Touareg for towing?

Mark R

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 8, 2002
Location
San Diego
I am going to be switching cars shortly and switching to a dedicated track car (Corvette Z06), a tow vehicle, and a day-to-day car. I initially was planning to get a regular day-to-day car (BMW 530 or something like that, not new, used), a Chevy Duramax diesel pickup for towing and a trailer. While I wouldn't mind just having the Duramax it's just too big a vehicle to drive everyday. So that's the reason for the normal car. Now I am thinking let's save some cash and parking space and just get a Touareg diesel. I know that there won't be any for 2005 but I am confident I can find a used one or can wait until 2006 model year. Anyway, the point of my post is what is the towing capacity of the TDI Touareg both towing capacity and max tongue weight. Does the truck come with a towing package or not? Thanks everyone.


Mark
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
The T'reg's towing is limited by the brakes, wheelbase, frame, and suspension...not the engine. The V10 engine bolted into a proper long wheelbase full frame truck with huge brakes would likely tow quite a bit, but in the T'reg it has its limitations. Although it will likely tow a Corvette on a trailer I would not recommend that as that is not its intended purpose...a long pickup truck would still be a safer bet IMHO.

A quick Google search found the T'reg's towing rated at 7700+ lbs, quite a bit. Most if not all TDI T'regs come decked out with everything that is optional on the lesser models, so I'd bet any "towing package" is a moot point, it'll likely already have it installed.
 

Mark R

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 8, 2002
Location
San Diego
The Corvette/Trailer combination will probably weigh in the range of 5000-6000 (3500 for car + 2500 for the trailer) which is well below the Treg's rated capacity. I just wanted to see if anyone has had any experience towing with it. Thanks for your input though.

Mark
 

leebo

Veteran Member
Joined
May 12, 2004
Location
Central Florida - V10 TDI
TDI
Black 2004 Touareg V10 TDI
The Corvette/Trailer combination will probably weigh in the range of 5000-6000 (3500 for car + 2500 for the trailer) which is well below the Treg's rated capacity. I just wanted to see if anyone has had any experience towing with it. Thanks for your input though.

Mark
There are a couple of people on the VW Vortex Touareg forum that have experience using the V8 Touareg to tow a trailer and race vehicle.

IIRC, there was a reviewer that used the V10 TDI to tow another vehicle and said it worked well. But I don't remember where I read it...it was awhile ago. There is probably a link in the VW Vortex Touareg forum.

VW Vortex Touareg Forum
 

mannytranny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 14, 2003
Location
CA
TDI
02 Jetta (sold, such a great car) '16 Touareg
Ide say that it depends on your trailer.......WD bars?

I would definetly not get a Duramax for day use. If you dont need a truck bed and 3/4 ton springs, Ide say go with the TDI. More power than a duramax, less weight.

How much could a corvette and trailer weigh? 6k lbs?

The Duramax would be a fuel pig driven daily. TDI may do better powerwise to boot.

See sig, great truck but not intended at all to be a daily driver.........
 

RSTX

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2004
Location
TX
What about a diesel Excursion? It is heavier than a Treg, but not as "trucky" as a pickup. It might fit just between the VW and Chevy. Probably depends on how often you will be towing and how far. Once a month and 10 miles down the road would not be too taxing on a Treg. Twice a month and 60 miles through traffic, hills, and/or lots of stop-and-go might put a bit too much strain on a primarily passenger-oriented vehicle. Just because a company says their vehicle is capable of towing 7700 lbs. doesn't mean you should do it on a regular basis. Just my $.02 worth.
 

tdi_lamb

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2002
Location
Oshawa, Ontario
TDI
99' A3 Black Jetta TDI
I'd check out the new Durango. It's got a 8650 lb towing capacity (HEMI) and it would be a little easier to handle than a half ton. The Excursion would be a worthwhile option too, but you're basically driving a half ton.

Do they even have a class IV hitch for the T-Reg yet?
 

mannytranny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 14, 2003
Location
CA
TDI
02 Jetta (sold, such a great car) '16 Touareg
The HEMI is not anything special towing. Unless the goal is to see how much fuel it can take down.........
 

phatouareg

New member
Joined
Feb 20, 2005
Location
Southwest Florida
TDI
touareg,2004,black
I have towed a 25' boat down to the keys with my tdi touareg. It handled better than my old Navagator. The boat is an older style Whaler and they are heavy. No swaying or anything. My boyfriend was sure we would need to use his truck and I assured him the t-reg could handle it. His truck does not handle his small flats boat as well as the t-reg did with a 10' longer boat.
 

