VW Passat 1.9 TDI Highline

[Terence_5067042]

I am looking at buying a 2004 model VW Passat 1.9TDI highline car and was wondering if anyone has one and what they are like for towing caravan weighing 1300kg.

Regards

Terry

 

[bobtatt]

hi terry

i got a passat pd130 sport auto this easter

it goes like a dream,well it will when i get the driveshaft boots done this week!

we went 4700miles round france & spain this summer and got about 33mpg overall,it seemed to depend on the wind direction when towing

but if your wondering if a pd130 is powerful enough ..dont

it goes like a TRAIN!..i can hardly tell im towing it still accelerates like mad..and so it should with 228ft/lbs!

im towing abailey 450/2 ranger with abasic weight of 99kg,lighter than your setup i know ,but as long as you get a 130 youll be OK

regards

bobby

 

[bobtatt]

hi terry

i got a passat pd130 sport auto this easter

it goes like a dream,well it will when i get the driveshaft boots done this week!

we went 4700miles round france & spain this summer and got about 33mpg overall,it seemed to depend on the wind direction when towing

but if your wondering if a pd130 is powerful enough ..dont

it goes like a TRAIN!..i can hardly tell im towing it still accelerates like mad..and so it should with 228ft/lbs!

im towing abailey 450/2 ranger with abasic weight of 99kg,lighter than your setup i know ,but as long as you get a 130 youll be OK

regards

bobby

sorry... i meant to type 900kg

 

[bobtatt]

sorry ...i meant 900kg!

 

[Robert_5077145]

Hi Terance

A bit late but better than not at all.

I have towed with a Passat 1.9Tdi (2001) model but only the 100Bhp. It has been an excellent twocar and has never struggled. Our caravan is 1375kg. Obviously the 130bhp model will be even better and as I have borrowed a work colleague's I would say it was even better, it towed like a dream.

Robert

 

[Robert_5077145]

Hi Terance

A bit late but better than not at all.

I have towed with a Passat 1.9Tdi (2001) model but only the 100Bhp. It has been an excellent twocar and has never struggled. Our caravan is 1375kg. Obviously the 130bhp model will be even better and as I have borrowed a work colleague's I would say it was even better, it towed like a dream.

Robert

Sorry I'm sure I meant Towcar

 

[AdifferentJim]

Terry

For 3 years up until Feb '05 I towed with a 1.9tdi SE Estate and before that for 3 years with a 1.9tdi SE Saloon. They were both great towing aqnd solo. When I changed my van in 2003 I took the estate to a public weighbridge to check its compatibility. It was 1545kg unladen. About 140kg above the manufacturer's figures, which apply to the base model and don't take account of air conditioning, etc. The estate doesn't weigh much more than the saloon and the Highline has much more gear on it than the SE model has so your kerbweight should be fine. My Van is a Bailey Senator Arizona with an mtplm of 1472kg and the outfit was as steady as a rock. I towed down to Biarritz two consecutive summers with ease. Go for it. I'm sure you will be delighted with it. The only reason I've changed to my present Volvo V70 was that the lease on the Passat was up and after 6 years I needed a change. If the new model was available back in Feb I would have probably gone for that.

 

[ianfionarandall]

Hi

We bought our Passat Estate TDI 130 highline a year ago expressly for towing, as we were about to buy our first van, and our Rover 600 wasn't man enough for the job. We are still in love with the car, having done just over 10,000 miles. In that time we have spent 81 nights away in the van, the furthest afield being Cornwall (from Lincoln) in the summer. The brochure gives an unladen weight of 1618Kg, this includes fluids & 90% full fuel tank, which matches the EC definition of Kerb weight. Not sure of the exact weight as I havn't had it weighed.

Our van weighs 1407kg MTPLM which puts it at about 87%.

The only real towing issue is reversing up a slope and/or on soft ground, the clutch doesn't like it and will smell horrible, will even smoke if you overdo it. Seemingly other Passat owners have reported similar issues, although in mitigation this can (and does) happen to many makes of car.

We have had two minor problems resolved under warranty, one of the remote key fobs packed up and needed replacing and the electronic boot release catch also needed replacing.

Solo the 130 goes like hot snot! Towing is safe, obviously usual rules apply, load sensibly, don't speed, anticipate, watch descents, crosswinds, large vehicles overtaking etc.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Ian

 

[Paul_5072518]

I'm sure you have your car now, but just in case, I have the same car, 2005 model and it's one of the best cars in it's class I have driven. Towing our '93 Avondale Grampian was a dream and it ate hills for fun. As a family car this is superb, and best of all, the diesel consupmtion is near 55 MPG.

Paul