Volkswagon Toureg Tow as Car

I have a 2015 Touareg Escape which tows my Bailey Barcelona like a dream.  Probably the best tow car I have owned and I say that having owned 4 Discoverys in the past. Not as much room inside as a Disco but, in my experience, much more reliable and the super
smooth DSG gearbox makes for effortless driving.  Just returned from a 1000 mile round trip to Devon and after 4 or 5 hours at the wheel on each leg, got out of the car feeling fresh and relaxed.  I'm getting just under 40mpg solo on the motorway and around
24 towing which I think is quite good for a 3 litre engine and a heavy van. Friend of mine bought a Treg on the basis of my experience to tow his new Delta TS and he shares my opinion. Two things to consider - the Escape model has low ratio box and diff locks
which might be useful in certain situations and check re whether or not the cooling fan has been upgraded.  Whilst not necessary in my experience of a previous model which didn't have it, it appears that to tow without the upgrade can negate the warranty.

Barry

I have, somewhere in the past put a lengthy post on here about the issues with Touareg tow bars.  Not sure where it is now, so I'll try and summarise! This is my second Treg - first one was a couple of years old when I bought it and this one was new last
year.  I noticed in the previous handbook, a reference to "VW recommend the fitting of an upgraded cooling fan if the vehicle is used for towing".  I didn't bother with the bigger fan on the last car and it was fine.  However, with this one
being brand new, I queried with VW exactly what they meant by 'recommend' and they told me that to tow anything without it being done would invalidate the warranty.  Upgraded fan is £850 as a retro-fit.  I argued that the towing limit of the Treg was 3.5 tons
without any mention of a fan upgrade and VW conceded this and paid for the upgrade.

Moving onto the tow bar - if you pre-order a new one and the tow bar is factory fitted - it's a posh electrically folding one and costs £750 including the fan upgrade. A retro-fit tow bar cost me over £1200!!!  Again, preserving the warranty was the reason
I shelled out this unbelieveable amount to the VW dealer.

However, everything works - fridge - interface with the 'Infotainment' system - disabling parking sensors etc.  I think the danger is that having a cheap towbar / electrics fitted and not using a dedicated VW wiring harness could result in the sort of problems
you identify such as the fridge not working.  Given what these vehicles cost (and the cost of the caravan), the cost of a properly fitted genuine part is, in my opinion, well worth the money for peace of mind and reassurance it gives. Two friends have new
/ nearly new Tregs and they haven't had any problems with electrics, either.

Mine doesn't have self-levelling suspension - I think it was another £2500 as a factory fitted option.  That said, with a nose weight set at about 95kg, the suspension is hardly compressed at all and results in a very smooth ride without any pitching to
speak of. The Escape does have self-levelling headlights which is an added bonus knowing that you're not going to dazzle anyone when fully laden. (Oh, and I also put all the heavy things in the car - such as the awning and wine bottles!)

Regards Richard