Advice on 2" Hitch Option for 2014 Sportwagen

Hey guys, I recently purchased a 2014 Jetta Sportwagen and one of the first mods I'm doing is installing a receiver hitch. Both for pulling and most primarily to load up future Kuat bike rack. (https://www.rei.com/product/109437/kuat-sherpa-20-2-bike-hitch-rack)
I've found a couple of hidden hitches with 2'" receivers that seem to be good choices. I'll list links to each below. My question for you all is which one should I go with....and why?
Second question: What wire kit should I seek out for proper install with VW wiring and the ability to hook up a brake controller later?
Torklift EcoHitch: http://www.hitchsource.com/torklift...N0FyogiWEXrFps9RKKqTB0WYDViS-hKBoCS9IQAvD_BwE
EcoHitch: https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hi...LGQnlMDRHpjrmz4Dowr3R2bmsguI6lvRoClgUQAvD_BwE

I've been looking myself, and those are different from what I've found so far.

To this point, I've noticed people tend to use (in no order): Westfalia, Bosal and Curt hitches.

Are those two you mention any better cost or fit/performance wise?

I had the hitch and wiring on my 2010 wagon installed at Torklift in Seattle.
https://torkliftcentral.com
Very clean job on both at a great price. It took all day, but it was done right as a result.

PRY4SNO: Westfalia and Bosal are companies with very interesting ways to hide a hitch. But regrettably, they are both outside the US and are pretty expensive to purchase and ship. As for Curt, they don't seem to have any hidden hitches that wouldn't take away from the anesthetics by putting a hitch on.

After further research, I did find that the two options I previously posted are actually the same things. Just that the mounting points are different due to one being for a sportwagen and the other meant for an Alltrack.

ClarlosF I wish I lived closer to have them install the setup. I called the other day and they said they would have given me a discount if I lived there, but not with an online order. Oh well, so far, this is my only realistic option so I'll have to pull the trigger on the sale sooner than later.

I put on a Westfalia Hitch on my JSW with no issue. The Westfalia Hitch is slick. You take plastic rear bumper cover off and metal rear bumper (all bolts and screws) and replace it with the hitch (which acts as bumper as well). There are no new holes in the bottom of car like other ones.

The Westfaila goose neck hitch is removable. The only down side is is 2" ball and it's integral to the hitch. You can't remove removal goose neck ball and they don't sell 1-7/8".

If you have a trailer with a receiver that is made for 1-7/8" ball it will not work at all on 2" ball. Now 2" trailer receivers will go on 1-7/8" balls. 2" is the standard now. The removable goose neck is SLICK and has a cool locking socket set up. So this is a minor issue but it screwed me twice. My Harbor Freight Trailer had 1-7/8" receiver and had to swap it out (which cost me about $13). I wanted to borrow a motor cycle trailer once before I bought my own trailer, and again it was 1-7/8" and did not fit. I was just thinking I could grind on the ball and remove some material to allow it to fit 1-7/8 trailer receiver, but then again my trailer now is 2" so we are good.

COST: Westfalia were way expensive 5 OR 6 years ago. WESTFAILIA PRICES DROPPED WAY DOWN a few years ago, and the USD to Euro exchange rate also made it even cheaper. I got mine for about the same price as the other hitches (about $200).

The cheapest is the CURT and least slick ($150). It hangs down the most. The EURO hitch goes under the bumper, but you have you trim the very bottom of the bumper cover so you can tuck hitch receiver as close to the body as possible. It looks better and gives more ground clearance. UNDER bumper are fine and may be slightly easier to install, since I don't think you have to take the rear bumper cover off. The down side is they sacrifice some ground clearance and are visible.

