Golf V TDI Towing: Experiences & Tips Needed!

Hello,

I would like to start a survey here for my colleague and I hope to receive many helpful tips from you all.

My colleague is potentially considering buying a Volkswagen Golf V 2.0 TDI (140 hp).
Because he frequently travels long distances with a caravan several times a year, he needs a reliable and powerful towing vehicle.
The following points are very important to him:

- Driving and towing stability with a caravan.
- 6-speed transmission or Tiptronic.
- Actual consumption with/without hot water.

So, I'm looking for experiences with a Volkswagen Golf V TDI and a caravan/trailer!

Thank you in advance, I look forward to your reports.

Best regards, Georg.

Hi,

What kind of caravan are you talking about? The weight and size are very important for providing a useful answer.

"For example, I can easily tow a 3.5-meter (without coupling) caravan weighing 600 kg with my small Ibiza (which is probably about half a meter shorter than the G5) and its 110 TDI engine. On the highway at speeds of 80-100 km/h, I average around 8 liters per 100 km on flat roads (e.g., Berlin to Rügen). A 150 hp 1.8T in a Passat needs over 11 liters under the same driving conditions and with the same trailer."

Best regards,

Jan.

Hi,

I can only compliment Jan.
My AXR handles a 1-ton trailer perfectly well. You can see the setup in one of my avatars.

It's not the weight that's the problem, but rather the air resistance.

"This trailer weighed approximately 1500 kg, and I had absolutely no problems pulling it. It would certainly have been different with a large wardrobe (caravan)."



The G5 with its 140 horsepower should definitely be a good towing vehicle.

- short rear overhang.
- enough weight to provide some resistance to the WoWa (presumably referring to a specific system or technology).
- Powerful engine with high performance and torque.
Please provide the text you would like me to translate from German to English. I will then give you only the translation, without any explanations.

Hi,

Quote:

- short rear overhang.

I completely agree! In my comparison with the same type of rack mounted on an Ibiza (almost no rear overhang) and a Passat Variant (quite a bit of rear overhang), the Ibiza performed much better for carrying cargo.

Best regards,

Jan.

I followed up again!

Data from WoWa:

Total length: 6.5 meters.
Total weight: 1300 kg.
Annual mileage: approximately 5,500 km.

Jan and Bertil, thank you.

It's no secret that this caravan can also be towed with a car having only 90 horsepower.
'My colleague has been driving a Passat B3 Variant (with a 90 hp AHU engine) for years. He sometimes misses the power when towing a caravan, that's true. However, he highly values the stability and driving feel of the Passat.'

Therefore, my question mainly concerned the driving characteristics of the G5 with a caravan attached.
In terms of weight, the G5 is comparable to the Passat, but its performance is significantly better.
It should therefore prove to be a good towing vehicle.

I was hoping that someone might have personal experience with this combination of a Volkswagen Golf V and a roof tent (WoWa) and could provide a direct comparison.

Best regards, Georg.

hello georg,

While I can't offer a comparison to a Golf, I can provide one based on the Passat.
My car configuration is almost identical. For a while, I pulled the caravan with a Passat 35i facelift (3A5) and a 1Z engine. Okay, the car had a chip tuning box that boosted it to about 110 horsepower, but it struggled quite a bit. You did eventually reach your destination, but...
'I then switched to a Passat 3BG with 130 hp, and there's a world of difference. No more problems, even when driving uphill. And if necessary, I can easily reach speeds of at least 130 km/h. Also, the way the Passat handles is much better; it feels significantly more stable on the road. The previously very unpleasant swaying motions are much less pronounced in the 3BG.'

Hi,

Well... if you take everything into account, the Golf 5 should be at least as good as Jörg's 3BG, and based on my experience with my parents' 3BG compared to the Ibiza, it might even be better.

Best regards,

Jan.

Brief update:

The new V-er (2.0 TDI engine with a 6-speed transmission) has been ordered and will be personally picked up from Volkswagen in Wolfsburg during the week of March 11th.

Once I've gained some initial experience with the 'WoWa' (assuming this is a specific term), I will report back here to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic.

Best regards, Georg.

Here is the latest status:

The new Golf V has been on the road for a while now and is well-established...
He has already completed a large tour through Austria and Croatia with his campervan.
The owner is generally very satisfied with the vehicle. And as a towing vehicle for the caravan, the 140 hp version is also ideal – it has enough power and is still economical!

The stability with the T4 (Transporter) is even better than with the Passat 3B, and that's mainly what this was about.

That concludes the topic, and hopefully it might be helpful to someone making a decision soon.

Best regards, Georg.