skoda kodiaq towing capability HELP!!

May 29, 2021
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Has anyone on here got a Skoda Kodiaq VRS that you use for towing. I have a Kodiaq VRS there is no option to change the vehicle and we are looking for our 1st caravan.

The information on the interweb of what you can tow if at all, vastly differs for this particular vehicle. For example depending on what article you read the nose weight ranges from 70kg to 100kg for the VRS. According to Practical Caravan nose weight is 80 kg yet tow car wards supported by Practical caravan has a nose weight of 70kg. Caravan and motorhome awarded the VRS best large family tow car of the year 2020
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDDEKT8yvgE


Even the kerb weight varies depending on which article you read.
Also without tow prep from the factory which mine hasn't got a number of Skoda dealers I contacted will not fit a tow bar?? Then there's the issue that some advice states the cooling system has to be upgraded at considerable cost!!
It's seems a minefield my view is that it's a large 4x4 with 2lt diesel engine producing 240bhp surly it can tow.
Thanks in advance
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Hello Chadders,

I can understand your exasperation at what you seem to have discovered.

Each model of car is "type approved" separately by the manufacture according to a set of specific criteria, so you can never assume just becasue one version of a vehicle can tow that all versions of the the model will have the same towing capability.

Historically there was a major problem with the Vauxhall Zaffira Mk1 models where the 1600cc vehicle had a decent towing capacity yet the more powerful 2.0L diesel had a much lower towing capability, which was entirely counter intuitive, especially where the same engine in a Vectra had a much higher towing capacity.

There have been other similarly counter intuitive towing limits, and another frequent one has been sports models of some cars are not allowed to tow atall, even though they have very powerful engines.

The permitted nose load for a vehicle is not a target nose load but the upper limit, and the actual nose load a trailer produces is not a constant but it is determined by how you load the trailer, so its a variable, and you only need as much nose load to ensure the outfit maintains stability when driven, so you may not need to use all the available nose load capacity.

Kerbweight is another metric which is variable and largely depends on the model of the car you have. Manufacturers rarely quote a definitive kerbweight for the vehicle, they more usually describe a range of values that cover all the models in the range. The only way of determining your own kerbweight is to have the car measured on a weigh bridge.

As I previously mentioned some models of cars are not allowed to tow ( usually sports models) despite having prodigious power outputs, but you must appreciate that putting a caravan on teh back of a car and filling the car with people and luggage more or less doubles the weight the engine has to move. That means it uses more energy and puts a lot of teh mechanicals of the vehicle under constant extra strain. It also means the engine will probably run hotter, and that was in fact one of the reasons the Zaffira diesel was derated for towing the engine package in the body could not get rid of teh extra heat towing generated.

Skoda probably have similar concerns with the Kodiaq VRS, but in their case its with the oil temperatures. They are not alone, several BMW's also need to have additional oil coolers and some cars need to have their ECU maps changed.

It seems that you may have chosen a car without fully researching its towing capability before choosing. Although the car apparently needs to be modified before towing, at least it does seem to be within its capability.

What is certain is that if you choose not to modify the car in accordance with the manufacturers requirements, and you towed with it, you would invalidate the warranty, and if you suffered a breakdown whilst towing, the authorities might deem the outfit to be unroadworthy which is an offence.

You will either need to add the required parts to the car.
or change the car
or give up on the idea of caravanning with this car.

Do not assume the magazine or editorial descriptions are 100% correct. In this case you must only take advice on the required modifications from the skoda dealer.
 
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Magazines are very often wrong! My brother has the early 1.4 and has a tow bar; no cooling upgrade needed and the factory fit towbar is great if expensive. No cooling adaptations needed on his. And I wasn't aware Skoda did that-or VW-did that on the Kody. According to the official Skoda web site, towball weight is 100kg. It'll make a heck of a tow car. Ignoring kerb weight which is always a bug bear, it is rated to tow 2000kg, If you really must kerbweight is 1826-1922 kg dependent on fitted equipment and options or there abouts so you can happily tow a quite hefty caravan. Even if you are being super cautious and insist on sticking to 85% you can tow 1555kg, but I would happily tow over that since you never run with a totally empty car, surely! Assuming from the power you quoted yours is petrol? All of these are official Skoda figures and no mention on their website about adaptations to cooling.
 
