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The Cavender family owns a number of dealerships in the area. I take my Audi to a Cavender Audi dealership and have had excellent service since we started with them in the late 1990’s. Mike

We picked up our Elite II 2 1/2 weeks ago and have about 2500 miles towing it so far with our Q7. We have air shocks so we aren’t using any load levelers (which Audi says not to use). I’m very pleased with towing our Oliver behind the Q7. We have averaged 14 miles per gallon and it has completely adequate power and braking capabilities. We have been on a wide variety of roads from TN to Newfoundland with some gusty wind conditions. I have never felt like I needed more car at anytime. I do plan on getting some mud flaps for the rear wheels on the Q7, hopefully that will keep the trailer a little cleaner. Hopefully this will help a little if considering using a Q7 to pull your trailer.

The offroad raised setting is for, well, offroad, low speed use ONLY. It shouldn’t be used for normal driving, especially for towing a max load. It raises the body all the way up, so that the suspension basically has very little downward travel left. The handling will suffer and the suspension will top out whenever a wheel drops down into a deep hole. It is not safe at any kind of highway speed because the steering geometry is altered. Plus it wears the axle joints excessively… “Lift / Offroad - On select models such as the fully equipped Q7, an Offroad mode lifts the adaptive air suspension to its maximum height for additional ground clearance. This mode is intended for the most uneven terrain at low speeds.” https://www.audiwestmont.com/research/audi-drive-select.htm If this is incorrect, please explain how you are able to do this while towing. It would be better to have a raised ball mount to get the 24” that you need for an LE2. If that won’t clear you need an aftermarket suspension lift, here is one: “For vehicles with air suspension only The Eurowise 3+ inch lift kit for the 7L VW Touareg, 955/957 Porsche Cayenne, and 4L Audi Q7 is a combination of their spacer lift and 1" subframe drop. Machined from 6061 aluminum solid block, these lift kits will never wear out or fail. In addition, a 1" subframe drop kit with hardware is included to correct your axle geometry. When set on auto mode your vehicle will be roughly 3" taller over stock. In extra/off-road mode would be over 4 inches of additional lift!” https://www.ecstuning.com/b-eurowise-parts/eurowise-lift-kit-3-inch-air-suspension-with-sway-bar-end-links/ewor9014-sbl~euw/ John Davies Spokane WA

Sully, what is the tongue weight of your trailer, loaded for towing? Do you travel with full water tank? Is your Audi a diesel? What year? What is the non-towing mpgs? https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a22498617/2017-audi-q7-long-term-road-test-wrap-up-review/ Please add trailer and vehicle info to your signature. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

The Cooper AT3 is a really good tire, I had them on my 1500s too. I’d put them on my Audi S3 but they don’t come in 235/35-19! 🤣

We are on our way home with about 9k miles so far pulling our Elite2 with a Q7. We get 14 to 15 mpg on highways and 11 to 12 in the mountains. The power is sufficient as is the braking. The Oliver tows really nicely but that is probably true for any vehicle. The biggest downside is a lack of storage for what doesn’t fit in the trailer. Feel free to reach out if you have specific questions. We do have air shocks so there is no sag, with normal shocks the sag may be a little more than you want. Audi/VW state in their manuals not to use a load balancer.

@Sully are still on a long road trip in Canada with their Audi q7 and Elite2 A search on Touareg brought up 4 pages of posts. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/search/?&q=Touareg&search_and_or=or

We bought them from the Audi dealership in St John’s, they had them on several cars in the showroom.

HI, I am converting my standard hitch ball to the Anderson WD ball. (2 inch ball, was towing with an Audi Q7, but upgraded to Tundra 1/2 ton). Soooo, Oliver says to set top of ball to 23n1/2 inch above ground. Anderson WD instructions say to level trailer, measure top of coupler and add 1n1/2 to 2 inches, and then use that measurement as your top of ball distance. With my Ollie level, using both the bubble and a confirmation by placing a 4 foot level along the seam between top and bottom half of Ollie, my bulldog is 18n1/2 inch off the ground. Using Anderson instructions my ball height on truck would be 20n1/2 inch off ground..... far from the 23n1/2 Oliver recommends. Which is "right", for people with Anderson hitch, installed by factory, how far off ground is the top of your ball? Thanks, Dave W

Pete, you are right about the rear sag when trailer is hitched. I haven't noticed any handling issues yet over the 2400 mile drive back, some of which was on snow. I will talk with Audi about that though, as the vehicle is rated for 4400lbs towing and 440lbs tongue weight.

