Luxury Diesel SUV as tow vehicle

[ve2tcx]

Hi, I'm looking at people who have experienced towing with a diesel SUV. I'm planning to replace my current vehicle (2009 Toyota Highlander V6 AWD) in a year or so and I'm interested by the following:

2-3 years old (with less that 60000 miles), these SUV are around 35k (in Canada)

BMW X5 xDrive35d
Mercedes-Benz ML350 Bluetec
Volkswagen Touareg TDI

These 3 SUV averages 250HP and 400+ Lb-ft of torque

I have a 18' travel trailer weighting 4600 pounds loaded for now. I'd like to get a 23' with bunks (about 6000 pounds loaded) in the future.

I do not want a bigger SUV than the ones listed (nor a pickup truck), as it won't fit in my garage!

My 270HP, 250 pound-ft of torque Toyota does the job well right now, but it would be nice to get more power and torque if I want to upgrade my travel trailer.

Thanks!

[sky_free]

wintersun wrote:
Overall the BMW vehicles are among the very best in terms of reliability and quality. The VW Touareg is at the bottom of the heap and even worse than the Jeeps.

Yes, true, but BMW is no better. For longer-term reliability (3-years), rather than initial, this is a quote from US News Rankings and Reviews:

"The Touareg is ranked in the bottom third of its class due to its terrible reliability rating, which is tied with the 2011 BMW X5 for the lowest in the class. ".

wintersun wrote:

Not a diesel version available in the states but the Toyota 4Runner would be my first pick for a SUV to tow. These are the only SUV's to be built on a truck frame and not a car unibody (as with all the others, including the Jeep).

Except for the various versions of the Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, Ford Expedition, Infinity QX56 (QX80 2014), and Jeep Wrangler.

[phenrichs]

campingcanuck wrote:
We tow with a 2011 Audi Q7 TDI and have had no issues. You can pm me if you want more info. We recently upgraded our htt to a 21 foot TT with bunks and rear slide.

So weights aside, I am curious on if that has a separate trans cooler or if that is an added item that would be part of a towing package like some other vehicles.

[wintersun]

Overall the BMW vehicles are among the very best in terms of reliability and quality. The VW Touareg is at the bottom of the heap and even worse than the Jeeps.

The Jeeps are grossly overpriced for what you get or rather what you do not get.

Not a diesel version available in the states but the Toyota 4Runner would be my first pick for a SUV to tow. These are the only SUV's to be built on a truck frame and not a car unibody (as with all the others, including the Jeep). Toyota does make a turbo diesel version that sells in New Zealand and Australia.

The Europeans are at least a generation ahead if not two of the USA car makers when it comes to making diesel engines for passenger cars. Want performance and reliability go with the BMW.

[loulou57]

You need to look at numbers before you decide.

YBMW X5 xDrive35d....
....Towing capacity 6000 lbs

Mercedes-Benz ML350 Bluetec..
....towing capacity 7200lbs

Volkswagen Touareg TDI...
....towing capacity 7700 lbs

These are around the right tow capacity for a 2014 model.

[sky_free]

ciscoios, that seems right in line with our experience. We averaged 14.5 US MPG hand-calculated.

Here's a reliability update on our Touareg after 65,000 miles. We had one low DEF warning that would not clear after refilling the DEF tank. Had to take it to the dealer who cleared it and it never happened again. Also had a glow plug warning light that I understand can mean a weak ground on the low-pressure fuel pump in the tank. That cleared after I shut it off and started back up. Never came back, so don't really know what that was.

For a super complex vehicle with gobs of power and refinement, I think this is pretty awesome reliability. Some truck guys seem to have a personal vendetta against them (and SUV's in general), but we love it so don't care what they think.

Someone commented on the WDH hitch issue using an Equalizer. You should try a standard (cheap) WDH like the Eaz-lift with 600 lb bars. I noticed a huge difference in leveling, steering, and braking with the proper tension applied.

We no longer have a TT to tow, but remember the experience wistfully sometimes as we are rolling in the F350 DRW with the truck camper down choppy pavement.

[ciscoios]

We have 2013 Audi Q7 TDI (3.0l). We are tow a 21' Holiday Rambler Campmaster with dry weight 3600lb. We travel with mostly empty tanks, so a loaded weight of less than 4500lb (just a guess). We use a weight distribution hitch but no sway control. The Q7 handles it like a breeze, and I am never short on power. Usually on highway the rpm stay below 2000 in either 7th or 8th gear. I have never felt a sway issue even on stormy days.

On our last road trip, driving from Edmonton Alberta to Seattle Washington then to Vancouver BC then to Jasper AB and then back to Edmonton, we averaged about 14mpg over 3600km with a lot of driving through the rockies. Drive down fron Jasper to edmonton on a calm day was almost 16mpg.