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Nov 11, 2009
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Has anyone on here got a Skoda Kodiaq VRS that you use for towing. I have a Kodiaq VRS there is no option to change the vehicle and we are looking for our 1st caravan.

The information on the interweb of what you can tow if at all, vastly differs for this particular vehicle. For example depending on what article you read the nose weight ranges from 70kg to 100kg for the VRS. According to Practical Caravan nose weight is 80 kg yet tow car wards supported by Practical caravan has a nose weight of 70kg. Caravan and motorhome awarded the VRS best large family tow car of the year 2020
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDDEKT8yvgE


Even the kerb weight varies depending on which article you read.
Also without tow prep from the factory which mine hasn't got a number of Skoda dealers I contacted will not fit a tow bar?? Then there's the issue that some advice states the cooling system has to be upgraded at considerable cost!!
It's seems a minefield my view is that it's a large 4x4 with 2lt diesel engine producing 240bhp surly it can tow.
Thanks in advance
What does its owners manual say about noseweight for your model? The makers plate gives details of gross vehicle weight, gross train weight, front and rear axle loads. From GVW and GTW you can obtain towing load max which should align with what the V5c says. Also the V5c gives the maximum braked and unbraked towing limit for the car., plus Mass in Service. When I had a Skoda I found Skoda U.K. Technical very helpful. Looking at the foregoing sources of information relevant to your car should narrow down your range of queries.

Normally if a car doesn’t come with a factory fit towbar dealerships engage a trusted NTTA towbar company to fit one. You get the same product if you go directly to the towbar company, and cheaper too.
 
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Found this if it is of any help;


Miscellaneous
Kerb Weight
1897 kg
Gross Weight
2506 kg
Warranty
3 years / 60000 miles
Service interval
10000 miles
Fuel tank capacity
60 L
Maximum towing weight
2000 kg
 
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Thanks all for the advice and trouble replying. The v5 does have a towing capacity quoted as I type I don’t have it with me but I’ve definitely read it. I’m getting some encouragement from the fact that the weights sticker on the B post does quote towing weight. However, the info in the manual regards towing states information not available at the time of printing so thats a bit annoying.
I’ve contacted Rainworth Skoda about my dilemma unusually on their website they offer more advice and information about towing and maybe they will help and or quote me. They don’t have a blanket its not possible mentality. One company I contacted Automotive control in Avonmouth stated they’d not fit one but when I gave them the details of the weight info sticker they were happy to. It seems that some VRS models and indeed kodiaq models in general weren’t homologated to tow. Hopefully mine is.
I really don’t think its good enough for manufacturers to give such vague information and magazines etc to give such advice. I can imagine the tragic circumstances of an accident and then the battle with an insurance company to claim. Providing proof either way that towing was or wasn’t allowed or safe.
 
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Witter/Westfalia or Brink Thule website will show the towbars that would be approved for your car. They have authorised fitting companies and if you do have one fitted select the dedicated wiring option not generic.
 
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I would go along with the Prof. What you can tow depends entirely on the exact model and the makers allowance for that. If the maximum towing weight is more than the cars kerb weight, going for a caravan with an MTPLM above the kerb weight is not good practice, the lower the caravans weight compared with the kern weight the better.
 
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I’d not go above the recommended towing weight and where possible I’d stick within the magical 85% I’ll see what Rainworth Skoda a main dealer say if they’d fit a tow bar then I’m happy its fine. Although I’m likely to go to an independent based on price
 
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Having looked through auto trader there’re several kodiaqs and a couple of vrs models with tow bars fitted one of the vrs models has the factory fitted tow bar. I do think its a manufacturer way of squeezing a little more money out of their customers
 
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Having looked through auto trader there’re several kodiaqs and a couple of vrs models with tow bars fitted one of the vrs models has the factory fitted tow bar. I do think its a manufacturer way of squeezing a little more money out of their customers
Normally a lot more money from customers even for simple to fit tow bars. But ther are some cars where the aftermarket don’t supply as it’s integrated mechanically and electronically and only limited numbers are required.
 
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Having looked through auto trader there’re several kodiaqs and a couple of vrs models with tow bars fitted one of the vrs models has the factory fitted tow bar. I do think its a manufacturer way of squeezing a little more money out of their customers
Three other things

1. make sure the towbar installer knows it’s for a caravan with a fridge that wants to keep food cool whilst towing. Not a boat trailer, or similar.

