Hi SallyB and very welcome to the forum. I have also been a "Cruiser" man - the Treg beats it in all respects. The V10 has a 3500kg towing capacity with a 350kg towball down-weight allowance. I will not speak in regards the other models - I am sure you will receive many replies in this regard. You will not find a better all-round vehicle (on-road, off-road, towing) than the Treg! Good luck with your research. Werner.

 

But do they really tow 3.5 tonne with no problem?

Yes. Whereas I've never actually put the combo on a scale for an exact weight, I estimate my John Deere 3720 (cab, 4-in-1 loader, ballast box, filled R4s) to weigh just shy of 3 tonne. Add the weight of the 16' tandem flatbed trailer, and I'm pretty sure I pushed the 3.5 tonne limit. Fuel economy was reduced dramatically (nearly cut in half actually) but I blame part of that on wind resistance. The cab on the tractor stuck way high up and out of the car's slipstream, which should be less of an issue with a horse trailer.

//greg//

 

Not a lot of towing experience here but I towed a 4000lb (rated) pop-up camper full of gear and water back and forth across the Rockies (over a couple of 10,000ft passes) in my 2010 TDI and never knew it was there! Until that is I started to drive too fast and it would waggle letting me know I should slow down (approached 80MPH).

I'd recommend a TDI!

 

V6 TDI great up to 2.5T, after that, can do, but under pressure.
V10TDI is ideal if you can get a good one, preferably with warranty

 

Both will tow well, ofcourse v10 with much more ease, especially if you are close to 3.5
See if a used v10 with warranty falls in your budget. Otherwise v6 wont disappoint either.
All the best

 

I concur with Singh re' warranty, without warranty, I'd personally steer clear of anything with a VW logo on it.

IMO, anyone considering a VW should also consider the cost to keep it on the road and do research thoroughly.

 

Hi Sally,
In July I bought my first Touareg V6 TDI 2007 model (as stated below) exactly for a horse towing vehicle and I researched until words and numbers came out of my head. I have made the BEST decision of my life it is fantastic!!! I could never go back from a Euro vehicle again! Currently I tow 2 large horses about 500kg with a 800kg float, car loaded for endurance rides and or shows it does it easily, I am in the process of purchasing a 2-3 horse angle load with kitchen etc. I am happy with my little luxuries you get with a Touareg like my heated seats and the list can go on... and not to mention the fuel economy of my Touareg when on its own and towing is unbeatable.. sorry i seem to be talking it up so much here, but like you have hung out on these forums asking many questions prior to my purchase and I am glad of my decision.

However like others will mention, yes it is important to shop around and ensure you are getting a well looked after one. I was very lucky, but I'm sure there are more like mine.

Servicing so far has not been expensive, I was quite impressed really with my 105,000km service only costing $350 I think. Tyres I was just due and they cost about $395each however I did go for Pirelli's which are notorious for being pricey. STR scorpions they were, and working very well, slient on the road and traction off road mud, rocks, muddy grass (when pouring at shows) it just pulls through in high range.

So fuel consumption.. this will beat any 3.5tonne towing vehicle equivalent ...well easily over a 4.2L TD patrol and Landcruiser. I average about 11 - 11.8L per 100km atm towing 2 horses sometimes more if say going up Dorrigo Mountain, but at least I can crawl up there with ease in 3-4 gear. Around town and highway I'm averaging about 8.1-9.6 L/per 100km.

Happy to chat anytime about touaregs and towing horses

 

This is exactly what I have been looking for!! I’ve been nervous to tow 2 large horses in the touareg!! It’s only because there is one steep hill that I need to climb to get to our horse trainers.

 

You really need to work out the AUW (ATM) of the usual tow. 3.5 tonne ain't friendly to most vehicles. The tranmission cops the load (and strain) no matter how you want to look at it. You do not want to blow a touareg tranny! Max tow load of 3.5T may be as per the Touareg specs, but I'd not push it on a regular basis to put it bluntly. If you do tow atleast 3.5T+, I'd drop the Touareg off the list and get a Yank ute, i.e, F250, GMC etc.

 

Well, I bought one this morning! 2006 80,000kms and a V6 TDI. Hubby test drove a V10 yesterday and absolutely loved it, however felt it may have missed a few services and spoke with a VW mechanic who said possibilty of replacing injectors, 10 x $1000 each!! We decided to go with the smaller one.
I think I may get myself a lighter horse float and to be honest, I'll probably only tow one horse these days anyway. 2 horses at a competition is too much work for me, let alone the car! I'll keep in touch with the forum anyway. And thanks everyone for your comments.

 

Well, I bought one this morning! 2006 80,000kms and a V6 TDI.
I think I may get myself a lighter horse float and to be honest, I'll probably only tow one horse these days anyway. 2 horses at a competition is too much work for me, let alone the car!

That'll work nicely. If you work on 75% of the ATM (aggregate tow mass of 3500kgs = about 2800kgs) you'll not over stress the drivetrain and the V6 TDI will surprise you if you go easy on the pedal. Just have a look and see when the pads and rotors were last changed. You'll now know that the pads and rotors are a consumable, as in replace the lot. Hopefully, there's a good chance they make have been changed past 60,000K's.

 

This is a general question for towers:

Is there any way to get a temperature gauge on the auto box?

Even a contact thermometer shielded from the slipstream would help to make sure someone towing doesn't exceed whatever the maximum temperature is for the gearbox if the tow is in high ambient temperatures.

