 2004-2008 (no longer avail in 2009) I had to find mine in Boston and have it shipped to Seattle... it was worth it.

OK, just keep rubbing it in

[dihrdskir]

A very nice ride Greg. Good idea.

I think the torque is 406 ft. lbs., however.

My 2002 Duramax is only 520 ft lbs out of a 6.6 liter turbodiesel and the new ones are 650 I believe.

406 ft. lbs. is a lot of torque from a 3 litre engine

An added bonus is that the diesel engines just are not turning as many rpm as the gas engine and you will find that your longevity with the diesel is a lot longer, which is why I still am not even considering changing out of my 2002 Duramax.

I went diesel in 2007 and will never go back. At least for towing.

Here in Australia there are two V10 versions available in Toureg. Both are 5.0 litre or 304 cubic inch. The big banger has 345 Hp, 626 ft lbs and a 0-60 of 6.5 secs. WOW. The only catch is the cost of getting into one. That's why I had to make do with my Toyota, but even with 310 ft lbs from my 3 ltr it's all on line from just 1600 RPM. This gives me around 28 MPG when not towing out on the highway. Gotta be happy with that.

In the US we didn't be the R50 spec V10 ... so we have to manage with the "lower powered" version. You can of course chip the beast and the torque numbers go WAY up.. but i I very happy with it just the way it is. And yes.. the catch is the cost of getting into one.. but i purchased mine pre-owned after a year.. was driven by a VW exec at VW headquaters.

Greg,

You're a lucky guy. The vehicle you have is perfect even if it's not the R50. Heaps of power, style, build quality all in a package that anyone can drive every day. Oh, and with low range transmission with enough performance to embarrass a lot of sports cars ,much less trucks, and with the fuel enconomy to match. Live the dream and enjoy.

[UWSkier]

That's a cool rig, and you got it for a great price with a great warranty!

Why is it that we can't get cool vehicles like this to really stick in this country?

[WakeGirl]

Because unfortunately it's a niche market that doesn't appeal to the masses.

[99response]

That's a cool rig, and you got it for a great price with a great warranty!

Why is it that we can't get cool vehicles like this to really stick in this country?

Errr maybe the $79k price tag brand new?

I'd be really interested how the new 3.0L TDI Touraeg tows, I'd definitley want the V10 if I were lugging around a 23LSV, but for those of us with smaller boats...

[gregtay]

That's a cool rig, and you got it for a great price with a great warranty!

Why is it that we can't get cool vehicles like this to really stick in this country?

Errr maybe the $79k price tag brand new?

And that $79K for a VW... I think that's insane (which is why i didn't buy a new one)

[dihrdskir]

That's a cool rig, and you got it for a great price with a great warranty!

Why is it that we can't get cool vehicles like this to really stick in this country?

Errr maybe the $79k price tag brand new?

And that $79K for a VW... I think that's insane (which is why i didn't buy a new one)

Starting @$121 K here plus taxes and on roads.

[gregtay]

Thanks for the comments guys. Here she is all hooked up...