2. The car may need recoding after fitment. Most NTTA installers should do this if not the dealership will

3. sometimes a tow bar is installed in lieu of the rear cross member. My 2014 Skoda and Subaru had this. In both cases the rear towing eye recovery point wasn’t available as it was in the removed cross member. So it’s necessary to ensure the removable towball is carried in the car. Both Skoda and Subaru provided a stowage in the rear underfloor compartment.
 
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Three other things

1. make sure the towbar installer knows it’s for a caravan with a fridge that wants to keep food cool whilst towing. Not a boat trailer, or similar.

2. The car may need recoding after fitment. Most NTTA installers should do this if not the dealership will

3. sometimes a tow bar is installed in lieu of the rear cross member. My 2014 Skoda and Subaru had this. In both cases the rear towing eye recovery point wasn’t available as it was in the removed cross member. So it’s necessary to ensure the removable towball is carried in the car. Both Skoda and Subaru provided a stowage in the rear underfloor compartment.
Our rear towing eye recovery point was removed however not sure if the removable towball can be used as a recovery point? Any input please?
 
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Our rear towing eye recovery point was removed however not sure if the removable towball can be used as a recovery point? Any input please?
Both my Skoda Superb and Subaru Forester Owners Manuals say to use the towball, and to make sure it is available, and both of the makers provide stowages for the detachable towball, so I'm assuming that it can be used. But it's not there to undertake a long tow it is a recovery action, which may be required if stuck in a muddy field or the car needs positioning prior to loading on a recovery wagon, or by positioning for front towing if allowed. If its head first in a ditch the back end is the least of the problems.
 
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Of late Skoda have been not homologating the Kodiaq unless it is ordered with a factory fitted bar or pre-wired. Whether that still applies is something else. You would expect it to be able to tow given it is the same MQB chassis as my Passat Estate and that is a superb towcar.
 
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It's also pretty much the same car as the Tiguan and that is also a popular tow car. Although the Kodiaq is much better looking inside and out IMO :) I've emailed the Skoda dealer selling the VRS which has a FF tow bar asking what the car will tow and what the nose weight of the tow bar is. This will also give me more of an idea at what I'm looking at. The car is identical to mine even the mileage almost lol.
 
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I must continue to urge caution, There have been several posts that are using comparisons to suggest that similar models can tow, That is totally irrelevant. You have to check the car you have is able to tow.

The simple and absolute answer is to check the vehicles weight plate which should look like this

View attachment 3425

If line 4 is blank or contains zero's the car cannot legally tow.

Other wise the values in Line 4 minus the value in Line 3 gives the maximum towed weight the vehicle can pull and for simple View attachment 3425caravanning purposes the caravans MTPLM should not exceed the calculated value
 
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I was rather amused by the note “applies to Russia” under the heading “Supplementary Information”. It actually applies worldwide to all vehicles type approved according to EU regulation 19/2011 and it must appear between the manufacturer’s name in line 1 and the VIN below.
 
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It's also pretty much the same car as the Tiguan and that is also a popular tow car. Although the Kodiaq is much better looking inside and out IMO :) I've emailed the Skoda dealer selling the VRS which has a FF tow bar asking what the car will tow and what the nose weight of the tow bar is. This will also give me more of an idea at what I'm looking at. The car is identical to mine even the mileage almost lol.
As has been said above at least twice it’s your cars own label plate that will give you its maximum towing capability, which should also be confirmed by the V5, but the label plate is the legal entity.
 
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Thanks for the advice the attached is a pic of the weight plate on my vehicle. A braked towing weight of 1575KG (from memory) 750KG unbraked is also on the v5c.
 

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It's also pretty much the same car as the Tiguan and that is also a popular tow car. Although the Kodiaq is much better looking inside and out IMO :) I've emailed the Skoda dealer selling the VRS which has a FF tow bar asking what the car will tow and what the nose weight of the tow bar is. This will also give me more of an idea at what I'm looking at. The car is identical to mine even the mileage almost lol.
Actually that your choice but i love my Tiguan inside and out especially the sunroof and electric blind at the press of a button and on my driving seat i have a massage function and it helps my bad back
 

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