Deezleer

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Location
Western Wa
TDI
2001 Jetta GLS, Green sold it in 2018 with 260,000 miles on it!
You might want to consider towing with a TDI toureg only if it's in warranty and you know you are complying with the owners manual.

VW does not have much experience with this vehicle towing big loads. If you break that $15000 transmission and they even think you did not comply with the manual, it'll come out of your pocket either to pay for the new transmission or the lawyer you'll have to get to sue them.


If someone thinks the TDI is "better powerwise" then you can prove it...just go to one of these:

http://www.thedieselpage.com/features/pulloff04.htm and we'll all find out.

I'm sure they'll be willing to reduce the tow weight for the little car so it's not over loaded. They use about 12,000 lbs for the measured mile tow test. Just ask them to reduce the load to 7700 lbs and run the test with everyone. This will settle it once and for all. I'd only do it with a T-reg in warranty though!

Regards,


Rick
 

deming

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2003
Location
Illinois
TDI
(2) 2005 TDI Passat Wagons
Oil hammer is absolutely correct on the TDI Touareg for towing.
It does not have the wheelbase or the track for towing a Corvette properly. The Corvette is too heavy for the Touareg even on an open twin axle trailer. I have spent a lot of time behind the wheel pulling trailers and the Touareg may have the motor and it may have a mfg. tow rating, but it definetly does not have the brakes, track, wheelbase or suspension. You have to take real world towing conditions into consideration--- wind, rain, mountains, steep grades and foul weather make towing a real bugger. A good cross wind will make you wish you had chosen something with a bit more track and suspension.

Do you plan to pull a fully enclosed trailer or an open bed twin axle trailer? Aluminum or steel open bed trailer? Electric or surge brakes?

Gas or Diesel pull vehicle?

I do not like the Duramax diesel or the Power Stroke because they are not well built and they are not Industrial engines. They are light duty failed attempts at capturing lost market share. The Cummins in the Dodge is the best motor, unfortunately the Dodge is a crap truck and Dodge trucks have crappy re-sale.

I would reccomend a new crew cab or extended cab 2500 4x4 Dodge with the Cummins Diesel and a manual transmission or a new 1500 Chevy (HD)--8600 GVWR 4x4 crew cab LS or LT with the 6000 series gas motor. These are both good trucks and they should both handle anything you throw at them for towing. They will both tow either an open bed trailer or fully enclosed. I would go with electric brakes on both axles and a good quality Draw tite electric brake box in the cab with surge control on the electric brake box.

The Chevy will be a bit hard on gas 10-14 mpg and the Dodge is outdated and has crappy residual value but it has a kick butt Diesel engine (true industrial Diesel motor).

Hope this all helps!
 

mannytranny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 14, 2003
Location
CA
TDI
02 Jetta (sold, such a great car) '16 Touareg
I do not like the Duramax diesel or the Power Stroke because they are not well built and they are not Industrial engines. They are light duty failed attempts at capturing lost market share.


 

fosterbnb

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 6, 2003
Location
Louisville, KY area
TDI
'01 Jetta TDI, Silver/blk leather
The Dodge trucks have come a long way, and continue to improve. You will find that few things polarize people more than the infamous question "which truck?"

General consnsus is that the Chevy has the best transmission(allison)
Ford has the best interior
Dodge has the best engine

If you are buying new, you will be spending $35-40+k so make sure you drive them all and decide which fits your needs...

Myself, I am a Cummins fan, but I don't do anything with my truck other than Work it(and play with it)
 

Typrus

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2004
Location
BCS, TX, USA
TDI
2002 Black Jetta Sedan GLS/TDI 5mt
Okay. Personalexperience with diesel Excursion.
2002 Model Year. 7.3L Powerstroke Turbo-Diesel V-8. (The new 6.0L V-8's are bad engines IMHO)
4R100 Automatic Transmission. 4Speed OverDrive.
4x4 Transaxle
Limited Ultra Package. Very comfortable, with seat warmers, premium stereo, etc.
Towing capacity 12500lbs with a Tongue of 1250lb.
Modifications: 4 inch STRAIGHT exhaust (no Cat and no Muffler) K&N Filter in stock air box. "10k" Resistor mod (modifies resistance to the fuel injectors making them think they need to push higher pressures. Stock Pres=16K PSI give or take versus modded Pres=22k PSI give or take). Superchips Power Programmer "Hi-Perf" Mode (DO NOT USE WHILE TOWING)

