[s-cars] Non Audi, but VAG question.... VW Touareg V10 TDI vs. V8 opinions?

[Lee Levitt]

Jim,

 

You’re asking at an interesting time… The V10 is an expensive and rare beast. Overkill for your needs. Need to change a turbo? Time to pull the engine. The V8 is a moderately expensive and thirsty beast. 14mpg day to day. Maybe 10 mpg towing. Nice tow vehicle. Air suspension helps a lot. A good friend has a loaded ’04 V8, with 125K, and it’s tight and running strong.

 

I’ve been towing on and off for the past year with a 2010 V6 TDi. Plenty of torque, 28 mpg on the highway, 20 with a loaded trailer. Can’t beat it. Mine is one of the rare 6 cylinder TDis with air suspension.

 

No issue in two winters with the diesel, in New England. That problem has been solved. But you should get a V8. ☺

 

VW, however, has gotten caught cheating and the first gen diesels (09, 10) are not getting fixed. I’m not sure I’m going to take the buyout…I like the platform too much, and the next generation doesn’t have air suspension.

 

If you’re looking to spend under $10K, you’ll need to stick with the early V8s. I don’t think the V6 will have enough torque for you in the mountains. They’re pretty straightforward to maintain.

 

Air suspensions are near bulletproof, surprising since the compressor is exactly the same one in our allroads. They’re just built really well. Sure, you’ll have the typical VAG challenges, but what other $8K truck will give you the ride and handling? I’ve got Cayenne sway bars on mine. ☺

 

Lots of trucks on the market…make sure you get a loaded one with everything you’ll need for towing. Most of the V8s were sold pretty well loaded…

 

Take a look at clubtouareg.com. Lots of good information there.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Lee

 

 

From: S-CAR-List <s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com> on behalf of Jim Fleischer <jim at almgt.com>
Date: Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 4:22 PM
To: "s-car-list at audifans.com" <s-car-list at audifans.com>
Subject: [s-cars] Non Audi, but VAG question.... VW Touareg V10 TDI vs. V8 opinions?

 

Hey all,

 

Sorry for the non-Audi topic, but this list is what I feel to be the best knowledge base of most things automotive, so hence my reaching out to you for this topic.

I’m looking for a tow vehicle to tow a 23’-25’ Airstream (Sub 4,000 lb. Dry weight) throughout the western US, and mostly throughout the Rocky Mountains on a regular basis as I travel for business and avoid hotels/AirBnB etc.  I’d like to stay away from the typical Ford/Chevy/Dodge pickups, have been looking at some Toyota Tundra/Land Cruiser options and some others, but have always been an Audi fan and have a soft spot for the Touareg V10 TDI since it came out in 2004.  I know the V10’s are few and far between but they are out there, but I come across so many more V8’s for much less money that they are a perceived option at the moment.  Tow capacity is listed as the same.  Wondering about things like drivetrain durability, air suspension and such.  As a long time Audi owner, I feel I can deal with the small stuff like switches, etc. and am familiar with the large oil capacity of the TDI and the expense that comes with it.  Gas mileage is a plus with the V10 over the V8, but the difference in initial cost to buy would cancel that out I’m assuming.  I’m looking at MY 2004-2007’s for pretty much everything.

 

So, any thoughts and BTDT opinion from the List?  I have done a fair amount of research on the Airstream and Travel Trailer forums and have ruled out my first couple of options due to what I found there (Land Rover Discovery 2 and Range Rover) and have come back to VAG as expected.  Thanks for the info, and feel free to email me directly if this post is not of interest to the masses.  

 

Best regards,

 

Jim Fleischer

’95 urS6 avant, 210K

’04 Allroad 6-speed manual, 179K

’89 4Runner SR5 V6 5 Speed, 324K!

23’-25’ Airstream TBD…..

 

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