Towing with a 2016 Toureg TDI?

[Popcorn-Billy]

All,

 

After consulting here on the suitability of my 2013 4Runner for towing an Elite, I've decided to move into something a bit more capable. There are quite a few nice, low mileage 2016 Toureg TDIs available locally and I'm considering. I think I read of folks towing Ollies with their Toureg TDIs and was wondering if any were on the forum. The Toureg would seem to meet my needs for a compact SUV. I used to have trucks but cannot justify having one as my sole vehicle. Heck, park an aluminum utility trailer in the garage and I have a truck when I need one.

 

TIA,

 

Bill

 

 

 

 

[John E Davies]

Yikes! These 3.0 V6 engines are reportedly great performing engines and you should be able to tow a small Ollie easily. Not the big one, since I believe the max tongue weight rating is fairly low. ... https://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f66/maxing-out-tow-capacity-with-travel-trailer-134082.html

 

However you should not even consider buying a used one unless it has had the complete emissions recall done and it also comes with a very long extended vehicle warranty. The fix will include an emissions warranty extension, but VWs out of warranty are a financial disaster from bumper to bumper. I am pretty sure that going from your super reliable 4Runner to a VW or Audi of any kind will be disppointing for you in the long run.

 

What is your target price for a new vehicle? Do you really want a diesel, with all its complications? How many miles per year will you tow, and how many miles as a daily driver? Maybe we could help you pick a tow vehicle that would be more trouble free, like the big Mercedes GLS .... https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/road-tests/a10159528/the-mercedes-benz-gls450-is-a-shockingly-capable-tow-vehicle/

 

Or a Sequoia or Land Cruiser 200.... ;)

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[DavidS]

Don Thompson tows with an 2016 VW Touareg TDI, and he is very happy with it.

 

Before buying, I posted about wanting to tow with an SUV, an Audi Q7. Don Thompson responded and our conversations made me confident that this type of SUV makes a very good tow vehicle. I am very happy with the Audi Q7. Although they switched to a pickup, Reed & Karen Lukens used to pull with a Mercedes ML350  Diesel, and were very happy with its performance.

 

I think you will be happy with a Touareg.

[Popcorn-Billy]

Thanks, David!

 

John, I'm looking at VW Certified ONLY. It seems the mid $30s is the sweet spot for a Certified 2016. I've considered moving to a Lexus GX460, in order to keep the Toyota reliability and get a small V8. The Lexus doesn't have the torque of the TDI nor the high altitude performance but it is a body-on-frame Toyota. It's a bummer Toyota doesn't import their diesels to the US. Yes, I'm quite comfortable with a diesel. I've owned three.

 

 

[donthompson]

Bill, I'm the guy David referred to in his comments about the Touareg. I towed with a 2015 Touareg TDI that I leased. Towed my Elite II over 20k with that Touareg and put over 70k miles on the vehicle in 3 years. I replaced it with a new 2016 Touareg TDI that I purchased in January 2018 after VW released them for sale. I've already towed my Ollie over 5,000 miles with the '16. John is a very knowledgeable and valuable member of the forum, but I don't agree with his conclusions about the reliability or lack of reliability of the Touareg. Consumer Reports rates the '16 Touareg a 5/5 for reliability--its highest rating. The Landcruiser is unrated because of lack of data. The 2016 Tundra is rated 4/5.

 

There are a lot of reasons to like the Touareg. First, the fit and finish of a German-made vehicle are outstanding. Second, the handling is far superior to any SUV other than a Porsche or Audi--and that's true when you're towing as well. Third, the gas mileage (diesel) is great--I get up to 32 mpg at freeway speeds when I'm not towing and 16 to 19 mpg towing depending on speed and how much mountainous driving I'm doing. I got over 18 mpg in Colorado this summer/fall on two-lane highways towing my Oliver. The only downside I've found is the relatively small cargo area. I use a Yakama cargo box to carry bulky items to solve this problem.

 

The only issue I've had with either Touareg was with the emission controls on the 2015. VW paid for some repairs/replacement to the emission controls under warranty that would have cost about $1500 had they not been covered. After that experience, I decided to modify my '16 when I bought it to simplify the emission control system. I followed the advice of another TDI (Audi Q7) owner I met at the Oliver Rally this spring. My 3.0 litre TDI now has 305 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque compared to the 240/406 in the stock tune. Before doing this, I spent a lot of time talking to the manager of the service department at my Audi/VW dealer and he consulted with the VW warranty people before assuring me that I could make these modifications without affecting the warranty. The engine runs so much better now and the extra torque makes towing the Ollie a breeze.

 

If you want to talk to me about any of this, please send a personal message to me and we can exchange phone numbers.

[Popcorn-Billy]

Don,

 

What an encouraging post! I see that you're towing and Elite II with, apparently, no issues. I've been limiting my search to the Elite 18.5'. If I may ask, what brake controller do you recommend?

 

The Certified 2016 TDI I called about was sold yesterday, oh well..... Once I find a Q7 or Toureg TDI, I'll PM you and we'll chat. The Q7 reference got me thinking. I've, I think, seen Q5 TDIs. They probably are too small to be useful as a TV. I've towed an old 24' Prowler with a box top Cherokee 4.0L. It pulled fine but got twitchy in crosswinds and was no fun to drive.

[donthompson]

Here’s the brake controller. http://www.tekonsha.com/mobile/products/brake-controllers/proportional-controllers/trailer-brake-control-proportional/TzaIxkVx1cI5XOy!osRB508pViEKmVBf

 

I think a Q5 is too small. Good luck searching for a Q7 or Touareg!

 

Don

[quoyle]

I have a 2013 Touareg TDI (which has had the modifications) and I plan to drive down to Tennessee from Vermont in March to get my Elite I. The Touareg is an amazing tow vehicle and it should do just fine. You could argue that if a Touareg can tow a 747, it can handle an Olie.

[John E Davies]

You could argue that if a Touareg can tow a 747, it can handle an Olie.

 

LOL, one could argue that, but it was a 5.0 V10 tdi with 8 TONS of ballast and they towed in Low Range.... the V10 was an absolute brute but a nightmare to own. To do just about anything to the engine you had to drop the entire drivetrain.

 

“Seriously, parts were scarce but the main thing that made me sell it is no one could work on it and even the knowledge base online was scarce. It was terrifying to own as a DD because you literally could have a part fail with no warning and struggle to source parts and a reliable mechanic to do the work within weeks.”

 

https://jalopnik.com/the-volkswagen-touareg-v10-tdi-was-more-of-a-nightmare-1822934503

 

Really, that is not a vehicle you should be using as a poster child.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[rich.dev]

On 11/21/2018 at 8:13 AM, donthompson said:

Bill, I'm the guy David referred to in his comments about the Touareg. I towed with a 2015 Touareg TDI that I leased. Towed my Elite II over 20k with that Touareg and put over 70k miles on the vehicle in 3 years. I replaced it with a new 2016 Touareg TDI that I purchased in January 2018 after VW released them for sale. I've already towed my Ollie over 5,000 miles with the '16.

Don, did you tow your Oliver LEII with your Touareg TDI using a WDH (Anderson?) or without? Thanks!

[Mike and Carol]

25 minutes ago, Rich.Dev said:

On 11/21/2018 at 7:13 AM, donthompson said:

Don, did you tow your Oliver LEII with your Touareg TDI using a WDH (Anderson?) or without? Thanks!

Don isn’t on the forum much anymore, he’s moved on to some very nice Australian trailers.  You could send him a PM, I’m sure he’d answer right away.  Mike