Towing and fuel consumption

[Mstevo]

Ive been scouting around the forum looking for information on towbars, towing and fuel consumption with little success.

I'm looking to purchase a 2ltr manual Pacific to replace a 2.5ltr Nissan Xtrail and was wondering just how good and economical it will be for towing and what's the wiring of the towbar into the main computer to keep trailing the rear brakes all about???

I race motorbikes for fun and tow it around in a small box trailer(approx400kg total), on the freeways I set the cruise control to 113-114km(GPS) 120kmph speedo and achieve 9km/ltr.....what sort of mileage can expect from the turbo????

[MGV]

You should be able to track down plenty of info in the "THE FIRST STOP - SHORTCUT to IMPORTANT THREADS and POSTS" sticky.

Probably won't get much better than 9l/100km doing 114 & towing a trailer, though... Maybe you would if you went the diesel route? I have a TSI & can get about 8.8 @100 with the roof racks loaded up.

Cheers.

Edit! Oops, 9km/ltr = abt 11l/100! Sorry! Someone that tows may chime in & help...

[z1000]

Compared to a 2.5L T30 X-trail, although Tiguan is more fuel efficient, the end costs are almost the same, as X-trail takes cheaper 91 octane while Tiguan drinks the more expensive 98 variant.

Tiguan feels more solid when towing, and is much quicker off the line, but you do have to brake a lot more gently than X-trail.

One thing to watch out for is the downward tow ball weight of your loaded trailer, you may need to look for an aftermarket tow bar rather than the expensive light duty VW one.

Looking back, I should have kept the X-trail for towing motorbikes, carrying muddy mtbs, and having fun on gravel/sand/snow, it is so much more practical and wallet friendly than Tiguan. But Tiguan isn't all bad, it steers and drives miles ahead of X-trail.

[Leo the Lion]

Compared to a 2.5L T30 X-trail, although Tiguan is more fuel efficient, the end costs are almost the same, as X-trail takes cheaper 91 octane while Tiguan drinks the more expensive 98 variant.

Tiguan feels more solid when towing, and is much quicker off the line, but you do have to brake a lot more gently than X-trail.

One thing to watch out for is the downward tow ball weight of your loaded trailer, you may need to look for an aftermarket tow bar rather than the expensive light duty VW one.

Looking back, I should have kept the X-trail for towing motorbikes, carrying muddy mtbs, and having fun on gravel/sand/snow, it is so much more practical and wallet friendly than Tiguan. But Tiguan isn't all bad, it steers and drives miles ahead of X-trail.

I was interested to hear you mention the downward tow ball design of the tow bar. I had the factory tow pack fitted to my Tiguan, which appear to be of this design.

Are you saying it's a compromised design, compared to conventional horizontal slot-in tow bars?

Any idea what is the maximum vertical weight?

I mainly use it to fit a Thule tow bar bike carrier and tow mountain bikes (should be no more than 50kg). But may occasionally tow heavier loads. It'll be a nightmare if the load collapses while driving!

Thanks in advance for any expertise

[z1000]

Apologise for going off the main topic. The max vertical weight on the tow ball should be labelled somewhere on the tow bar. It is around 100kg from my memory.

I am not saying it's a compromised design, but rather it is designed for a compact suv not intended for heavy duty towing.

As long as you do not exceed the maximum vertical (or downward) weight on the tow ball, you will be fine. However it is often difficult to determine the exact tow ball weight of the loaded trailer/caravan, having a tow bar rated at typical 150kg is much more reassuring.

[rory]

When towing with my 1.6 TDI Jetta, I notice the consumption goes up 40% (from 5 to 7 l/100k)
Its a small dog trailer usually full of chickens going to chook shows. ( Small and light .)
The front of the trailer sits a fair way from the rear of the car so its probably like towing a parachute.

[Leo the Lion]

No worries, I see. Thanks for that!

