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Nice SUV tow


Soon2BV

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My parents had several.  First one went back under lemon law.  

2nd had a power steering rack failure on the highway.  

Third was the TDI and threw three injectors in a year.  

Bad luck.  They bought an lx460 and over 140k have had zero issues.  

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On 5/26/2020 at 2:01 PM, ilovetrains said:

I have towed with a 14 Grand with the ecodiesel summit package, air suspension and torque for days makes a pretty decent tow vehicle.

 

I currently tow with an 18 Durango SRT and it is an amazing tow vehicle.  power is great, but between the tight suspension (hydrodynamic fluid damping) and the big Brembo brakes, it simply feels more incontrol than any other tow vehicle I have had short of 3/4 ton truck.  Even then, this things is so much more comfortable with a trailer.  It is also the only SUV I looked at that could tow the boat and hold the gear within the overall GCVWR.

BTW.. I added some air bags in the rear springs of my Durango SRT to help a little with the rear sag (which isn't bad... there isn't much travel!)  They were only $100 and I just use a bike pump or a little battery pump to air them up.   I have also thought about swapping to the Mopar lowering springs which I think are even tighter with lower travel.  Anyway... I Love my Durango SRT for towing. I tow up highway 2 over the Cascade mountains (Seattle to Eastern Washington) and we just keep the cruise set and if it does downshift it is from 8th to 7th.  My wife has a 2016 Jeep SRT and I use it for shorter trips. (same engine, same brakes, slightly different suspension) The GC version is only rated to 3.5k/7700pounds but I think this is more a timing issue as it was rated before the new SAE tow rating.  The CG and Durango SRTs are along the lines of the hipro German SUVs as far as tow capability (maybe because they have a little German engineering in them.)  We each eat through a set of Brembo pads and rotors every 20k miles but it is worth it.

 srt.thumb.JPG.d40ca1a7c23f25831d7f537d57c62cbb.JPG

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3 hours ago, LS1boarder said:

Does anyone have experience with the Touareg TDI for towing a 23LSV? I’m thinking the boat/trailer weigh around 7,000 with some gas and all that in it. I am buying this vehicle as a secondary vehicle primarily for towing, so i want to buy something used. Seems to me to be the best of all worlds, I have done research on the common reliability concerns and didn’t find anything to scare me away. Any thoughts? 

What year?  there is a bit difference.  Each generation got easier to live, more soccer mommy-ish but less capable.  The 1st generation Touareg(which actually includes the Touareg2 (2008-2010) is an extremely capable machine.  As I said earlier in this thread, I had a 2008 V10 TDI.  The V10 is rare and extremely expensive to maintain.. so don't go down that path (well... if you do think of it as a hobby that likes to tear up asphalt when you lay down 600+ ft lbs of torque when the light turns green.)   At the same time we had a Q7 TDI (which is a Touareg that VW/Audi streatched, added a 3rd row and prettied it up a bit.. but same car, you can swap parts.)  Our Q7 had the same 3.0 TDI that was found in the Touareg starting in 2009 and we towed our 23LSV (2008... so not as heavy as the 2018+) around a lot and you didn't even know the boat was back there.  The 3.0 has plenty of torque for towing. It isn't V8 fast but it chugs along, power was never an issue. (and gets crazy good MPG's while towing.)  The key to making these cars (including the Cayenne (a Touareg wrapped in Porsche sheetmetal) is the adaptive 4 corner air suspension which keeps everything completely level.  Unfortunately (because soccer mom's don't really want to pay for cool things that don't involve the kids in back) VW dropped the air susp option when they added the v6 TDI motor in 2009.  There are actually a few (very few!) 2009 and 2010 Touareg TDI's with the air susp (there was a revolt from the owner community and VW America allowed people to special order a TDI with the air susp even though it wasn't an official option.)  For the newer body styles... the TDI should do fine for smaller boats but the Touareg keeps getting lighter (not great for towing) and defeatured in the US market... so the newer it is i'd say the less capable it will be.  That was all right up till VW pulled the Touareg from the US market (still a monster of a machine with the right options in other markets) and gave us the VW Atlas (with a very dull v6 motor.) Still.. after all that... a Touareg TDI is going to tow better than a Ford Explorer, etc.  

