I had to get rid of my old SUV, so I've been mulling over the purchase of a vehicle so that I can tow a snowmobile and a single-axle boat trailer - maybe a few thousand miles a year of towing. Rather than buying a separate tow vehicle, I was thinking it might be more economical to trade in my 2008 Rabbit for a Tiguan.
The Tiguan's towing capacity concerned me - 2200 lbs. But I was reading that everywhere else except America, the Tiguan is rated for 4000 lbs.
Is there a difference mechanically between the Tiguan sold in America, and elsewhere? Or is the 2200 lb rating too conservative?
They should all be very similar. Possibly other parts of the world have a more rugged spring/shock setup for towing but who knows. You can upgrade that if needed anyway. How many lbs is your stuff? I doubt its over 2200.
Nitro, thanks for the quick answer. I've never weighed my boat, but I figure it is about 2500-2600 lbs. The manufacturer spec for the hull, empty and dry, is ~1260 lbs. The outboard is about 325, and the Load-Rite trailer is probably 550 lbs. That totals ~2150. Then add in fuel, oil, batteries, anchor, gear, etc etc - and another 300-400 lbs.
My snowmobile with flatbed trailer is probably half that.
With my jeep (rated at 5000 lbs towing properly equipped) I towed just over 6000 lbs through the mountains WITH an extra 1000 lbs in aftermarket skid plates and body protection and suspension bolted to the jeep itself. Only thing I had goin for me was the ceramic brakes I installed.
I say do it. Or, if you can afford a Touareg TDI go with that.
Can't spring for a Touareg right now - I've got a new 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T in the garage which is sucking up a lot of my play money.
That's why I thought that it might be more economical to trade in my 2008 Rabbit towards the Tiguan vs buying another new or late model used tow-vehicle.
If the numbers from the dealer work well, I may indeed get the Tiguan. If so, I'll let everyone know how well it tows.
I would go with the VW wiring harness/module. It integrates the trailer with the Tiguans electronics including stability control (so I have heard).
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