[Mstevo]

Compared to a 2.5L T30 X-trail, although Tiguan is more fuel efficient, the end costs are almost the same, as X-trail takes cheaper 91 octane while Tiguan drinks the more expensive 98 variant. I've always run 95(usually 10-15c/ltr dearer bloody oil companies) in the Xtrail it gives much better consumption numbers and power, Interesting you run 98 in your Tiguan the specs say 95. I'm worried that the unladen highway cruising numbers are very good the loaded towing numbers might be appalling, the Xtrail tows best and gives best fuel consumption at 113km/hr(GPS)

Tiguan feels more solid when towing, and is much quicker off the line, but you do have to brake a lot more gently than X-trail.
This is the sort of information I was looking for thanks

One thing to watch out for is the downward tow ball weight of your loaded trailer, you may need to look for an aftermarket tow bar rather than the expensive light duty VW one. Are you talking about the little upside down coat hanger style or the 50mm square with pin and offset tongue??

Looking back, I should have kept the X-trail for towing motorbikes, carrying muddy mtbs, and having fun on gravel/sand/snow, it is so much more practical and wallet friendly than Tiguan. But Tiguan isn't all bad, it steers and drives miles ahead of X-trail. yes it certainly drives like a car and not a wagon

[z1000]

One thing to watch out for is the downward tow ball weight of your loaded trailer, you may need to look for an aftermarket tow bar rather than the expensive light duty VW one. Are you talking about the little upside down coat hanger style or the 50mm square with pin and offset tongue??

Either one, Tiguan's rated towball weight is at least 30% lower than your X-trail's.

Measure how much vertical weight your loaded trailer (with bike, tyre, fuel, tool boxes, chair and etc) has on the towball coupling, as long as it's less than 100kg, Tiguan will tow just fine.

[z1000]

Compared to a 2.5L T30 X-trail, although Tiguan is more fuel efficient, the end costs are almost the same, as X-trail takes cheaper 91 octane while Tiguan drinks the more expensive 98 variant. I've always run 95(usually 10-15c/ltr dearer bloody oil companies) in the Xtrail it gives much better consumption numbers and power, Interesting you run 98 in your Tiguan the specs say 95. I'm worried that the unladen highway cruising numbers are very good the loaded towing numbers might be appalling, the Xtrail tows best and gives best fuel consumption at 113km/hr(GPS)

95 is the minimum required, I run 98 because the throttle response feels more immediate than 95. The same reason you run 95 on your 91 rated X-trail I guess.

I would not stress over the towing fuel consumption, as Tiguan has more torque at lower revs. You will be cruising at at least 500 rpm lower than the X-trail. Even if a stock Tiguan is not torquey enough for you, a simple APR upgrade will have you laughing all the way to the race track.

[Jad]

We have a heavy duty 7x4 box trailer that we tow with our 118TSI and fully loaded for the holidays we get on average 7.6l/100km doing long distance country runs. My wife has done the same run minus the trailer but with the Tiguan fully loaded x2 Adults x3 Kids and a large dog and gets 7.1l/100km. The 1.4 pulls like a champ.

[Mstevo]

Well it looks like I'm leaning towards a Tiguan after crossing checking specs of my current 2005 and 2012 Xtrails, apart from the fact you can only buy automatic models ???? the current model is bigger and they have dropped 7kw and 10nm, plus I don't like these new 1 gear auto gearboxes...they have definitely taken this model backwards.

I had to ring around to find a dealer who would let me have a decent test drive and not an escorted around 3 blocks commute, it took a while to get use to the clutch and the short 1st and 2nd gears, but it does drive like a car as you sit much lower.
As stated in various other posts the towing shouldn't be a problem, I now have to find a dealer who will play ball with pricing and won't try and separate accessories to their spare parts division :-/
I have no trade (sold my old Xtrail yesterday) can pay cash or sweeten their side buy leasing it (which gives them floor plan kick backs)
Let the games begin

[MGV]

Good luck, Mstevo!

You,ve made the right decision, you'll love the Tig! Just don't expect it to be as capable 'off road' as the Nissan...