As far as towing, just because the specs say 7700lbs, i wouldn't trust it to consistently do that year after year. Not to mention the engine will be SCREAMING at high RPMs all the time and that shit gets old, quick. That's the single reason why I got that Duramax. The engine got on my nerves. Plus, by the time he throws in tools, bags of ice, gear, food, coolers of drinks, spare fuel jugs, so on and so forth, he would be getting very close to max.
My father was a Porsche mechanic and then service manager for 40 years. He's also driven more miles in them than probably the top 0.5% of owners on Earth. While they do indeed have their issues (as any automobile does) there is a reason they are consistently ranked near the top in customer satisfaction and reliability. Hell, he has nearly 50K miles on his 2014 Cayman without anything other than oil changes and a couple rear tires.....
While that mileage is super impressive, it isn't nearly as impressive as his patience. I don't think I've ever put more than 30-40k on anything before getting tired of it. That dude is on his way to a million miles in the same vehicle. I figured at some point he would be like "damn I'm tired of driving this fucking thing".
I can't comment on experience because I've just now rolled over 10k in mine. But the only thing I can say is that everything still feels/sounds brand new. Not a single squeak or rattle anywhere. Driving over train tracks doesn't sound or feel any different than going down flat road.
As far as the Touareg goes, I can't comment on the towing but I do know a guy in our office loves his. He has one back at home (Copenhagen) and when it came time to get his company car in Ghana, he could have gotten an Audi (or equivalent, they gave us an approved list), but he chose the Touareg because of how much he loved his one at home. He says they are great cars.
It's simple, if the guy doesn't want to know the boat is there then the Touareg isn't for him. Capable or not it's too short. He needs a real truck, 3/4 ton or better, can get it full pimp and he'll love it.
a friend had a V10 touareg (modified a bit) and towed with it some, a winnabego Minnie or something. He ended up with an F250 diesel and deleted all the smog stuff. The touareg would tow his stuff fine, but it was the short wheelbase that everyone mentioned that got to him. The whole "tail wagging the dog" thing. He said it's way better with the Ford.
Agreed...for the perception that zeee Germans make high quality stuff. You'd expect silly shit to be a reliable as hell. And oh yeah I've owned a Porsche Cayenne turbo, basically a VW with a different engine...money pit!!
Just get a crew cab short box 1/2 ton and be done with it. For that kind of towing distance and that terrain it will do all he needs.
He better get a legit WDH. If he's towing +4k with an SUV he'll need it, especially with a short wheel base vehicle.
Former Touareg TDI owner. The car was great for hauling around town and such, though I admit I hadn't much experience towing heavy stuff before. Usually, it was hauling firewood across the state or building supplies from nearby. It could be little unstable but no worse than, say, an older GSX-R on slicks minus the steering damper. One time I had a tire blow out at 75mp/h or so, with a 16' trailer full of lumber. Hadn't I been looked in the mirror, I wouldn't have known the tire let go. No problems with the engine, either. Just a nice, solid car.
This. We almost completely stopped using ours when we started trailering. went from once or twice a week to once a month.
At the end of the day, as long as it has wheels...damn near anything can pull it. Understanding the physics behind it, the commercials of vehicles pulling airplanes and shit isn't that impressive at all. Especially when you think about how men will pull 18-wheelers by a rope in Strongman competitions. It doesn't take much force to move something with wheels. Which is why even teenagers can push cars when they won't start. BUT, just because it *can* pull it, that doesn't mean it should, or that it would be enjoyable. The biggest factor many people don't consider isn't pulling something, it is stopping it. I won't pull anything heavy without some serious stopping power, and preferably with an exhaust (Jake) brake.
'08 Touareg V8 owner here, have 186k on it now and all the thing really needs is a basic tune-up, intake cleaning and some other minor things. I have to say, I love it. Every time I get in the thing and simply turn it around, it makes me giggle. The beast of a vehicle has an insanely tight turn radius that would rival a miata. That said, I haven't towed with it but the off the line torque is quite nice. I will report back on my towing findings after next week. Pulling my 6x12 1800 miles across country fully loaded up.
I know it isn't a 6500lb boat, but my Touareg TDI pulls my 6x12 enclosed trailer (about 3200lb loaded) very easily. Just took it from the DC area to Pitt race. Set cruise control on 68 mph and go right up the hills on the Penn Turnpike. Downshifts from 8th to 6th and pulls right up at about 2600 rpm. I got 17 mpg for the trip. Crosswinds and passing trucks don't bother it at all. The electronics know a trailer is back there (assuming you have plugged in the trailer lights) and adjusts the stability / traction control accordingly. It will tap a brake on a single wheel to keep everything in line. It is amazingly stable for the short wheelbase. I wouldn't hesitate to tow a 6500lb boat over relatively flat terrain. If he doesn't want the diesel, but wants a mid-sized SUV, I would go with the Cayenne S if he can live with the fuel mileage. Mileage generally won't be worse than a V8 gas truck towing or not and it will be a lot more fun to drive and much easier to park and maneuver in a city / town environment. Tow rating on the Q7 is actually a bit less than the Cayenne and Treg because of the additional weight of the longer vehicle. At least that was the case with the previous version of the Q7.
Not to throw a wrench in the mix...but a fellow racer is a BMW tech...tells me that the X5 diesel is one of the better cars BMW builds....should be similar to the tar egg.