Analysis:
Vehicle in tow= 1998 Reinell 26' Ski-Boat and dual-axle trailer, loaded with a weeks worth of food and supplies for a trip to Lake Powell. Weight= Aprox. 7500lbs.
Road travelled= Interstate 70 through Colorado. Over Eisenhauer Tunnel pass. Road is something like 6% incline. Its hairy (there are maybe 8 Runaway Truck ramps on the way down)
While towing up the hill, able to maintain 60mph without any problem on the Westbound side, while the 454CI Gas Suburban we used to have would bog to about 25mph with same boat, same load, on the same road.
Through Utah, with ambient temps of about 112+ Fahrenheit, absolutely no overheating concerns with A/C blasting in the front and in the back and still cooking at 65-75MPH. The 454 Suburban would crawl at 50MPH with the heater blasting (so we wouldn't melt the engine) and the windows rolled down with my family sweating our buts off.
On the way back, with the boat weighing aprox. 6000 lb, we went 60mph on the hill up, till a check-engine light came on (turned out to be water in the fuel due to bad diesel)

Braking analysis:
Engine braking power is damn near non-existant. The 454 was a champ at keeping us slowed down with the engine (though the brakes were still involved... will detail in a sec)
Suggestion for that is to purchase either a USGear Super Duty Exhaust Brake or a Bank's Brake exhaust brake, either with associated Torque Converter locker. They both are very effective systems. Because of the negligible exhaust braking properties, we rode the brakes the whole way down either side. It never got to the point of no control, just annoyance.

Brakes:
The brakes are still the original equipment. We have made the Powell trip once, and are leaving again in 4 days for it. We have 62,000 miles on it. The brakes are still fine, but will need to be done within the next 10,000 miles.
The Suburban 2500 with 454 Big Block V-8 and the Super Duty towing package........ Well, we had to do brakes every 5000 miles in it, as we tow either the boat, our 9000lb camper, or our flatbed (1500lbs, but is usually loaded with 500lb+ of cargo) roughly once or twice every week.

Transmission:
The 4 speed with OverDrive is very nice, especially for highway driving, but the Ford transmissions DO NOT deal with additional power over stock very well. Stock life is expected to be 120,000 miles. With 100hp over stock, life is expected to be 45,000-90,000 miles depending on driving style. Suggested solution- A transmission from Brians Truck Shop. Same setup, just much better approached from a strength standpoint. Our 550hp F-250 has 50,000 miles on it and it has no sign of quitting.
The tranny is the original in the Excursion.
Towing recommendations- Buy a larger Transmission Cooler and do not Tow with a chip, power programmer, Nitrous, or Propane kit installed or running. That stock tranny doesn't like that. With the stock setup, it will do you a great job for a long time. With stock power and a bigger tranny cooler, expect a 15-50% increase in tranny life. Recommend the Tru-Cool Max from www.thedieselsitetoo.com .

The Tranny in the 2500 Suburban stood up to 75,000 miles of towing and abuse before it croaked.


Comfort:
Towing:
Very stable ride. With a Distribution Hitch, even side wind is very tolerable. Without, depending on the height and length of your trailer it can be a pain, but that is how it is with anything. The suspension deals with jolts and bumps beautifully when loaded down a bit. Its still truck-ish, but its not like riding a hard-tailed motorcycle in any regard. The seats are well designed, there is leg room in every row. I'm 6'2" and even the third row is comfortable.
The Limited and Eddie Bauer versions have heated seats. Very nice.

Suburban: Kind of harsh over bumps and jolts. With a distribution hitch, wind was again no problem. Seats are fairly well designed. I think heated seats are available, but we didn't have them. I could not tolerate the third row for any length of time over 10 minutes.

Not Towing:
Excursion: Truck-like, but not like an F-350. Handles corners very nicely.

Suburban: Very nice un-loaded ride. I miss that part of our Suburban. It was more car-like than truck-like. Unfortunatly the towing ride was harsher due to this.




Mileage: Okay... This may sound amazing for a 7400lb SUV, but we get 17-22 mpg. We have a 12 mile drive into town, and we make two 60 mile each-way trips on the highway each week. The worst mileage I've ever seen was towing the boat over Eisenhauer Tunnel. 11 mpg.

Suburban 454 got 8-12mpg not towing and we saw 4.5 mpg going over Eisenhauer Tunnel.