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Wow, that is a ton of great information! Thank you very much! I was wondering about the air suspension on the newer ones, I couldn’t find any information listed at all about that so i assumed it must have changed. I was looking at 2012-2015 models but maybe i should rethink that as I worry about too much rear sag. My tows would mostly be short trips but sometimes I might want to make longer trips. This is a tough call, my ex wife had a QX80 to tow the boat and it did fine, I just don’t want something that huge. 
 

I have a 2016 23 LSV so it’s not exactly a light boat. 
 

Thanks for all the help from those who chimed in! I may look at the JGC diesel since it has auto leveling suspension. The Durango SRT is just out of my range for what I’m looking for as a not often used vehicle. 

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40 minutes ago, LS1boarder said:

Wow, that is a ton of great information! Thank you very much! I was wondering about the air suspension on the newer ones, I couldn’t find any information listed at all about that so i assumed it must have changed. I was looking at 2012-2015 models but maybe i should rethink that as I worry about too much rear sag. My tows would mostly be short trips but sometimes I might want to make longer trips. This is a tough call, my ex wife had a QX80 to tow the boat and it did fine, I just don’t want something that huge. 
 

I have a 2016 23 LSV so it’s not exactly a light boat. 
 

Thanks for all the help from those who chimed in! I may look at the JGC diesel since it has auto leveling suspension. The Durango SRT is just out of my range for what I’m looking for as a not often used vehicle. 

Yes.. JGC has (it is an option.. Quadra-lift) which I believe is the Mercedes version of what Audi/VW use on their SUVs.  For a newer VAG (VW/Audi) you need to go with the Q7 (air susp is an option on higher models) and the Cayenne (usually GTS or higher will have the air susp.)

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1 hour ago, gregtay said:

Yes.. JGC has (it is an option.. Quadra-lift) which I believe is the Mercedes version of what Audi/VW use on their SUVs.  For a newer VAG (VW/Audi) you need to go with the Q7 (air susp is an option on higher models) and the Cayenne (usually GTS or higher will have the air susp.)

I do remember seeing those switches in the cayenne when I was shopping for one a few years ago. Thanks again for all the help! 

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On second thought, I may take a newer Touareg and install air suspension on it. I’ve done some research and it doesn’t seem that expensive. 👌🏼

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18 minutes ago, LS1boarder said:

On second thought, I may take a newer Touareg and install air suspension on it. I’ve done some research and it doesn’t seem that expensive. 👌🏼

I have a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee overland with air ride. Rated 7200. It’s a beast at towing and rides so well. I don’t tow through mountains though so YMMV.

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1 hour ago, Raleigh said:

I have a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee overland with air ride. Rated 7200. It’s a beast at towing and rides so well. I don’t tow through mountains though so YMMV.

I’ll keep looking at those too, I’m sure that repairs would be much cheaper on a Jeep than a VW. 2014 is the last year they did the diesel, correct? I have some hilly areas, but no mater what the locals say, these are not mountains. 

Edited by LS1boarder
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On 6/16/2020 at 9:23 AM, gregtay said:

BTW.. I added some air bags in the rear springs of my Durango SRT to help a little with the rear sag (which isn't bad... there isn't much travel!)  They were only $100 and I just use a bike pump or a little battery pump to air them up.   I have also thought about swapping to the Mopar lowering springs which I think are even tighter with lower travel.  Anyway... I Love my Durango SRT for towing. I tow up highway 2 over the Cascade mountains (Seattle to Eastern Washington) and we just keep the cruise set and if it does downshift it is from 8th to 7th.  My wife has a 2016 Jeep SRT and I use it for shorter trips. (same engine, same brakes, slightly different suspension) The GC version is only rated to 3.5k/7700pounds but I think this is more a timing issue as it was rated before the new SAE tow rating.  The CG and Durango SRTs are along the lines of the hipro German SUVs as far as tow capability (maybe because they have a little German engineering in them.)  We each eat through a set of Brembo pads and rotors every 20k miles but it is worth it.

 srt.thumb.JPG.d40ca1a7c23f25831d7f537d57c62cbb.JPG

what rear bags did you add?

