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Towing with Volkswagen Touareg TDI


John Dehne

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Hi and welcome. You need to tell us what year and which engine, there have been a huge number of different diesels, including the unfortunate VW Touareg V10 Diesel vs Boeing 747.

John Davies

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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Forgot to list the engine in my 2014 Touareg 3.0 TDI  V6 diesel 240 hp at 4000rpm, 407ft/lb Torque at 2000 rpm. Rated to tow 7716# with 616 TW.  Thanks for reminding me John.

John & Chris Dehne Manchester, MD.  2021 Elite II twin Hull# 901

“Fiberbeergrass” 2021 Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4  Life is good!

 

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Did you try Search? It is pretty lame but it works fine for an unusual word like your Touareg. Try reading:

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/search/?&q=Touareg &type=forums_topic&nodes=12&search_and_or=or

I don’t recall all the concerns, power and fuel economy are good. The issues I can think of are marginal tongue weight and cargo volume, no weight distribution and a lack of dealers (or capable euro service shops) in the boonies if you have a breakdown, and parts availability when it does happen.

I guess it depends on where you plan to camp, how you spec your trailer, and how many people and their “stuff” you plan to carry. If you plan to explore remote areas like Alaska or even Wyoming, you should get a vehicle that can be fixed in any average small town. I have no Touareg experience, though I lusted very heavily for one when they first appeared. I have owned two VAG vehicles and would not touch another with a thousand foot pole😬.

John Davies

Spokane WA

A74D73BB-AA08-4D1E-B70F-A83AB9643031.jpeg

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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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

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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12 hours ago, John Dehne said:

Hello All,

Anybody towing a Elite 2 with a Volkswagen Touareg TDI? How does it do? Thanks

I would suggest that you consult the Touareg Club Forum for additional info on this subject, they have some interesting comments. However, as is generally the case there are lots of questionable statements. For example, Can you use a WDH? What is the Tongue Weight Capacity, etc? 

We Tow with a GL 450 (gas), which does a good job.

IMO, one of the "For Most Authority on RV Towing," is Andy Thompson at Can Am Airstream in Ontario Can. I suggest you ask him for his opinion, he done the research and testing and "Thinks Outside the Box."

Please report back to us on what you find out!

 

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John,  

All tow vehicles have their compromises.  As long as you are okay with keeping your weight down, your Touareg will do great towing an Elite II.

We tow with a 2018 BMW X5 35d.  It has 255 hp at 4,000 rpm and 413 ft lbs of torque at 1,500 rpm.  Very similar to yours. 

Our limiting factor is the carrying capacity at 1,109 lbs.  If I recall correctly, yours should be in the low 1,200 lbs.  The 1,109 lbs. has been more than enough for us but, we purposely travel light and equipped our trailer to keep the tongue weight low.   

If you would like to discuss our experience further, please message me your contact information.

Andrew

P.S.  @DavidS from Salt Lake tows with an 2017 gas Audi Q7

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Andrew

 

2019 Legacy Elite II  2018 BMW x5 35d 

 

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Thank you all for your valuable input on my Touareg tow vehicle. We have decided to purchase a 2021 Ram 2500 Cummings for payload and safety reasons, I know it is a little over kill and we are ok with that. Hopefully mpg will not be that bad. We will keep our Touareg as it has been a great car and Volkswagen has been very good to us with all the emissions issues they had, This Forum Group is the best! Hope to see you on the road and meet up in mid Sept. Travel on.

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John & Chris Dehne Manchester, MD.  2021 Elite II twin Hull# 901

“Fiberbeergrass” 2021 Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4  Life is good!

 

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19 minutes ago, John Dehne said:

Thank you all for your valuable input on my Touareg tow vehicle. We have decided to purchase a 2021 Ram 2500 Cummings for payload and safety reasons, I know it is a little over kill and we are ok with that. Hopefully mpg will not be that bad. We will keep our Touareg as it has been a great car and Volkswagen has been very good to us with all the emissions issues they had, This Forum Group is the best! Hope to see you on the road and meet up in mid Sept. Travel on.

We’ve enjoyed our Ram 2500.  Mileage is better than either of the 1500’s we towed with.  Mike

Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

ALAZARCACOFLGAIDILKSKYLAMDMSMOMTNENVNMNYNCNDOHOKSCSDTNTXUTVAWVWYsm.jpgALAZARCACOCTDEFLGAIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMS

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