I will be picking up my new Oliver Elite this summer and have the choice of towing it with these two vehicles: 2011 MB Sprinter or 2018 Audi Q5. The Sprinter has a towing capacity of 5000 lbs (gvwr 8500 lbs) and the Q5 towing capacity is 4400 lbs. (5357 lbs gvwr). I see where the dry weight of the Elite is 3400 lbs and the GVWR is 5000 lbs. The Sprinter is 188 hp diesel and the Audi is 248 hp gasoline. I note that the Q5 towing capacity is a bit under the 5000 lbs of the Elite GVWR. Any suggestions besides buying a new truck? Thanks!

Welcome to the forum! Glad to hear your Q7 is doing the job. We’ve owned a bunch of Audi’s since our first new one in 1976! Keep us updated on your travels. Mike

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new Oliver! Post up photos of your rig when you have a moment. There was a former Oliver owner who also towed with an Audi. He seemed happy with it. Patriot🇺🇸

The way I look at it (for both my vehicles and trailer) is that there is a mileage (wear) OR time limit on tires. The BF Goodrich’s on the Oliver had plenty of tread after 5 years and over 60K miles. Some small cracking could be seen if I looked close enough. Same on my Audi S3, the tires had lots of tread left after 5 years (but only 25K miles) but I replaced them too, not cheap. Peace of mind is more important to me than squeezing another year or so out of older tires. That’s just me, YMMV. Exactly. I don’t either. Mike

The four trucks I’ve used over the years to pull my Oliver have all had the fuel fill on the drivers side while my Audi S3 has it on the passenger side.

You might also search audi q7, as they are quite similar, mechanically, as I understand. I don't remember who has towed with the Audi, or if they were diesel, but it's another comparison point. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/search/?&q=Audi q7&search_and_or=or

The Ford 3.5 Ecoboost has good turbo access - they are raised above the cylinder head: The new Tundra might require engine removal, they are below the head. I have had a Cummins 5.9 (super easy turbo access), and for most inline gas engines it is easy, but for many V engines servicing the turbo(s) is a nightmare. The old Audi All Road twin turbo V6 was this way, 20 hrs labor to change a turbo. (Audi shop rates are way higher than domestic dealers too). John Davies Spokane WA

I've pulled mine with a 2016 Audi Q5 TDI quite successfully up and down all kinds of mountain passes for the past 3 years. The official towing capacity of all Audi Q5s is 4500lbs. We go freeway speeds and get about 24 mpg towing.

We ordered our Ollie in 2016, and at that time I was also researching tow vehicles. We decided on the Audi Q7 SUV, and it has been a wonderful tow vehicle. At that time there were a bunch of videos online about the Trailer Assist features for the Audi and VW . However, when we got the car, the Trailer Assist was not there. It turns out that the US Dept of Transportation would not allow it. But now they do allow it, much to @Moonlight Mile's delight. You should watch this video from VW on their Trailer Assist. It is very funny. And watch this one if you want to see how they did it.

I also tow an LE II with an Audi Q7, and it is a great tow vehicle. @DonnaDuane are correct about the WDH hitch. On page 98 of the Audi Q7 owners manual, it says: Never install a "weight distributing" or "load equalizing" trailer hitch on your vehicle. The vehicle was not designed for these kinds of trailer hitches. The hitch attachment can fail, causing the trailer to tear loose from the vehicle. You could have someone weld on a piece of metal that connects the receiver to the frame, and provides strength and permits a WDH. It probably voids the warranty. I have a neighbor that tows a 23 foot Airstream with an Audi Q7, and he had one installed. I did not like it because it really reduces the ground clearance. He had his installed by an RV shop in Ontario Canada called Can-Am that pioneered this solution. Having seen it, I think any good welding shop could copy the design. A bunch of discussion on forums HERE, and HERE, and HERE. The owner's manual also says: With a factory-installed or an aftermarket trailer hitch, the maximum permissible load on the ball hitch may not exceed 770 lbs (350 kg). It is recommended to use the maximum permissible load. What safety features are being disabled? On several occasions I have had an error message stating that the "ACC is not working, see the owners manual." The ACC is the adaptive cruise control, a fabulous feature. The owner's manual was no help, and the Audi service department was also no help. However, I have had this message while towing, but also without the trailer, and I conclude that the error message is not caused by the back end being lowered. Sorry, I do not know what is causing your problem, or how to fix it. I get this error message intermittently, which makes it hard to diagnose. On a couple of occasions I found road dirt and debris on the front sensors, and cleaning them off resolved the problem. Sometimes re-starting the car solved the problem, what I call the Microsoft solution. Sorry I cannot be of more help. Good luck with it.

