VW Touran and towing

[Forbes1]

Anyone tow with a VW Touran 1.9 TDi? Just want to know how they do. Had a Sharan TDi 110 previously which was good but not had a chance to use the Touran for towing yet. Friend of mine has a Passat 1.9TDi 105 and says it struggles with his Swift Charisma 570 on the back - 6th gear is redundant apparently!

 

[peter_374235415]

Hi Forbes, I have a Passat 130 and have had no problems with towing my Charisma 565, my mate has a Touran 2.0L TDI (150) and his pulls his van better than the Passat. The only difference being that the Passat can pull a heavier van I believe

 

[Forbes1]

Thanks Peter. I guess it'll be ok then! Mine's only a 104bhp but I think its down to driving style anyway. Plan ahead I always say!

 

[Tom_374246164]

I'm on my 3rd Touran 2.0 litre TDi diesel... and it is a superb towing veheicle. Surprisingly enough, very little comment is made of the Touran! You have the reliability of VW along with its build quality. The guttsy diesel engine tows our 2005 Coachman Pastiche 470/2 with ease.

We went around Ireland for three weeks last summer and the Loire, Dordogne, Auvergne the summer before! And the summer before that, Switserland! Excellent car!

 

[Forbes1]

Thanks Tom. Mines the 1.9 TDi so might lose a little to yours. Interestingly I'll be towing a Coachman Amara 530/4 which I'd guess weighs about the same as your Pastiche. I've, er, tweaked mine with the addition of a plug in chip. Its now more economical and has loads more torque so I've just got to try towing! You're right about VW quality though, we've got 3 in our family! Just a shame our previous Sharan went up in flames whilst towing last year.

 

[Garfield]

The Sharan (we've just replaced one) is the black sheep of the vw family, built in Portugal it's an excellent car but poor reliability.

solo we have found our Ford S-max to be more economical in 5th rather than 6th ( see why 6 speed gearboxes?) so I expect using 6th whilst towing is a pointless excercise anyway, we never use 6th now.

 

[Forbes1]

I agree that the Sharan is an excellent towcar. MIne was pretty reliable but it can be down to how you treat them. My kids were taught to be careful as the interiors can be fragile, notably the speaker grilles which are positioned so your foot hits them! The only mechanical breakdown I has was the gear selector tower seizing, which is not uncommon. Other than that not much. The Touran is even better!

 

[Rob_5110026]

2.0 TDi Touran tows my Bailey Ranger 500/5 well.

6th gear is redundant when towing.

For some reason mine ate the front tyres in 14,000 miles and I am no boy racer when solo.

Mpg solo is around 40, towing between 22 and 30... I was surprised with the 22, but that was back from the Loire to Calais after I learned we can tow at 70 mph in France....

Build quality is not as good as I would expect, vibration (now cured) new wheel bearing at 12,000 miles, mirrors failing to heat up, various loose bits of trim.

I regretted now buying a Galaxy, for a while, but and now pleased with the Touran as she is now running right.

Rob

 

[Grant]

2.0 TDi Touran tows my Bailey Ranger 500/5 well.

6th gear is redundant when towing.

For some reason mine ate the front tyres in 14,000 miles and I am no boy racer when solo.

Mpg solo is around 40, towing between 22 and 30... I was surprised with the 22, but that was back from the Loire to Calais after I learned we can tow at 70 mph in France....

Build quality is not as good as I would expect, vibration (now cured) new wheel bearing at 12,000 miles, mirrors failing to heat up, various loose bits of trim.

I regretted now buying a Galaxy, for a while, but and now pleased with the Touran as she is now running right.

Rob

Interesting comments, we are considering buying a Touran 2.0 TDi Sport to tow our own Ranger 500/5. My husband has doubts over the Touran preferring the X-Trail.