# Towing with the Touareg?



## hyderd (Feb 8, 2008)

I am about to purchase a 2008 Touareg 2 3.6l 24v VR6. I am very excited about the purchase but only have one reservation. Towing. Can Touareg owners tell their experiences with towing in the Touareg? I do not plan on using the Touareg like a work truck. I only plan on towing uhaul trailers and maybe a midsized boat in the future. Does towing severly effect the Touareg in MPG, speed, engine wear? Any issues? http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Thanks


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## Tregger (Mar 9, 2004)

I towed a 4,500 lb 6x12 U-haul trailer from Seattle to Phoenix in 2004. I have the V8 and it average 11-12mpg the whole way. The tiptronic tranny is great in the mountains since you can gear down or up depending on the hills.
V8's have a lot of grunt and I have heard positive comments on this board about the 3.6liter V6 which is also more than capable towing with similar mpg.
I would recommend the factory hitch over a aftermarket curt hitch which even though the curt hitch is cheaper, the OEM unit communicates with the Touareg electronics to better match shift points, etc. Also, if someone tries to unplug the wiring harness to the trailer with the OEM unit while the alarm for the Touareg is on it will cause it to go off.
If you are ordering new, the OEM unit is a port installed option for $500.


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## teutonicv10 (Nov 22, 2006)

*Re: (Tregger)*

No problem towing 8000 lbs boat and trailer


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## eggwhyte (Dec 21, 2005)

*Re: Towing with the Touareg? (hyderd)*

We've got an '05 V8 and it tows our 21' boat great. Boat, trailer, and gear weight about 4500 lbs. It climbs hills easily and cruises at 65 on the freeway quite nicely. We normally get 18-19 mpg on the highway without the boat, towing we get 14-15 mpg which is much better than I expected. I would thin yours with the new V6 would tow just fine.


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## andyA6 (Nov 10, 2000)

*Re: Towing with the Touareg? (eggwhyte)*

I can only say 2 things:- Treg tows great and look through some threads (aka search) for more info http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 



















_Modified by andyA6 at 10:50 AM 2-8-2008_


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## nltomba (Jan 30, 2007)

*Re: (Tregger)*

Tregger, that is complete nonsense.
An oem hitch or curt does not make a difference, except for towing capacity (curt is rated 6000#)
You are talking about the wiring, which you can purchase separately from 1stvwparts.com.
This combo is a LOT cheaper than an oem package and you still have all thjose nifty features.


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## Tregger (Mar 9, 2004)

nltomba.
Check the FAQ's on towing and with Spockcat. What I am talking about relates to the electronic controller box which gets installed near the CD changer. 
I do not believe the Curt hitch option comes with that. Though as you pointed out....the Curt hitch is much cheaper and still is rated for 6,000 lbs.


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## Yeti35 (May 17, 2006)

*Re: (teutonicv10)*


_Quote, originally posted by *teutonicv10* »_No problem towing 8000 lbs boat and trailer

 Only issue is you are over the rated towing weight with that setup by 300 lbs. I was under the impression towing weight was 7700. 


_Modified by Yeti35 at 5:29 PM 2-8-2008_


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## aircooled (Jul 30, 2003)

*Re: (Yeti35)*

It is. 7700, 616 pounds on the tongue.


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## rybocf (Jul 14, 2006)

*Re: (aircooled)*

Not that I suggest going above factory limits, but isn't the 7716 (or close to that) number artificial?
I remember reading, on here I think, that this is the maximum towing capacity for a regular residential vehicle in Germany. The reality is that VW had to set that number as the maximum towing weight in order to keep it classified as a certain type of vehicle. However, when they test the actual towing capacity it was significantly higher.
-Ryan


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## teutonicv10 (Nov 22, 2006)

*Re: (rybocf)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rybocf* »_Not that I suggest going above factory limits, but isn't the 7716 (or close to that) number artificial?

Exactly. Remember that 155 ton 747?


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## markitzero (May 10, 2003)

*Re: Towing with the Touareg? (hyderd)*

I used our old 3.2 Touareg to pull a 6'x12' U-Haul trailer about 200 miles between Portland and Seattle. It performed the task REMARKABLY well, above all my expectations. As far as the effect on MPG you will see a decrease but that's expected.. about 5 MPG in my experience.


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## GTI2lo (Dec 19, 1999)

*Re: Towing with the Touareg? (markitzero)*

Here is us towing our old 06 Mastercraft X-1 with the old 04 touareg V8..








Now have the 08 T2 V8 and plan on towing this our new 40th Anniversary X-star with it.
Gonna look like this..


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## BoostAddiction (Aug 31, 2004)

*Towing with the Treg*

Here's a pic of the trailer I tow with the Treg. All-up weight is prob about 5000 lbs.
Trailer is for sale, BTW.
-Will


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## NickM (Oct 20, 2001)

*Re: Towing with the Touareg? (hyderd)*

Towing is not an issue


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## Vermontr (Nov 23, 2004)

I pulled a 5000 lb. Airstream 14k miles this summer with the V10, which is why I bought that vehicle. Superb! Out-pulled all the huge pickups up the hills without even down-shifting, cruised nicely at 70 mph without a hint of swaying. Only 14mpg however. NO weight-distributing hitch set-up.


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