Towing with VW Jetta TDI

[Briantb]

Lets not kid ourselves about the Jetta being a German made car..both of our TDI originated in Mexico. German engineering yes, for the North American market. I will tow our teardrop or utility trailer but not a Scamp or similar.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[Bob Miller]

Thank You Brian for that very candid and telling post.....Needless to say, I'm with you on that.

Unless they are shipping Jetta's from Pueblo to Germany, it kinda throws cold water on some of the Euro vs. NA claims doesn't it?

[MC1]

Originally Posted by SilverGhost

So I finally remembered this thread and the other thread at the same to post over something I found.

Here's the video review of the car;

Thnxs for posting SG. As the vid shows the car does a nice job of handling the TT. It really surprises me how well considering it is just a ball mount connection*. When you bring the car to NA and add a WDH it is easy to understand how it could even get better.

*with built in Euro friction sway control

[Bob Miller]

Actually it shows how well a vehicle can handle when operated within it's manufacturers specifications.

With a 75 KG (about 165 lbs) hitch limit, it would barely be able to pull most 13' Scamps. And, unfortunately, they didn't tell us what the test caravan weighed and, although they mentioned "Motorway Speeds", they didn't tell what that speed is. Maybe Andrew will chime in with some numbers.

Sounds like VW made a great vehicle, at least until someone screws with it to try to make it into something it wasn't designed to be.....

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Thank You Brian for that very candid and telling post.....Needless to say, I'm with you on that.

Unless they are shipping Jetta's from Pueblo to Germany, it kinda throws cold water on some of the Euro vs. NA claims doesn't it?

Many if not all of the major auto manufacturers have plants in Mexico and in numerous countries around the world. I just read a page of the Ford plants world wide, it's really amazing.

Ford has been nationally and internationally successful by building cars for the world. If anything, at least on the surface, North Americans get less of what Ford builds, at the very minimum of what I would like to buy. We must remember that Ford is the only American car company that did not get billions from the taxpayers. This is rather impressive when it was probably available to them as well.

I do not get concerned where our car is built. My major concern is can the vehicle do the job I need well.

[Andrew Gibbens]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

...although they mentioned "Motorway Speeds", they didn't tell what that speed is. Maybe Andrew will chime in with some numbers.

The 'caravan' (=travel trailer) they quote has the following data:
- unladen weight 1140kg = 2511 pounds
- maximum laden weight 1261kg = 2777 pounds
- overall length 6.06m = 19 feet 11 inches
- overall width 2.25m = 7 feet 5 inches
- original new price £16900 ~= US$28400

'Motorway' is the British equivalent for interstate, so the towing speed limit would be 60mph and few would exceed 70mph.

[honda03842]

Andrew,

What specific model is the trailer?

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gibbens

The 'caravan' (=travel trailer) they quote has the following data:
- unladen weight 1140kg = 2511 pounds
- maximum laden weight 1261kg = 2777 pounds
- overall length 6.06m = 19 feet 11 inches
- overall width 2.25m = 7 feet 5 inches
- original new price £16900 ~= US$28400

'Motorway' is the British equivalent for interstate, so the towing speed limit would be 60mph and few would exceed 70mph.

Thank You Andy, two additional questions:

1. Is the difference between empty and maximum weight for that trailer only 121kg (266 lbs)
and
2. Is towing speed on motorways less than maximum vehicle speeds. I know from experience, thanks to the speed camera system that few exceed what's posted!

Many Thanks.

[Bob Miller]

Never mind on #2, I found this:

https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

Looks like 96kph/60mph is about it.
Needless to say, those that need to tow at 75-80 mph wouldn't be happy there.

[MC1]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Looks like 96kph/60mph is about it.
Needless to say, those that need to tow at 75-80 mph wouldn't be happy there.

Especially if you were towing with one of these.......

[Night Sailor]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

It seems to me that Canada is both less litigious, and less regulated then most places. Canadians are not typically very nationalistic, well at least not in a bragging kind of way, but I think the above statement is made possible by the character of Canadians as a whole. We are, in my opinion, less confrontational and more practical then most cultures.

Canadian proudly fly their flags everywhere and it might be the prettiest flag design of the all. I like the Union Jack also--the one flown on the front of the boat without the stripes.

[Night Sailor]

IMHO towing with a diesel is the best power plant choice because it improves both fuel continue and range. I had a second tank in my 1981 Rabbit and got as much as 800 miles on 20 gallons. Modern diesels make more power. I look forward to seeing the new Ram pickup, Jeep Wrangler diesel, and hopefully Subaru will gets act together and bring in its diesel.

I drove and towed a snow mobile trailer

[honda03842]

If you're from the USA or Canada there are large distances to cover, not so much in the UK.