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4 hours ago, LS1boarder said:

I’ll keep looking at those too, I’m sure that repairs would be much cheaper on a Jeep than a VW. 2014 is the last year they did the diesel, correct? I have some hilly areas, but no mater what the locals say, these are not mountains. 

2014/2015 probably had the largest EcoDiesel JGC production but I think they put it in up until 2018. 
 

Love mine by the way. 

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4 hours ago, LS1boarder said:

I’ll keep looking at those too, I’m sure that repairs would be much cheaper on a Jeep than a VW. 2014 is the last year they did the diesel, correct? I have some hilly areas, but no mater what the locals say, these are not mountains. 

Have a Jeep and love it. Not knocking it all. But expect repairs to be same as imports.. Just my experience

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17 minutes ago, kerpluxal said:

Have a Jeep and love it. Not knocking it all. But expect repairs to be same as imports.. Just my experience

:plus1: I had ZERO repairs for 4 years. Then this year I have had $9,000 in repairs. Thought I got ripped off when I bought a warranty. Jokes on them now! It ends in a month so I am hoping a blow a tranny or something in the meantime haha. 

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1 minute ago, Raleigh said:

:plus1: I had ZERO repairs for 4 years. Then this year I have had $9,000 in repairs. Thought I got ripped off when I bought a warranty. Jokes on them now! It ends in a month so I am hoping a blow a tranny or something in the meantime haha. 

I've had a couple of Chrysler warranties over the years.  First one cost $1400 IIRC and paid out over $12000!  Second was $1700 and paid out 3K.  And the last one for Nissan was $1200 and paid out over 4K.

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12 minutes ago, Raleigh said:

:plus1: I had ZERO repairs for 4 years. Then this year I have had $9,000 in repairs. Thought I got ripped off when I bought a warranty. Jokes on them now! It ends in a month so I am hoping a blow a tranny or something in the meantime haha. 

I have had almost zero issues.. Alternator, starter, common wear items. Had the timing belt done.. $3,800 with parts I bought and labor at dealership (no one else wanted to work on it). BTW.. I am at 180,000 miles now and impress with how well it has held up.

Tow hard my friend and work that transmission lol..

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No one has said a 200 series land cruiser or an LX570.  

You won't be dealing with the kind of repairs mentioned so far and they have plenty of motor and comfort for your needs.  

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16 hours ago, Raleigh said:

I have a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee overland with air ride. Rated 7200. It’s a beast at towing and rides so well. I don’t tow through mountains though so YMMV.

You tow a 25 lsv with a grand Cherokee? Your boat has to be over 7200 lbs...

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/24/2020 at 9:00 AM, jjackkrash said:

Who wouldn't want to tow with a German Supercar. :)

I do - 2014 Cayenne GTS tows my 23 LSV like a champ.  Air suspension can be raised or lowered if needed - I don’t tow a ton anymore but this gets the job done and is a blast to drive the 95% of time I’m not towing.  It has also been super reliable - I’m at 97k miles with no big issues outside of regular maintenance.
 

 

CE4A21BB-7CF2-4D2A-892C-A9B4F1C7790D.jpeg

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127BA4D6-3B90-45AB-A929-A9350BE0850D.jpeg

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On 7/1/2020 at 6:18 PM, Leftlane said:

I do - 2014 Cayenne GTS tows my 23 LSV like a champ.  Air suspension can be raised or lowered if needed - I don’t tow a ton anymore but this gets the job done and is a blast to drive the 95% of time I’m not towing.  It has also been super reliable - I’m at 97k miles with no big issues outside of regular maintenance.
 

 

CE4A21BB-7CF2-4D2A-892C-A9B4F1C7790D.jpeg

D5DB48CD-FA4D-4FFB-9953-76E58AF5FF3E.jpeg

127BA4D6-3B90-45AB-A929-A9350BE0850D.jpeg

Love it.  That air susp on the Touareg/Q7/Cayenne is the magic sauce that turns them into great haulers.

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