Towing W/ a 2009 Jetta TDI DSG (auto)

So i recently bought a 2009 2.0 tdi auto dsg tranny jetta sedan clean diesel and i have a pop up camping trailer and before i spend money putting a hitch on i need to do some ressearch and yes i've been searching and cant really get a straight answer.

The trailer weight is about 859 lbs it's an 8 foot box and it doesn't have brakes on it and then with additional weight from camping im wondering if i should be o.k. pulling it with my car or if i should just forget it.

If anyone has had any experince with a situation like this your help would be great.

There are several threads related to this. Search "maximum towing capacity jetta" and you will find them. Seems to be in the 1000# range for unbraked and 2000# for braked.

I was going to ask the same question for my 2010 jetta TDI DSG, did the search for maximum towing capacity jetta and it only linked this thread, will have to try again later when I come back home

I have a 2010 with DSG and tow a sailboat with a total wt of abt 650 lbs and there is no problem at all to do so. I have also towed 3500 lbs for a short distance but use the tiptronic. I usually do the Montreal to Florida treck for our midwinter regatta...thats 48 hours of driving round trip. there is plenty of power, even going uphill at 120kph.

updated owners manual

I have an 09 TDI wagon I picked up new, the original owners manual listed trailer weights only for manual trans, and indicated 1000 with brakes and 1650 without brakes (obvious error) and a tongue weight of 200 pounds

vw mailed me an updated page which indicates 1000 pounds for auto or manual if unbraked, and the same if the trailer has brakes,

tongue load is listed as 200 pounds max, only if the hitch is mounted to both holes in the outer wall of rhe rear side rails.

my original manual listed only 1000 pounds rating for the sedan, and only listed for manual transmission. the gas models are rated for more. I think they were skittish about towing with the DSG.

remember that the diesel weighs more. so expect some differences in capacities.

Our MY06 1.9 TDI sedan, DSG equipped, has towed 800LBS (400lbs 5x8' trailer + 400lbs Honda fourwheeler) 1500mi each way from ATL to DEN to ATL without issue. The weight was easly controlled by the sedan; that and a wee bit slower top speed on the Hwy., about 70-75MPH max. IIRC the MPG when towing was a respectable 32MPG..

The hitch is a Curt Manufacturing model and this was installed by myself several years ago. There's a std flat 4 spade lighting/brake wiring w/module made for the VW style wiring (CAN BUS) arrangment. Install was easy enough.

this answers my question, my little trailer and a motorcycle will not weigh 1000 pounds, just have to get the right hitch now

You could also do a low-tech search and look at the specs in the owner's manual.

Cool Lots of help but not really a straight answer.
Damn.
will keep doing my research.

The answers are in this thread. My '09 owner's manual said (don't have the car anymore) 1,000 lbs. regardless of transmission and/or braked vs. unbraked trailer. 200 lbs. tongue weight max. But, those are the lawyer-happy U.S. towing figures. If I recall correctly, the European Jettas were rated at 1,000 lbs. unbraked and 2,000 lbs. braked. There's no reason whatsoever that the U.S. Jetta can't tow just as much as the European one as the chassis are identical and drivetrains are comparable at worst.

if you wanna be really slick...

Get your self one of them Euro ball hitches. Westfalia and others make them for sale across the pond. These mount directly to the car's frame. Much stronger than the crappy hitches sold here. The ball works with 2" trailers. Seen some modded with a receiver welded onto them too.
Here is a good link to an install thread: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=290710&highlight=euro+hitch

TDI 2.0 said:

Cool Lots of help but not really a straight answer.
Damn.

Click to expand...

What?

The DSG gearbox's in our two cars is identical. The MKV Jetta sedan & wagon chassis is equal or 99/100 percent similar at worst. Your 2.0 TDI beats my 1.9 TDI in speciffic output (towing power),,, and your Jetta 2.0TDI wagon has bigger brakes both front and rear.

Not a straight answer you say...? Yer killing me. LoL.
(think of the Knight in Monty Pyton's Holy Grail movie)

P.S. when the 06 Jetta 1.9 / DSG sedan tow's the +800lbs loaded trailer (4 wheeler /or the 3 Vespa's) 1500 miles to Vail (10,000' in the mountains) the Jetta is fully loaded; 2 adults, a fully loaded trunk, and a 9yo daughter with her 45lbs PWD dog.