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Towing with a VW Touareg


747captain

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Im towing with a 2001 Suburban 1500 4WD.

Starting the search for a more economical alternative.

Wake World folks really like the VW diesel version.

Just want OPINIONS no facts please.(the spec. say no problem). :biggrin:

What does experience say?

2011 23 LSV

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Buddy of mine is a VW mechanic and says they're super well built for towing, but a nightmare to work on and will charge you accordingly. With that said, if you're getting one with a warranty I'm sure you'll love it while under warranty.

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Im towing with a 2001 Suburban 1500 4WD.

Starting the search for a more economical alternative.

Wake World folks really like the VW diesel version.

Just want OPINIONS no facts please.(the spec. say no problem). :biggrin:

What does experience say?

2011 23 LSV

Check the lets see your tow rig thread. I'm pretty sure there's some VWs in there.
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friend tows his vlx with one. Tows great up the hills but does squat pretty good in the rear end. He looked into equalizer hitch and apparently that vehicle can't take one also looked into air bags but could not find. Other thing to mention is the tounge weight capacity is 620lbs(pretty sure I have number correct) anyhow he was worried about it so he went to scales and weighed everything seperately, he was just over 500 so 23 lsv may be more tounge weight than toureg is rated for. Toureg has a pretty small wheel base so the boat will pull it around and the dips in road will be bouncy

Edited by wheelman
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As with most european cars get and extended warranty if you can. I bought one for my vehicle and it added another 3yrs, 100,000Km for about $2,000 aud. Never had any problems but good to have and is also transferable if I sell the vehicle which helps with resale value.

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I tow my Vride from Phoenix to Lake Powell through Flagstaff (6900ft) with no problems. Then again I have the 5.0L V10 turbo diesel which has the air suspension. Have had a few problems but I bought an extended warranty which has already paid for it's self.

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I don't know much about the toureg but I have a GL320. Get one that has a factory hitch already installed. It's a long story but I learned the hard way European vehicles need a special trailer wiring adapter that is made for LED trailer lights. It's made by tow ready.

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I wouldn't hesitate. I tow my vRide with an X5 (factory air ride) and it tows better than my loaded 5.7 liter Tundra did. It absolutely owns my brothers 5.3l Silverado over the mountain passes when we are towing simultaneously. His boat is heavier, but I'm pretty sure if we swapped boats the X5 would still easily out-pull his truck. (makes sense, I have a lot more power.)

There is more to towing stability than just vehicle weight and length. Touaregs, X5s, Cayennes, etc. all have very wide footprints, good to excellent brakes, very advanced dynamic stability control technology, and lower centers of gravity than the average pickup. I think the SUVs are more limited by their chassis as a unibody than their size. You really do have to be careful about tongue weights.

When towing, I've never once felt like the boat was pushing the X5 around on the highway, including descending mountain passes. And FWIW, Touaregs have higher tow ratings and are widely heralded as tow rigs, whereas the X5 is hardly used in the States for towing at all. I looked very hard at a 2013 Touareg before I bought the BMW. The combination of tow capability, space, and fuel mileage on the TReg is nearly impossible to beat.

Edited by rennis
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I had a 2012 Touareg TDI and it towed my VLX quite well. The 3.0TDI engine combined with the 8 speed auto is a really nice package. Super smooth and great torque. I got 15mpg towing and around 27mpg empty. As far as comparing it to the Q7, they are not the same price. With similar equipment, there was almost a $10K difference when I was shopping. Not sure about the resale, but if that is what you are after, I would look at the Porsche. You can get the TDI in it this year. All of them (Porsche, Audi, and VW) are built at the same plant in Eastern Europe.

Whatever you do, make sure the dealer has experience selling and working on them. They are very complicated (high tech) vehicles and if something does go wrong you want someone with experience working on it.

Good luck with your purchase.

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Good catch on the towing capacity. I forgot about that. I went back to a truck now that I dont have to commute as much. F150 FX4 with the 6.2 V8. Wanted to get a diesel, but the ride, fuel, and maintenance kept me away. I might be looking at the new Titan when it comes out. I heard that Cummins is going to supply a 5.0 Turbo Diesel. Should be sweet.

post-7583-0-53772700-1378903630_thumb.jp

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I have the 08 V10 TDI Touareg and it tows awesome. It does have the air suspension so I cannot say how much a steel spring Touareg would squat.

Another thing to look into regarding tongue weight is get the factory hitch. On my 08 the factory hitch had a higher tow and tongue rating than any aftermarket hitches. I'm not sure if the newer Touraegs are the same.

Bottom line is the 08 V10 Touareg beats the pants off my 06 Avalanche in everyway other than room. And honestly I would prefer to tow my VLX with the Touareg than my 2011 F250 diesel in all but a few situations.

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forgot to add.