I have to say I am very happy with the Q7 as a tow vehicle.

[Redsky]

I have a friend who bought a VW Toureg and his is always in the shop. What is dumb is assuming that one person's experience with their vehicle applies to all of the ones produced. If out of a 1000 Toureg owners there are 600 who have had problems with the engine or electrical system there will still be 400 who can say that they have never had a problem. Would anyone buy a car if they thought they had a 60% chance of problems that would require multiple trips to the car dealer or worry about breaking down on the highway while towing a trailer?

There are multiple owner surveys done by JD Powers and Consumer Reports and ones done of auto repair shops that are not difficult to find online and these provide information based on thousands of owners' experiences with thousands of cars.

For a tow vehicle reliability is at the very top of my list in choosing what to buy when comparing multiple cars or trucks.

[Redsky]

The SUV you own and the ones you mentioned do not have the frame needed for heavy towing. The only SUV in their class that does is the Toyota 4Runner but I would still go with the Sequoia instead in an SUV.

Chrysler SUV's will never be on my list with their singular history of unreliability that is second to none.

[SoCalDesertRid1]

^ Yeah I would wait a couple model years on that one.

[esjay]

The new Jeep diesel, engine made in Italy, will also soon be available in the RAM 1500.
It comes at a $4,500 premium and also requires 8 gallons of urea every 10,000 miles for emissions purposes. It looks good on paper, but I'm a little afraid of Chrysler products in their first year of production.

[ve2tcx]

Well, I decided to go the way many do: a pickup truck. I just put my Infiniti for sale and when it's gone.

I'll shop for a 2009+ Ford F-150 XTR with a 6.5' bed, 5.4L engine. Around here, they go for about 22000$. I like the equipment and mileage vs the price and I'm sure I'll find something that suits my needs.

I'll have plenty of power to tow my 5000lbs 18' travel trailer. We may upgrade it in a couple years.

[Allworth]

Lubricity what?

If it says "Diesel" on the pump I run it. 20,000 towing miles a year and about 35,000 total per year.

Change the oil! Change the oil! Change the oil! Don't overthink the rest.

[nevadanick]

Hmmm, when traveling i always go to truck stops for fuel as i know its fresh. Our 2011 Mercedes has 42k mi and my 2011 GMC has 50k on it using these poor fuels.

[NinerBikes]

I bought a brand new Touareg Sport TDI late in the year when the 2013s were hitting the show floor, for $42k, did not use VW financing, there was 2500 cash back going on at the time in August. Sole purpose was to have it as a part time tow vehicle. I've trailered about 3000 miles out of 12000 on it currently, and I use it mostly for extended trip interstate travel with or without the trailer, where ever I feel like going mountain biking.

My trailer is a 21 ft rig, 3800 dry, probably closer to 4400 with the way I trailer it. Tongue weight is about 420# with no water in the fresh tank of 32 gallons. I pretty much camp solo.

I bought an Equalizer 600# hitch and it tows terrible with it with the anti sway, trucks passing on the left make it handle terrible. I have since started not attaching the weigh distribution /antisway, and the VW Touareg, with its anti yaw software, actually trailers way, way way better with out the weight distrtbution and anti sway portion attached. The rear end squats perhaps an inch with out the weight distribution, but it drives soooo much better on interstate and highway, where due to 14" tires, my speed is limited to 55 mph.

YMMV, I am not impressed with weight distribution hitches and anti sway on my 2012 Sport TDI, it drives way, way worse with it than without it, in winds and when semi's pass me, which is all the time.

For a smaller trailer, say under 23 feet and under 4800 pounds, maybe 5000 tops, and you don't push the motor hard, a VW Touareg as a part time trailer rig is hard to beat. Key words are don't beat on it, do obey the tire speeds recommended on your trailer, and keep the weight under 2/3 of the trailer capacity, and you should do fine. Also, don't buy cheap diesel at truck stops, buy the good stuff and save all your fuel receipts, if you do have a HPFP issue. I make a point to add a lubricity agent to all my diesel fuel, it's very important to do so if you own and run a common rail diesel that uses the Bosch CP 4.2 HPFP, standard on Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7, VW Touareg, Ford Scorpion motors on F250 and above, and GMC Chevy 3/4 ton diesel and up from 2010 on, I believe. Have to get your fuel down to a wear scar value of 300 microns or less, every time. Any time you are in a diesel and getting 15 mpg or less towing at over 55mph, and expecially in a 3 liter motor, under 20 mpg, you are stressing the injector pump and the HPFP really hard, with that kind of fuel flow. Run a lubricity agent, anything at or over 1 to 2% biodiesel is outstanding, if you believe in the results of the Spicer Report. Accept that TDI motors are quirky. Fuel lubricity standards are very important if you run a Bosch CP4.2 HPFP in your diesel on North American diesel fuel.