I have a 2017 Audi Q7 w/trailer package towing 23’ Oliver Elite II. I have no trouble with swaying, but when I hookup my trailer the back of my Audi drops down about 2”. This disables the safety equipment including my cruise controller. My Audi has 7700# towing capacity and has a 700# tongue rating. Oliver Trailer 5,000# w/500# Tongue Weight. What is the fix??? No help from Audi Will Andersen Hitch resolve this issue?

1. Always turn Propane tank valve on VERY SLOWLY, otherwise the force of rushing gas can cause safety valves on furnace, frig, or hot water heater to shut that appliance down. Only remedy is shot of gas, reset appliance, then turn gas valve VERY SLOWLY. Seemingly faulty appliance has always worked after that. 2. Always lock bathroom door before driving even the shortest distance. Otherwise it will be broken for sure from swinging open. 3. Never camp between other RVs that run generators with exhaust pointed towards your Ollie. The CO detector will go off. NEVER ignore your CO DETECTOR!!! You might die in your sleep. 4. Never run propane appliances while driving. They can cause gas explosions at gas stations. 5. Viair Air Compressor makes winterizing water lines and keeping tires at proper pressure a piece of cake 6. Anderson Leveling wedge is worthless on ice and snow. They need a studded version. 7. Boondocking in Winter requires a decent and quiet generator. Solar power is gone for perhaps weeks. I recommend the Honda 2200i. 8. Protect front lower sections of shell from rock chips with plastic coating. Tow vehicle will spray a ton of gravel into it, especially in Winter. The folks who applied 3m film to my Audi are doing my Ollie. 9. Keep Drain hose attached to outlet in rear bumper and simply cap the end. This is way easier and cleaner than taking it apart each drain cycle. And always drain Black then Gray for odorless hose 10. Dehumidifier is a must when Winter camping. Otherwise condensation runs amuck everywhere. 11. Hoppy Rearview Mirror Level on front of Ollie saves tons of time. And, your head doesn’t get nearly as wet running in and out and in and out etc, etc in the rain and snow to get the darn trailer level. 12. Use other Ollie owners for tips and advice, especially for Set Up and Departure Checklists. They are valuable beyond belief. I’ll add more as they happen. Happy travels

Useful info, getting ready for pick up in April, TV will be a 2020 Audi Q7 3.0T. From what I've gathered here, but please confirm, Oliver uses a 2" ball? And figuring perhaps one or two inches of sag when hitched, top of ball should be about 25 to 23 inches above ground? Sound about right? Dave

We tow with an Audi Q7, which can pull 7700 lbs. It has been a great tow vehicle, with plenty of power. The owners manual for the Audi has a strict prohibition against a weight distribution hitch, and I think the same applies to most similar German cars. I did a bunch of research on the WDH topic, and one can weld a brace underneath the chassis that permits WDH use. This method was pioneered by the CanAm Airstream dealer in Ontario. I have a neighbor who pulls a 23 foot Airstream with an Audi Q7, and he had his Q7 modified by CanAm. I did not like the look of it, as it significantly decreases the ground clearance. My neighbor suggested that with pictures (which I have), any competent welder could install such a brace. My Q7 tows beautifully, with no sway despite not using a weight distribution hitch. Send me a private message if you want more info, including a bunch of relevant threads from the AirForum.

I like the tension in this thread. Good thoughts on both sides. I also like what Tesla is doing. I have a Tesla dealer in the neighborhood and see lots of them on the road. A Tesla truck is appealing. Electric vehicles have impressive performance. I am a long time Audi owner and now have an Audi S3, so I also follow what Audi is doing with their e-tron, looks impressive. But, for towing my Oliver I need fueling flexibility. Some of the places we’ve camped were literally in the middle of nowhere and I was thankful for a small rural gas pump. I don’t want to have to change my travel plans to find a charging station. I will buy an new truck after the new year and it will be traditional. Maybe when it’s time to replace it there will be enough electric vehicle infrastructure to make an electric pickup an option. Mike