I have a rather steep backup into the drive way for about 30' then levels off

I had to back up a steep dirt road to put my boat away for the winter. No problem at all. The all wheel drive set up on the T-Reg rocks.

Edited by Tims
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I've been towing my Malibus with my Pirsche Cayenne for about 5 years now. I have an 07 VTX. Granted, it's not a heavy boat(5500#), but it pulls it well. My Cayenne is NA 4.5 V8 w/ 340hp. The Cayenne has a 7700# towing capacity. The tongue weight for my VTX is around 450#. I'm very happy with mine.

IMHO, if you are going to pull a 23 LSV, get a truck. The Cayenne/Toureg/Q7 is a great rig for the VLX/VTX and similar medium to small boats.

My boat now.

IMG_1367_zps63a9b4cf.jpg

My boat then

IMG_0001_zps18f384a7.jpg

Edited by Clutch-n-Throttle
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+1 on the GL320. I had one and it towed great. I now have a GL350 and it is even better. We tow through the Rockies and it doesn't bog down anywhere. It has factory air suspension and the mileage can't be beat.

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I have the 08 V10 TDI Touareg and it tows awesome. It does have the air suspension so I cannot say how much a steel spring Touareg would squat.

Another thing to look into regarding tongue weight is get the factory hitch. On my 08 the factory hitch had a higher tow and tongue rating than any aftermarket hitches. I'm not sure if the newer Touraegs are the same.

Bottom line is the 08 V10 Touareg beats the pants off my 06 Avalanche in everyway other than room. And honestly I would prefer to tow my VLX with the Touareg than my 2011 F250 diesel in all but a few situations.

Wow 2008 V10 is ultra rare.
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I'm all for "small" tow rigs doing big jobs but there is a trend here, everyone who tows with one has a VLX or smaller. Not saying don't go for it but look into it further. We have a Land Rover LR3, tow capacity 7700 lbs and tongue weight 770 lbs (hitch, tongue and ball) and it tows the VTX very well. Granted if we towed more it would be nice to have more than the 217 hp 6 banger. But needless to say a smaller tow vehicle with decent weight, good tech, and most importantly good brakes can certainly get the job done. I highly recommend trying to find something with air suspension if possible.

Summary: Thumbs up for smaller tow vehicles doing big jobs, but do some more research on how far your LSV stretches that.

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I'm all for "small" tow rigs doing big jobs but there is a trend here, everyone who tows with one has a VLX or smaller. Not saying don't go for it but look into it further. We have a Land Rover LR3, tow capacity 7700 lbs and tongue weight 770 lbs (hitch, tongue and ball) and it tows the VTX very well. Granted if we towed more it would be nice to have more than the 217 hp 6 banger. But needless to say a smaller tow vehicle with decent weight, good tech, and most importantly good brakes can certainly get the job done. I highly recommend trying to find something with air suspension if possible.

Summary: Thumbs up for smaller tow vehicles doing big jobs, but do some more research on how far your LSV stretches that.

Going to have to agree. I would want to test out a LSV behind my X5 before I went up to a bigger boat. I am pretty sure it would do just fine, but you don't always know until you try.

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I have used my wife's 2010 TDi Egg to pull our 2007 23LSV, which is plenty heavy with all the stereo equipment. It did just fine with the 3.0 and 6spd. Only issue.....plenty of rear end squat. It doesn't have the air bags and I bet I'm pretty close to the 750lb tongue weight limit. I pull the LSV with my Cummins, but was very impressed with the little 3.0 TDi Egg.

  • Like 2
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As far as comparing it to the Q7, they are not the same price. With similar equipment, there was almost a $10K difference when I was shopping. Not sure about the resale, but if that is what you are after, I would look at the Porsche.

We are talking 2014 models here. The base Touareg with a TDI motor is 51k MSRP and includes navigation. That said you miss out on some key options and most are going to buy the TDI Lux @ 55k. Obviously people aren't paying MSRP so YMMV, but

Q7 with same options (well, ends up with a couple other goodies) = 60k.

Don't believe me in resale, take a look at Autotrader and see what 2011 Q7 and Touareg TDI's are going for. The 2011 Q7 TDI's with under 30k miles are going for around 45-50k. 2011 Touareg TDI's with under 30k miles are going for mid 30's to 40k. We are talking AT LEAST a 5k price difference in used prices.

What does the above mean? Come time to sell in a few years, you will get your price difference back. So you get to drive the nicer Audi for free.

Now for the Porsche, to get the same as the above two 2014 models mentioned, you have to go with the Cayenne Diesel with the Premium package = 65k. Since there was no diesel Cayenne in 2011 there is no way to tell. The closest would be the Cayenne S, but that currently sells for 10k more than the Cayenne Diesel and the 2011 Cayenne S models are selling for about 5k more than the Q7 TDI models.

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