What big issues have we had? We had an alternator go out at 10,000 miles. No alternator problems since. We had an oil seal on the 10,000PSI oil line blow out. We lost 1 quart of oil per minute of running. Got that fixed, no problem since. We had both batteries die due to the bad alternator and having run it for 4 days on a dead alternator. No problem since. The tires that the SUV came with were recalled due to high-speed blowouts and replaced for free in favor of beefier ones. Is that really a problem? Well, the fact that the tires we got for free are crap is. You get what you pay for.



I think that the Excursion is a nice daily driver, if you don't mind a rougher ride than the Touareg would offer.
The Powerstroke Diesel engine may only be a V-8, but put an open exhaust and intake on it, and just you watch it pull your house off its foundation.


Don't think a 7400lb vehicle can go fast? You are sooo very wrong. http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=F350Run is a video of a 11.4 second F-350 CREW CAB (7600lb or so) smoking the CRAP out of an RX-7. Richard Maddson AKA MADDOG is the pilot.
http://host226.ipowerweb.com/~colorado/html/modules/gallery/albums/album13/abt.avi
Alan Black in his truck, "White Lightning" making a 13.8 sec run.
 

Typrus

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2004
Location
BCS, TX, USA
TDI
2002 Black Jetta Sedan GLS/TDI 5mt
Chevy tranny is great for stock power but slips like crazy if you up the power.
Ford makes the most spacious and comfy interior.
Dodge uses an incredible engine. The Cummins rocks.

The 11 sec truck is in Vegas. The 13 one is at Bandimere Speedway which is over a mile above sea level. There is a 13.6 sec F-350 Crew Cab Extended bed with a 4 inch lift and big ole' tires at Bandimere. Its pilot is Mike Ontiveros AKA Blowby. I am friends with both Mike and Alan.

What I've seen dyno-wise for the big three. Biggest numbers are-
Ford Powerstroke 7.3L - 615hp @ 1800 ft/lb of torque
Chevy Duramax - 798hp @ 2400 ft/lb of torque
Dodge Cummins 24v - 615 hp @ 2100 ft/lb of torque

Now what you should know. The Duramax is owned by the owner of ATS Transmissions in Denver. He makes massive money and boy does he spend it. The Cummins is owned by a successful businessman, can't remember what he does, for all I know he's a successful grocer! The Powerstroke is owned by Mike Ontiveros. Not sure what he does, but I think its software programming. If all three owners had the same money, I'd pin the biggest numbers on the Cummins, as it is classified as a "Medium Duty" engine, while the Powerstroke and Duramax are "Light Duty" engines. If you consider towing 13000 lbs "Light". Between the 7.3L Powerstroke and the Duramax, I'd say the Powerstroke would win out out of larger displacement.


As far as I know, the Duramax and the Powerstroke get the best mileages. I just don't like Chevy's much as the 2 Suburbans and the 5 Chevy cars we have had have stank.

My neighbor has a Dodge 2500 Dually Longbed with the Super-Cab equivalent. He has 260,000 miles on the engine and hasn't brought it in for any service yet. All he's done is changed his own oil, oil, fuel and air filters. The truck itself on the other hand goes in quite often for little glitches.
 

dareo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2005
Location
Orem, Utah
TDI
1999.5 Silver GL
Theres a few Cummins here in Utah running a lot more than 615hp. One guy who works for Banks here puts down around 1000hp/2500lb, but he's got mad parts on his truck. Cummins is the way to go for maximum power and i would give them the best long term reliability as well. Theres a guy who comes into work all the time for an oilchange on his 04 6.0l Powerstroke, he's got 140,000 towing miles from his business so far and not a single problem, other than the filters costing 20 bucks each. But he's got the 6 speed manual trans not some automatic trouble box.
But anyway, as far as a Toureg for towing your vette around it should be very capable. Your trailer+vette wont weigh that much, maybe 5000-6000lb, and it will be more aerodynamic than a box trailer or large boat. Maybe upgrade the transmission cooler and make sure the torque converter stays locked up and there shouldn't be any problem. The V10 TDI has the power to pull it, just make sure your not killing your trans or your brakes.
 

cptmox

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2001
Location
Villa Park, IL.
TDI
01 Jetta GLS, Silver 5-spd
This discussion sure has gotten away from the original question. The Toureg has the power to pull the vette, and the suspension on the V10 is of the auto leveling air suspension variety. The ads for the V8 Toureg show it hitched to a very good sized camper, as if to say "we endorse pulling something this heavy." Any limitations you run into may be with braking.
 