EDIT if you have your heart set on some bike carrier that accepts a square hitch receiver the Westfalia will not be for you. The Westfalia has bike carriers but you will have to buy ones that fits the Westfalia. Go to Youtube and check out the videos... Go to the vendor in UK and look at what they offer. I recommend the Westfalia but it's up to you. PF Jones is great to deal with LINK BELOW.

https://www.pfjones.co.uk/ (this page shows a JSW with a bike rack)

Here is the link for the JSW which they call GOLF ESTATE... they also call them tow bars not hitches.
https://www.pfjones.co.uk/tow-bars/towbars-volkswagen/vw-golf-tow-bars/tow-bars-for-golf-estate.html

This is the one I have and it is $267. As I was saying they were over $500 at one time. The quality is amazing. If you want a bike rake you will need to buy one for the Westfalia tow bar... They have all kinds...

Hey, thanks guys for all the posts towards my question.

I settled on the Torklift hidden hitch and will be having it installed tomorrow. I can let you all know how it works out with my bike rack later. Now I need to find a wiring harness that will as close to OEM as possible. I'd like to have one installed that will allow for powered breaks and a charging line for the trailer, but we'll see if such kit exists, or if I'll have to make my own.

If anyone has done this already, I'd appreciate any advice or links to purchase. Thanks.

Torklift in Seattle also did the wiring on my 2010, for power and a possible brake controller in the future, so a 7-way plug. It was a cut and splice though because a kit didn't exist for the 2010. Torklift may have a kit for a 2014.

I just removed my Curt. Bike racks maybe but I wouldn't be pulling anything with these little cars.

vincej said:

I just removed my Curt. Bike racks maybe but I wouldn't be pulling anything with these little cars.

Click to expand...

Why?

People regularly tow their caravans (RV's) in Europe with these cars.

Well I saw my uncle in Holland hook a trailer to his Citroen and take a sack of grain to the miller at the windmill. However, I think pulling a trailer on a regular basis with our DSG's will shorten transmission life and I'd get rid of the car before having to change one.

With the Bosal and Westfalia hitch, couldn't you also purchase the towing adapter from Tesla that they have for their vehicles? It locks into that style hitch and then gives you a standard 2" square style receiver that you could use for normal bike racks or for normal trailer balls of different sizes.

In November around Thanksgiving I ordered the X7315 from Etrailer as listed at the top of this thread. I have a 2014.

I can confirm - the X7315 kit DOES NOT FIT THE 2014 JSW.

Now, I need help from the community. I didn't just click the link in this thread, I searched on Etrailer for my 2014 JSW application and ordered that way - But received the X7315 kit. They want to whack me for the shipping charge (BOTH directions!) because their website now shows that the CORRECT kit is the X7284 as also shown on TorkliftCentral.com. Everything about my order says I ordered for a 2015 GOLF sportwagen, which I would not have done b/c I already had the car and knew it was a 2014. (I had no intention of buying the 2015 for other reasons)

They also say that the 7284 is "still being manufactured" and they don't even have them "yet" which strongly suggests this is a NEW ITEM and they have now updated their website to show the proper part. So can anyone else confirm for me whether they ordered for their own 2014 and which part they received and when? Thanks!

Eddie, you didn't say if your JSW is a standard transmission or an automatic. I have the JSW with a standard transmission and according to VW I can tow up to 1,000 lbs. VW also says that you should not tow with the DSW transmission. Two pieces of information that I can pass along.
First, I tow an aluminum trailer with my Polaris ACE and the combination of the two comes right up to 1,000 lbs. When I tow over the Sierra Nevada mountains and am coming down an incline I can feel the trailer trying to move the rear of my JSW to one side or the other. Nothing to panic about, but I wouldn't want any more weight back there.
The second thing I would mention is that if you are going to tow for any distance or over mountains I would suggest that you consider getting a Malone tune. I was towing with the stock engine to begin with and could feel that I was really working my engine hard when going up steep inclines. I installed a Malone 2.0 tune and when I had the car on a dyno it showed 170 hp and almost 300 ft lbs of torque. It made a world of difference, and now when towing over the mountains I stay right up with my fiends who tow with their 1 ton pick ups getting 15 MPG, while I'm getting 35 MPG while towing.
Good luck with your hitch and with your towing.