 

That would be good I'm interested too.

 

Not another sensor! If your arse feels hot, pull over and let it (Treg) cool down.

 

If your arse feels hot...

... stop farting!

 

You've missed the point. This would not be a VW sensor so your sequence of events is a non-starter.

 

More towing questions; wondering whether I go to a towing & 4WD specialist place (like Coldy's) to get fitted out for towing, or a VW mechanic? Hayman Reese or VW towbar?
Do I need a transmission cooler? And do I need to do anything with the suspension? (I will be using a weight distribution hitch) ...I just want to make sure I do everything spot on!

 

hi sally ... A Hayman Reese hitch agent may also have done a few electric brake installs, so that is probably the best option.
Others may bust the tail light.. and get confused about the brakes.
As I said originally , it's the brakes that cause the most angst.
It's a simple enough process.. but there is an awful lot of "noise" about it.. even on this site.
I was going to fit a load sharing hitch , but so far have not needed it.

Hope you are enjoying it

Cheers

 

Thanks teeg...amd LOVING it! Saw one at the dressage comp yesterday. Revelwood Stud uses one to tow a big 3 horse trailer that is built on a 4 horse chassis. David (owner) has load levellers on and I've always used them with my Landcruiser. You really notice the difference when towing without, feels less stable. So the issues is with the electric brakes?
And what do you think of the trans cooler issue?

 

Hayman Reese probably the go, but get the wiring install sorted before you hand it to any of them so they can confirm they know how to correctly wire up the plug. You'll also need to sort out LED lights on your trailer if you have them or plan to fit them as it's another problem to solve. The simple fix for the LED lights is from VW parts with the LED module that plugs exterior to your harness and works perfectly. TAKE YOUR PURSE WITH YOU!

 

The simple fix for the LED lights is from VW parts with the LED module that plugs exterior to your harness and works perfectly.

Here's a pic of the LED control module fitted on my boat trailer zip-tied to the winch post support bracket so you get an idea of what it is if you need it. Fortunately, I don't need electric brakes - more $'s to your tow list.

 

Others may have an opinion.. but these modern auto's are locked in gear under way.. so no constant load ( slippage) on the torque converter which is the usual source of heat.
The eg will probably tell you if it's getting over stressed...
I suspect fitting an oil cooler would not be a simple process

 

150KW towing horse float

Hi I am new around here. First post and reviving an old thread.
I would love to buy a Touareg V6 180kw 550nm V6 to pull a double horse float and maybe a triple down the track. However budget constraints will probably limit me to the lower powered 150kw x 400nm version (2015 version may be 450nm but not sure). Has anyone towed a large float with the smaller V6 and able to report on how it copes. Also does lack of air suspension and levelling mean the Touareg sags in the rear with a trailer on. Would appreciate any feedback in this configuration towing.

 

Hi Logger..
I only have an "old" (t2) tdi_eg.. but it wouldn't even know it had a 2 horse float on.
It tows a 3 horse float full of hay with disdain or a car trailer with a large car with equal dis-interest.
Mine is steel suspension and doesn't drag it's butt at all with normal towbar loads.
I love it to bits and can't bring myself to buy anything else .. even a new eg...

Do buy an extended warranty if you buy new or secondhand ... Eg's are complex critters and although they r really well made.. they are expensive if something major fails.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like it will do the job nicely, even with the smaller engine.

 

You will love it Sally! My toureg is the best purchase I ever made towing my horses. I have an older extended Warmblood Kara Kar float and with 2 horses loaded up it tows it perfectly, cruises up hills.
Keep an eye on your centre bearing, mine went at about 150,000kms towing a mare and foal up Dorrigo Mountain (single lane steep incline heading over the range from coffs). Managed to fix mine for an amazing $70 and a case of beer (cost of centre bearing from a fellow clubtouareg member and a trusty knowledgeable mechanic friend) I service my own, tyres included This club forum and the will to research will be the best thing for you and your touareg.

Feel free to contact me anytime regarding anything you would like to know regarding your treg happy to help as a fellow horse owner, tower and treg owner

Have to say its one of the most comfy tow vehicles too

 

Hi Charrlise.
Excited to hear you’ve had such a great experience towing your float and horses with your Toureg. I just purchased a second hand one (2019 V6 launch edition) and it’s currently getting tow all and electric brakes fitted so I can use it for the same. I am now looking to buy a float to tow my two horses in. Do you have any recommendations around tare and avm of floats I should be looking at? I’m hoping to find a 2HAL.
I really appreciate any insight you can share as I have no experience in this area.
Thanks so much ☺

 

Thanks Charrlise. Have had the car two weeks now. Towed a float with it for the first time this weekend. No problems with two horses aboard. A Warmblood and a thoroughbred. No noticable drop in the RRRs with the float attached even though no air suspension. But I did find the towball height with the VW bar was a bit lower than optimum, resulting in more weight on the front axle than the rear of the float. ie the front tyre were more compressed than the rears. I have addressed this by rotating the tongue & ball 180 degrees. This has raised the ball height by 60mm to match that of my previous tow vehicle. The Eight speed auto is very smooth and like you say the car is so comfy and quiet for the job. Mine has the reversing camera and at slow speed you can activate it to see the coupling and sides of the float. I must go looking in VCDS to see if there is a way to remove the speed restriction in the tow module that kills the camera over about 10km. would be handy to be able to seethe float on it at highway speeds.