[MC1]

True Norm.

There are a couple thing to consider for an individual. Will they be towing long distances and what tow vehicle will they select.

One can research the vehicle to see what components it has and what king of history does it have based on other's experience.

For example. Our local RV expert has written about setting up particular vehicles. In some cases 100's. With that many out on the roads the feedback from owners is invaluable. Using that kind of info is a huge plus when choosing a TV that is going to perform. Also reviewing info from folks like you a valued gift.

There is also a difference between someone who is going to tow a short distance on flat land a couple times a year compared to someone like yourself who travels everywhere, and then some.

As for the Jetta it looks like it has a good towing record even when towing larger trailers than glass eggs. Knowing that is all goodness for folks on this form who are towing the lightweights.

All this is surely a step up than just using a number like the tow rating to select a TV.

[honda03842]

I agree positive experience is tough to beat.

As to experience, yesterday I was talking to the owner of the local grocery store, since I'm taken with the icebergs he related how he had taken a cruise to Alaska.

He commented that it was a fun cruise. During a part of the cruise the captain announced that an iceberg could be seen on the starboard side. He like the rest of the passengers went to see the berg. Most were delighted, coming from Fogo he was disappointed his iceberg experience was quite different from the insignificant berg the other's experience.

He was use to the bruiser bergs here. Out our window the last few days is the largest we've seen. I estimate it's above water height at 17 stories; below water who knows except to say only 10% is above water. It is at the tip of the neighboring island and taller than any point on the island. We hope to be over there in the morning and possibly get a closer view.

People with real experience that do 100's of tow vehicle installations, with feedback from the 100's who may have accumulated 1,000,000 tow miles is definitely valuable.

For a new tow vehicle I'm leaning towards a TDI; my partner is leaning towards a Pilot.

Safe travels Wayne

[SilverGhost]

Hmm, did anyone read the thread I linked to? A Canadian from BC is towing a Airstream Bambi with a VW Golf. TT base weight is 2860lbs and gross weight 3500lbs.

BTW - different chassis then the current Jetta sedan, but same as the wagon. I considered this combo but $$$ and towing at very limit with a car over 100k miles kept from doing it.

Maybe when we upgrade the wife's car.

Jason


Sent from my iPhone

[RogerDat]

I have to agree that auto makers are putting a "world" focus on the cars they produce. Ford uses that term world cars. The high mileage and rather nice Fiesta was available in Europe for a few years before it came here. The center mounted gauges that have become common allow for drivers side to be left or right depending on market. There are more diesel offerings in Europe than here and have been for years, so the advances and refinements in diesel have had a lot of time to mature based on real world experience.

Shops and owners groups that are focused on specific task or model are a great resource, often the best resource. Our Ford dealer did some wiring to replace the failed trailer tail light module of our Escape, I was impressed with the quality of the work and asked about them installing the electric brake controller. They recommended going to a couple of the local trailer places because they really have a lot more experience and will do a better job.

I think the same is true of hitches, fiberglass work, or painting fiberglass. Find the folks with enough experience to have developed solid skills or knowledge. Do some research (yea internet) ask questions of the professionals at the shops, owners on forums and one can reasonably expect good results from your choices.

As to Canadians national temperament all I can say is they make pretty good neighbors and excellent hosts when I have visited. Money is pretty cool looking too :-)

TDI or Pilot tough but fun choice.

[Andrew Gibbens]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Andrew, What specific model is the trailer?

The video says it was a "Swift Expression 442" which is no longer made, so there isn't much useful info online about it. The current equivalent seems to be the Challenger 442. And, yes, there really is only 121kg (267 pounds) payload - the tow vehicle must be able to tow the trailer's maximum weight as shown on its data plate and not just its weight at the time, so by limiting the payload, smaller tow vehicles can tow the trailer. MTPLM (Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass = GVW) is king!

Highway speeds probably cover a wider range in Europe than in North America. Trucks (18-wheelers, etc) are physically limited to 56mph by a compulsory governor and may not be able to maintain that speed up hill, so towing at 60 mph is just a bit above truck speeds. Cars will go up to 80mph but not a lot above that.

[Bob Miller]

WOW, that payload could really limit one's RV'ing to little more than weekending.

Thanks again for the information. It helps show that there really are a lot of differences between RV'ing in Europe vs. NA.

Just to ask, is there a special test or license endorsement required for towing at or near those loads.

[honda03842]

Andrew,

Thanks for the link to the Swift Challenger 442. It's a rather interesting trailer with wet shower, twin or full sized bed, no structural wood and the ability to heat from 0 to 70F in four hours.

The payload is interesting. It does seem light to me though actually I've never weighed our's independently but I suspect it's more. A worthwhile testfor the next time we're home.

Thanks again.