Turbospool

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2007
Location
Daleville Va
TDI
2001 White TDI Jetta, 280k, 2003 jetta 270k
This is an old thread..... but i’m Buying a 2013 Touareg TDI and towing is definitely part of my concern. The posts toward the end sure got off track, not very relative. (I also pull trailers with my Cummins)
I do have a few questions for those who tow with a TDI tourareg , I am talking EXPERIENCED TOUAREG TDI OWNERS.. not concerned about VW warranty, VW engineering on transmission is a concern, Weight Distribution Hitch / anti sway bar should NOT compromise anything that I can think of (please inform me why thee transmission , or the factory hitch is endangered ) . I am sure the V6 has ample power for the regulation weight limits by VW, but how does the tranny hold up ?
What am I towing? A 21 foot camper, a Forest river Lite, weight is 4010 lbs dry , pulls like a sail behind my 3/4 cummins. My 12 valve cummins is loud, and rides like a horse in the rodeo, and that is why my above questions need answers . Thanks for any input you guys may have.
 
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Turbospool

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2007
Location
Daleville Va
TDI
2001 White TDI Jetta, 280k, 2003 jetta 270k
Ok., seems there isn’t anything going on on this site these days..... seems the Tuaregs are so few no one has interest anymore . Anyway ....... I will need to simply go ahead and learn what ever I can .:confused:
 

30Bones

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Location
Cedar Rapids, Ia
TDI
2013 Touareg TDI
Yeah there is little traffic here it seems. I just got my 13' and own a small pop up camper so I a not concerned about towing abilities at all. BUT if I ever upgrade to something a bit larger, thinking small motorcycle toyhauler and small LQ I want this vehicle to pull it with confidence.

This would be to replace the separate motorcycle trailer and pop up so I am have one toy for all occasions.
 

kooyajerms

grocery getter
Joined
May 5, 2004
Location
Pomona, Southern California
TDI
97 B4V (mine), 11 x5 35d (hers) 04 V10 (that one you want), 2014 Q7 (mom's) 74 Shasta 1400
13 year old thread and your post wasn’t very clear.

So let’s not blame the site now ;)

Are you asking “is the transmission sufficient enough to handle towing your trailer?” What’s the weight? And you did reply to a thread talking about the 05 v10 model, different beast than your 2013.
 

mech644

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2007
Location
Blue Hill, Maine
TDI
'00 Golf, '14 Touareg
My ‘14 Touareg is great for towing.
But if you really want a larger audience to converse with, go here https://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f66/
No knock on tdiclub but the # of Touareg owners here is a fraction of what you’ll find on clubtouareg. tdiclub still rules for sheer overall knowledge and skill level of most members though.
 

Turbospool

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2007
Location
Daleville Va
TDI
2001 White TDI Jetta, 280k, 2003 jetta 270k
13 year old thread and your post wasn’t very clear.
So let’s not blame the site now ;)
Are you asking “is the transmission sufficient enough to handle towing your trailer?” What’s the weight? And you did reply to a thread talking about the 05 v10 model, different beast than your 2013.
Not sure what’s not clear..... maybe your not clear with your your what’s not clear?:) If you take a bit of a closer look at my post you will see the stated dry weight of 4010 lbs . What else isn’t clear to you, I’ll gladly fill in the dots!
You are right it’s an old post, and a different model in it’s origin.
 

Turbospool

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2007
Location
Daleville Va
TDI
2001 White TDI Jetta, 280k, 2003 jetta 270k
My ‘14 Touareg is great for towing.
But if you really want a larger audience to converse with, go here https://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f66/
No knock on tdiclub but the # of Touareg owners here is a fraction of what you’ll find on clubtouareg. tdiclub still rules for sheer overall knowledge and skill level of most members though.
Thanks for that link..... very informative! I’ve also been a bit prejudiced to this forum in the past , really benefitted from my jetta ‘s , and Passat TDI’s. That is why I was a bit amazed at the response here. Thanks again!
 

