New member here, decided to post this directly in the forum rather than the new member thread because I'm hoping for feedback.
Short intro: I'm a middle-aged government scientist/engineer living in a suburb close to Chicago. My current vehicles are a 2012 Mazda 3 6-speed and a 2011 Honda Odyssey. I do all of my own auto maintenance.
So, how did I get here?
I have campground reservations for Acadia National Park (2500 miles round trip) at the end of July as a family vacation -- 2 adults, 2 kids, and a 60 lb dog.
Wife and I bought a travel trailer last month (Starcraft 17SB, a "hybrid" with pop-out beds, 2800 lbs "dry", 3100 lbs "unloaded", and GVWR of 3500lbs (and let's be honest, going down the road I will be near the GVWR). Loaded for travel, I have measured the tongue weight at 425 lbs, although I am a little skeptical of the quality of my scale.
The original plan was to tow it with my low-mileage 2011 Honda Odyssey, with a tow capacity exactly at 3500lbs (also noting that Pilot and Ridgeline share engine, trans, and have similar curb weight, wheelbase, and GVWR but have 5000lb tow rating). I knew I was pushing the limits, so I outfitted the Honda as best I could -- beefy Curt Class III hitch, Reese WDH, large transmission cooler, LT tires, and air-bag suspension boosts inside the rear coils. Took it for a test camp 2 hours south and it handled it pretty well. I don't have much towing experience but it seemed pretty stable, even in strong winds with trucks blowing by at 70mph+. One concern is that even in 80F ambient temperature in the relatively flatlands of Illinois (and driving 55mph) my ATF temperature hovered between 210F- 230F while cruising down the highway.
I stopped at a CAT scale during our trip and I'm not exceeding any of the axle ratings or GVWR, but I am 260 lbs over the GCWR.
Basically, I think I could probably make it work, maybe with even more transmission cooling, but the whole thing makes me nervous. And when I'm a little nervous, my wife gets EXTREMELY nervous.
So, I started thinking about buying a better tow vehicle, and I do not want to drive a truck or large SUV on a daily basis, and i'm not convinced the Honda Pilot would tow this load any better, so as near as I can tell this road leads only one direction: to the Touareg and it's Audi/Porsche cousins. I do not have the luxury of time, because I need to hit the road towing a trailer on July 15. I admit I am concerned about buying a used car and immediately hooking a trailer to it and driving 2500 miles!
I drove a 2015 Touareg Executive yesterday and loved it -- you can tell it is built like a tank (in a good way). Even more importantly, my wife loved it. It does have 85,000 miles, so that gives me some pause. Going to look at a 2016 with 62,000 miles (and $10000 higher asking price) tonight.
I'm curious about the Q7 as well, because the 3rd row seating/extra cargo space might make things a bit more comfy for 4 passengers+dog. I realize the towing capacity is slightly less, but i'm thinking it should tow the load I have just as easily as the Touareg. Is the Audi 3.0T generally more/less reliable than the VW 3.6?
Anyone have buying advice? Are there common issues to look out for in the 2014-2017 Touareg/Q7 with 50,000-100,000 miles on then?
Short intro: I'm a middle-aged government scientist/engineer living in a suburb close to Chicago. My current vehicles are a 2012 Mazda 3 6-speed and a 2011 Honda Odyssey. I do all of my own auto maintenance.
So, how did I get here?
I have campground reservations for Acadia National Park (2500 miles round trip) at the end of July as a family vacation -- 2 adults, 2 kids, and a 60 lb dog.
Wife and I bought a travel trailer last month (Starcraft 17SB, a "hybrid" with pop-out beds, 2800 lbs "dry", 3100 lbs "unloaded", and GVWR of 3500lbs (and let's be honest, going down the road I will be near the GVWR). Loaded for travel, I have measured the tongue weight at 425 lbs, although I am a little skeptical of the quality of my scale.
The original plan was to tow it with my low-mileage 2011 Honda Odyssey, with a tow capacity exactly at 3500lbs (also noting that Pilot and Ridgeline share engine, trans, and have similar curb weight, wheelbase, and GVWR but have 5000lb tow rating). I knew I was pushing the limits, so I outfitted the Honda as best I could -- beefy Curt Class III hitch, Reese WDH, large transmission cooler, LT tires, and air-bag suspension boosts inside the rear coils. Took it for a test camp 2 hours south and it handled it pretty well. I don't have much towing experience but it seemed pretty stable, even in strong winds with trucks blowing by at 70mph+. One concern is that even in 80F ambient temperature in the relatively flatlands of Illinois (and driving 55mph) my ATF temperature hovered between 210F- 230F while cruising down the highway.
I stopped at a CAT scale during our trip and I'm not exceeding any of the axle ratings or GVWR, but I am 260 lbs over the GCWR.
Basically, I think I could probably make it work, maybe with even more transmission cooling, but the whole thing makes me nervous. And when I'm a little nervous, my wife gets EXTREMELY nervous.
So, I started thinking about buying a better tow vehicle, and I do not want to drive a truck or large SUV on a daily basis, and i'm not convinced the Honda Pilot would tow this load any better, so as near as I can tell this road leads only one direction: to the Touareg and it's Audi/Porsche cousins. I do not have the luxury of time, because I need to hit the road towing a trailer on July 15. I admit I am concerned about buying a used car and immediately hooking a trailer to it and driving 2500 miles!
I drove a 2015 Touareg Executive yesterday and loved it -- you can tell it is built like a tank (in a good way). Even more importantly, my wife loved it. It does have 85,000 miles, so that gives me some pause. Going to look at a 2016 with 62,000 miles (and $10000 higher asking price) tonight.
I'm curious about the Q7 as well, because the 3rd row seating/extra cargo space might make things a bit more comfy for 4 passengers+dog. I realize the towing capacity is slightly less, but i'm thinking it should tow the load I have just as easily as the Touareg. Is the Audi 3.0T generally more/less reliable than the VW 3.6?
Anyone have buying advice? Are there common issues to look out for in the 2014-2017 Touareg/Q7 with 50,000-100,000 miles on then?
but for how small that load is (relatively) youd likely be fine with a pilot that was properly equipped.
