Anyone haul with a VW Touareg?

[xQHDQ]

My car is on its last wheel and I’m thinking of buying a truck and trailer but I know NOTHING.

I notice the VW Touareg has a towing capacity of 7000+. I think it has a wheelbase of 112.4in. For the rest of my life, an SUV would work better than a pick-up, and I like VWs, but I want to be safe on the road.

I would only want a 2-horse trailer, no dressing room. Weight-wise they seem about 3000lb empty. The horses would be WB-types.
I wasn’t thinking Benderup.

Any advice and experiences would be welcome.

[relocatedTXjumpr]

Towing capacity is NOT the only thing you need to look at.

Brake size, towing vehicle weight, transmisson, etc.

The only thing I would consider hauling with a cross over or small SUV would be a Brenderup. And even then, if would be after you pried my 3/4 ton Chevy out of my cold dead hands.

Just because something SAYS it can haul 7k doesnt mean it should.

[Kate66]

I only had to read the title of this thread to know it is going to be a train wreck. Maybe search on similar topics, there have been many. What you are going to find is the camp that tells you that you absolutely never pull a trailer without a honking great truck and those that tell you that in Europe, people pull it with a car.

A lot depends on the trailer itself. My empty 2 horse Merlow weighs only 1700lbs, so there are some very light ones out there.

[cyberbay]

OP… do hope that when you say you want to be “safe” on the road that that sentiment extends to doing all you can so that everyone else on the road is safe as well?

Just an FYI: An SUV is never safe for the other cars travelling on that road.

[relocatedTXjumpr]

Kate…yes there are some very light ones out there…but as I said before…just because something SAYS it can tow 7000lbs doesnt mean it can stop it. My 2 horse featherlight weighs 1900lbs empty but fully loaded when the trailer brakes failed it DID push my 3/4 ton through a stop sign, I cant imagine what that ride would have been like in a small SUV/crossover.

Overseas they tow brenderups, which the OP said she would not be hauling…

No, you dont NEED a big honking truck to pull a small trailer…but you need something that has more than just XXXX towing capacity. You need more truck/SUV/Whatever than you think you will ever use…too much is better than too little. You may just be talking about a 5 mile jaunt down a flat, straight road…but when Mr Whackjob vears into your lane or Mr Pony decides to play limbo in your trailer you are going to WANT more vehicle.

[Diamondindykin]

I own a VW Touareg and LOVE it :yes: It has tons of power (V8) and is gorgeous to boot!! It is a great driving vehicle and has tons of room. That said I would NEVER tow a horse trailer with it. The wheelbase is not long enough and would never be able to stop even with trailer brakes:no: If you want to haul a horse trailer buy a 3/4 ton pickup However, if you are looking for a nice passenger vehicle I highly recommend the Touareg :yes:

[Kate66]

As I said, there will be differing views on this. Interestingly many of the threads on UK discussion boards are more about how small a car you can haul with. Trucks are uncommon and people will typically haul with a car, landrover, 4x4 or will drive a horse lorry. Not all trailers are Brenderups although I suspect many are much lighter weight than you find in the US.

Here are a few articles from UK websites.

http://www.towinghorsetrailers.co.uk/towing_weights_law.htm

http://www.equine-world.co.uk/horse-forums/showthread.php?t=23929#.UEYirZZy7dg

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-197297.html

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Usingmotorwaysandroads/Breakdownsdrivingconditions/DG_185145

[RazorV]

Sorry to dig up an older thread but I just want to pump in my opinion here re: the specifications of a Volkswagen Touareg 2 V8 with Active Suspension.

Sure it’s not an F150 or F250 that will tow 11,500lbs or 18,000+ lbs, respectively. And it doesn’t have the wheel base of those vehicles either.

However, it is more than adequate AND safe for all on the road, for towing a 2 horse trailer (w/brakes) as per the topic of this thread and it is a much more practical family vehicle then a pickup truck and for most type of businesses where you may be working with clients/customers.

Volkswagen Touareg 2 V8 w/Active Suspension. Let’s look at some of the specs:

1. Dual Piston front brakes on large rotors
2. Separate Transmission Cooler
3. Separate Oil Cooler
4. Active Air Suspension for leveling
5. Intergraded Tow hitch with Frame of Vehicle installed only at factory
6. Active Hill decent control.
7. All Wheel Drive with high/low/locking differentials.
8. Gross weight of 6550 lbs
9. Tow Rating of 7716
   10)4.2L V8
10. 350hp
11. 324ft-lbs of Torque
12. 19" Wheels w/275/45 Tires

Would I tow close to 7,000lbs with this vehicle, probably not, well at least not any long distances. Would I want to tow a 2 horse trailer with the Touareg 2 halfway across the country? Probably not but it is more than capable and safe in doing so.

With that said, and only based on the OP’s original question, The Volkswagen Touareg 2 V8 is a very capable and safe vehicle to tow a 2 horse trailer with.

