Audi S3 - Towing Capacity?

[jamesatfish]

G'day all,

Does anyone know whether it is possible to attach a (factory) tow bar to the new S3 Sportback, and if so what the braked towing capacity would be?

I can't see any specs in the S3 brochure on the Audi site - the A3 brochure lists 1800kg for the A3 3.2 Quattro but I'd like to know if the S3 can tow a similar capacity (if at all)?

Thanks,

James

[gregozedobe]

Some other things you might want to watch out for are:

What is the maximum ball weight ? VAG vehicles often have relatively low max ball weights, and many Oz trailers and caravans are designed for fairly heavy ball weights to help with stability.

Is a controller available for the tow electrics, and how much does it cost to buy and have installed (some Canbus installations are quite complex and therefore expensive) ?

[jamesatfish]

Thanks for the suggestions - I will certainly keep an eye on the ball weight specs also.

The electrics part of things shouldn't be an issue as I'd be optioning from the factory (or the dealer pre-delivery), so if there is a genuine Audi tow pack it should have all that covered.

[gregozedobe]

The electrics part of things shouldn't be an issue as I'd be optioning from the factory (or the dealer pre-delivery), so if there is a genuine Audi tow pack it should have all that covered.

If Audi towbars are similar to VW and Skoda then they will be made in Oz (or NZ) and fitted locally, and they will be quite expensive (much like the rest of the extensive Audi option list I suppose )

[jamesatfish]

If Audi towbars are similar to VW and Skoda then they will be made in Oz (or NZ) and fitted locally, and they will be quite expensive (much like the rest of the extensive Audi option list I suppose )

Indeed - nothing on an options list is ever cheap.

That said, I don't really care about the price - I'm just interested to know whether the tow bar is even possible and if so what capacity it can handle. Unfortunately even different Audi salespeople at various dealerships have different opinions on just that so I was hoping someone here had some personal experience.

[audineil]

See here

http://rac.com.au/Motoring/Motoring-advice/About-my-car/~/media/Files/PDFs/motoring_vehicle_towing_MASS_guide07.ashx

Neil

[jamesatfish]

See here

http://rac.com.au/Motoring/Motoring-advice/About-my-car/~/media/Files/PDFs/motoring_vehicle_towing_MASS_guide07.ashx

Neil

Neil,

Thanks - that's a brilliant resource!

Unfortunately it looks like the new S3 is listed as 'NBA' - which I assume means you can't get a tow bar at all for that vehicle as I can't see the abbreviation explained elsewhere in the document.

The A3 2.0 Quattro is listed as 1800kg or 1500kg depending on gradient which I imagine would be the same as the S3, but perhaps the body kit on the S3 prohibits the actual fitment of a tow bar?

Either way it's probably a bit short of what I require so looks like the S3 is of the list.

Thanks again for your help.

[audineil]

Has anybody found the answer to this yet?
I too am considering an S3 Sportback, but I must be able to tow with it.
Cheers
Neil

[audineil]

I visited Audi Centre Canberra today and they assure me that a towbar can be fitted to an S3.

I forgot to ask about towing capacity though.
Neil

[Peter Jones]

Redbook ( Link ) is showing

Towing Braked (kg)1400 Towing Not Braked (kg)750

But I might be looking at the wrong model.

Redbook is good for looking up all this sort of stuff.

Pete

[jamesatfish]

Redbook is good for looking up all this sort of stuff.

Pete,

Thanks for the link - looks like the correct model and I appreciate the effort in finding these specs.

Unfortunately 1400kg isn't enough for my needs, so that's another nail in the S3 coffin.