Dr. Ducttape

New member
Joined
Nov 7, 2018
Location
Santa Cruz Mts. CA
TDI
2008 Touareg V10
Touareg Towing;

Over the past 40 years I have towed many items from 6 foot brush trailers to full size sedans on trailers behind vehicles that were barely suited for the task (like a 1982 vw pickup towing a 1000lb horse in a 2000lb trailer). Until recently, my main tow vehicle was a 100” wheelbase 2004 Land Rover discovery with heavy-duty springs, 3 inch lift and airbags in the rear coils to tow a 2500 pound Sundowner trailer with 2 Icelandic horses totaling about 1800 pounds plus assorted hay and supplies. We used a weight distributing hitch, which helps, and this set up did work okay although the truck was somewhat under-powered.
Last month I had the joy of out towing the same horses and trailer behind my son's 113” wheelbase 2004 V8 Touareg with 160,000 miles. We towed the horses along the coast Highway 1 with 10-30 mile per hour crosswinds before ascending the Santa Cruz Mts. roads of HWY 84 & 35, with gradients of 5-15% to our home 2400 feet higher. His Touareg had the standard 4.2l V8 with 310 hp, 308 ft-lbs and with the optional air suspension. He had the standard factory trailer hitch mount and we used the weight distributing hitch. The whole experience was wonderful and absolutely flawless. There was no sway or problems in the crosswinds and more than enough power to tow up the steepest hills at the speed limits, keeping up with car traffic. The only time we had to go slower was in consideration of our horses in the tight curves.
We were so impressed we sought-out and scored a well-maintained 152,000 mile 2008 V10 TDI for $7000 from a CEO of a gas-turbine electric hybrid truck company. He said it was his 3rd (2004, 2006 & 2008) V10 Touareg and his most reliable. He let it go for less because we lived nearby, didn’t need it any more and liked us. We have not towed with this one yet, but the same 310 hp with massive 553 ft-lbs of torque should suffice. Also the brakes were MUCH bigger than my son’s V8. This model had massive 8 piston Brembo calipers/vented rotors up front and 4 piston Brembo calipers/vented rotors out back. I would have no reservation towing 2-3 of our beloved horses anywhere with this rig , which is why we bought it (and the fact my wife hates pickups).
 

Yeti35

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2009
Location
SL, UT
TDI
2010 Touareg V6 TDI
Touareg Towing;

Over the past 40 years I have towed many items from 6 foot brush trailers to full size sedans on trailers behind vehicles that were barely suited for the task (like a 1982 vw pickup towing a 1000lb horse in a 2000lb trailer). Until recently, my main tow vehicle was a 100” wheelbase 2004 Land Rover discovery with heavy-duty springs, 3 inch lift and airbags in the rear coils to tow a 2500 pound Sundowner trailer with 2 Icelandic horses totaling about 1800 pounds plus assorted hay and supplies. We used a weight distributing hitch, which helps, and this set up did work okay although the truck was somewhat under-powered.
Last month I had the joy of out towing the same horses and trailer behind my son's 113” wheelbase 2004 V8 Touareg with 160,000 miles. We towed the horses along the coast Highway 1 with 10-30 mile per hour crosswinds before ascending the Santa Cruz Mts. roads of HWY 84 & 35, with gradients of 5-15% to our home 2400 feet higher. His Touareg had the standard 4.2l V8 with 310 hp, 308 ft-lbs and with the optional air suspension. He had the standard factory trailer hitch mount and we used the weight distributing hitch. The whole experience was wonderful and absolutely flawless. There was no sway or problems in the crosswinds and more than enough power to tow up the steepest hills at the speed limits, keeping up with car traffic. The only time we had to go slower was in consideration of our horses in the tight curves.
We were so impressed we sought-out and scored a well-maintained 152,000 mile 2008 V10 TDI for $7000 from a CEO of a gas-turbine electric hybrid truck company. He said it was his 3rd (2004, 2006 & 2008) V10 Touareg and his most reliable. He let it go for less because we lived nearby, didn’t need it any more and liked us. We have not towed with this one yet, but the same 310 hp with massive 553 ft-lbs of torque should suffice. Also the brakes were MUCH bigger than my son’s V8. This model had massive 8 piston Brembo calipers/vented rotors up front and 4 piston Brembo calipers/vented rotors out back. I would have no reservation towing 2-3 of our beloved horses anywhere with this rig , which is why we bought it (and the fact my wife hates pickups).
Don't use the weight distribution hitch if it has the air suspension bad idea and not recommended with that suspension. It self levels the car so no need for that hitch. It will cause problems at some point if you keep using it.

Unless the previous owner changed out the brake calipers the V10 only ever came with 6 piston front and four piston rear calipers. They do however come with bigger rotors than the other model Touaregs. V10 is 350mm rotors where the rest are 330mm. Your sons V8 should have 6 piston front four piston rear as well. My '04 V6 came with the same setup.
 
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