Towing with a TDI

On Saturday, February 14, 2015 at 8:16:04 AM UTC-8, wrote:
Anyone towing with a Touareg TDI? Thoughts?

I have the V6 gasoline Touareg (2010). Before that I had a 2004 version of the same vehicle. It is the best tow vehicle I have ever owned or driven. I tow a Cobra fiberglass top with an ASW-27B inside and usually plenty of ground gear. It has enough power to get over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and will take the trailer at any speed you have the nerve for given the speed ratings on the tires without a wobble in all kinds of crosswinds and on 2-lane roads with semis coming the other way.

Secrets to good handling - decent vehicle mass, large tire contact area, short distance from rear wheels to tow ball and a long wheelbase.

9B

I have the V6 gasoline Touareg (2010).

9B

What kind of mileage do you get when towing vs not towing? Do find there is enough room inside for all your gear?

On Saturday, February 14, 2015 at 12:44:29 PM UTC-8, wrote:
I have the V6 gasoline Touareg (2010).

9B

What kind of mileage do you get when towing vs not towing? Do find there is enough room inside for all your gear?

Good room for the gear. All glider stuff fits in the back. I also have a low-profile roof rack, though I don't need the space for glider gear. It just keeps my luggage out of the back seat.

I haven't measured the mileage towing. On flatland maybe a couple MPG less than driving with no trailer. Climbing mountains, maybe a bit worse. It's 15-18 MPG with no trailer, mixed highway and city driving.

I've been towing my Ventus in a lift-top trailer with a 1.9 liter TTiD Saab and automatic transmission for the last couple of years, and extensively through the Alps. No problems with stability whatsoever, and the engine has lots of torque to accelerate beyond speed limits uphill towards a mountain pass. On the highway, I typically set the cruise control to 75-80 mph. 33 MPG.

It's a shame that the auto makers have been slow to introduce turbo-diesel engines into the USA, although the reasons are pretty obvious. Gasoline is a lot cheaper than diesel (in my home town right now, gasoline is $2 per US gallon and diesel is around $2.60) and diesel engines are also more expensive.

IMHO, the power and especially torque curves of the typical turbo diesel are absolutely superb for towing. I am now towing with a camper van based on the Mercedes Sprinter and find its towing and hill-climbing abilities to be superb. Fuel consumption is also not far shy of 20 mpg (that's 24 mpg for the Brits!) My other tow vehicle (Lexus with 5 liter gasoline V-8) is also superb, but it's a lot bigger, heavier and thirstier than most would like to drive around, especially in Europe.

Mike

On Mon, 16 Feb 2015 07:57:21 -0800, Mike the Strike wrote:

IMHO, the power and especially torque curves of the typical turbo diesel
are absolutely superb for towing. I am now towing with a camper van
based on the Mercedes Sprinter and find its towing and hill-climbing
abilities to be superb. Fuel consumption is also not far shy of 20 mpg
(that's 24 mpg for the Brits!)

You're right: that sounds thirsty to me.

I use a 2002 Ford Focus 5-door estate with 4 speed automatic transmission
and a 2 litre petrol engine to tow my Libelle in a fairly old alloy-
skinned box trailer. Its stable up to 60mph though I won't tow faster
than 65. This gets around 28mpg on long runs, e.g. from Harlow in Essex
up to the Lake district or to Portmoak (20-30 miles north of Edinburgh,
so about 23 miles/USAian gallon. Its excellent on hills: I had no problem
towing that trailer up through Church Stretton and over the moors to The
Mynd or going down the same way.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

At 15:57 16 February 2015, Mike the Strike wrote:
It's a shame that the auto makers have been slow to introduce
turbo-diesel
=
engines into the USA, although the reasons are pretty obvious. Gasoline
is=
a lot cheaper than diesel (in my home town right now, gasoline is $2 per
U=
S gallon and diesel is around $2.60) and diesel engines are also more
expen=
sive.

IMHO, the power and especially torque curves of the typical turbo diesel
ar=
e absolutely superb for towing. I am now towing with a camper van based
on=
the Mercedes Sprinter and find its towing and hill-climbing abilities to
b=
e superb. Fuel consumption is also not far shy of 20 mpg (that's 24 mpg
fo=
r the Brits!) My other tow vehicle (Lexus with 5 liter gasoline V-8) is
al=
so superb, but it's a lot bigger, heavier and thirstier than most would
lik=
e to drive around, especially in Europe.

Mike

I'm using a BMW e61 520d, and you can hardly tell that our Discus trailer
is on the back. I've also had 42 mpg (UK gallons) on runs up to Scotland,
again with the trailer.
Dave

On Monday, February 16, 2015 at 10:57:23 AM UTC-5, Mike the Strike wrote:
It's a shame that the auto makers have been slow to introduce turbo-diesel engines into the USA, although the reasons are pretty obvious. Gasoline is a lot cheaper than diesel (in my home town right now, gasoline is $2 per US gallon and diesel is around $2.60) and diesel engines are also more expensive.

IMHO, the power and especially torque curves of the typical turbo diesel are absolutely superb for towing. I am now towing with a camper van based on the Mercedes Sprinter and find its towing and hill-climbing abilities to be superb. Fuel consumption is also not far shy of 20 mpg (that's 24 mpg for the Brits!) My other tow vehicle (Lexus with 5 liter gasoline V-8) is also superb, but it's a lot bigger, heavier and thirstier than most would like to drive around, especially in Europe.

Mike

The issue with Diesels in the US are mostly related to emissions/EPA. It's expensive to certify diesels here (additional hardware required to pass EPA testing), thus not as common. Couple that with gas being cheaper (compared to other parts of the world) than diesel fuel and automakers have little incentive to bring diesels to the US market.

In the '70's, I towed a pilot's trailer with a diesel Rabbit/Golf, 0-60 was measured using a calendar.... Sigh.....

On Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at 12:22:17 PM UTC+13, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
In the '70's, I towed a pilot's trailer with a diesel Rabbit/Golf, 0-60 was measured using a calendar.... Sigh.....

The first time I visited the USA, in 1989, I hired a car to tour California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. They offered me a Chevy Cavalier with I think a 2.2 or 2.4 engine. That sounded adequate on paper. However it was an absolute pig. At one point on a quiet road somewhere near Las Vegas I actually measured the 0-60. It was a full, seemingly never ending, thirty seconds.

The next few times I went to the US I insisted on 1.6 Corollas. Infinitely better.