[xQHDQ]

Just to follow up since this thread has been revisited. I’ve been towing with the TDI (Diesel) Touareg for 2 years now. With one large horse in it, I don’t feel the trailer at all. I have hauled 2 large horses and felt it back there but didn’t have any problems. I bought a Kingston all-aluminum trailer (2300 lb), which I love love love - and my horse who can be a difficult loader loves it too.

[rustbreeches]

[QUOTE=xQHDQ;8008771]
Just to follow up since this thread has been revisited. I’ve been towing with the TDI (Diesel) Touareg for 2 years now. With one large horse in it, I don’t feel the trailer at all. I have hauled 2 large horses and felt it back there but didn’t have any problems. I bought a Kingston all-aluminum trailer (2300 lb), which I love love love - and my horse who can be a difficult loader loves it too.[/QUOTE]

Are you by any chance in VA? Last year when I was driving home for a vacation I passed a Touareg pulling a 2H on 81. The were doing about 55 in the right lane.

[RazorV]

[QUOTE=xQHDQ;8008771]
Just to follow up since this thread has been revisited. I’ve been towing with the TDI (Diesel) Touareg for 2 years now. With one large horse in it, I don’t feel the trailer at all. I have hauled 2 large horses and felt it back there but didn’t have any problems. I bought a Kingston all-aluminum trailer (2300 lb), which I love love love - and my horse who can be a difficult loader loves it too.[/QUOTE]

I’m very glad to hear that. Thanks for the update! It just goes to show you that some people out there are just so old school and stuck thinking pickup trucks are the only vehicle out there that can tow anything of weight, safely.

Sure we’re not going to pull the payload of what a Pickup Truck can. But for us, towing our horse and a friends horse, taking our 3 dogs places, moving furniture, towing a boat, and taking clients out to see property or dinners, the Touareg 2 is better than any Pickup Truck for us and more luxurious, IMO.

Glad you like your Touareg 2! Congratulations.

[NoSuchPerson]

Don’t forget, if you’re going to haul a horse trailer with an SUV (unless maybe it’s something like a Suburban with a long wheel base), you need a weight-distribution hitch (the kind with “sway” bars).

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/towing/equipment/hitches/towing-weight-distribution-systems.htm

[jenm]

[QUOTE=RazorV;8008826]
I’m very glad to hear that. Thanks for the update! It just goes to show you that some people out there are just so old school and stuck thinking pickup trucks are the only vehicle out there that can tow anything of weight, safely.

Sure we’re not going to pull the payload of what a Pickup Truck can. But for us, towing our horse and a friends horse, taking our 3 dogs places, moving furniture, towing a boat, and taking clients out to see property or dinners, the Touareg 2 is better than any Pickup Truck for us and more luxurious, IMO.

Glad you like your Touareg 2! Congratulations.[/QUOTE]

LOL. You joined COTH and dug up a two year old thread, to brag about the car’s specifications because, why?

You must be a dealer.

For the record, I would gladly tag along as a passenger with a friend in their Touareg? Sure. Would I put my horse in a trailer towed by this vehicle? Not a chance.

I’ll stick to my truck with the 7.3L engine.

[RazorV]

yea you do that. Old school thinking. Your not towing 10 tons man. we’re talking about towing 2 horses. Really??? - ya you keep your cowboy or cowgirl 7.3L engine truck.

[suz]

I want it all—
Currently driving a 7.3 crew 4x4 dually but I positively lust after a diesel Touareg.

[NoSuchPerson]

Well, I can only afford one vehicle and since I’m not hauling hay in the back of an SUV, I’ll be sticking to my “cowgirl 7.3L engine truck” for my towing vehicle.

Besides, a VW Touareg is entirely inconsistent with my self-image as a redneck. :lol:

[jenm]

[QUOTE=RazorV;8008943]
yea you do that. Old school thinking. Your not towing 10 tons man. we’re talking about towing 2 horses. Really??? - ya you keep your cowboy or cowgirl 7.3L engine truck.[/QUOTE]

LMFAO!!! Touched a nerve, did I? :lol:

Um, I’m towing a 2H GN trailer and am very happy with my truck and feel very safe. I also appreciate being able to throw a bale of hay in my truck bed rather than the back of a car.

I don’t know anyone who tows with an SUV so I guess out here in California we consider safety “old school”. :winkgrin:

[RedmondDressage]

Oh man… Just this week I moved from an '89 F250 to a ‘11 RAM 1500… And I was worried about that! Holy crap, there is no amount of money one could pay me to haul my horses with a freakin’ Touareg. And I gotta say since they went there - I’m LOVING feeling like a cowgirl in my truck with the nice big tires and lots of power… Some yuppie in a brand new, sporty BMW thought he could race me off the line at a light this morning… Yeah… V8 Hemi beats BMW

(I will say, my new truck also kicks my old 7.3L F250’s a$$ power wise… And stops effectively down a hill, with a loaded trailer, no trailer brakes - I tried it on a backroad just to test it out)

[normandy_shores]

I’d also make sure that whatever hitch is installed on an SUV is the right class and you have a weight distribution set up.

[Manni01]

with the right trailer the Touareg is great for hauling horses