Advice on buying T6 for towing

[Bobby Turkalino]

Have yet to tow our caravan with our camper, our caravan is only a 2 berth with an MTPLM of 1150 kg. My 123 bhp Kia Cee'd SW towed it well so am hoping our 140 bhp T6 will do just fine.....will find out in 3 weeks.

Out of interest we recently fitted the latest BPW hitch head stabiliser and it works really well, no noise or bumps from the caravan really worth it in my opinion.

 

[Stigofthedub]

Been up and down the country in my old T5.1 102 towing a 1600kg caravan and well loaded, it did the job but it could be a bit frustrating up slopes. Got a t6 150 now and it's a lot better. Both manual by the way. Both using the same wheels and tires (18" sportlines) which I transferred over. The t5.1 economy towing on the MFD was around 26 and about 24 on the t6, maybe thats because it goes a bit faster. Both with similar mileage. For me it's more about the extra gear with the 150.

 

[Stevefrs]

We have been towing our twin axle 1800kg with a 150 dsg with no issues. Can get a bit revvy on hills but that may be the 20s

 

[ngummow]

The papers for my T6 150 4M DSG
Kerbweight 2464
Fully loaded 3080
Trailer limit 2500
Max train weight 5300

IE you can't go full loaded with the maximum weight of a trailer.

 

[ngummow]

Thanks for all the information.
Tomorrow I will be popping mine's towing cherry - taking the race car off to be prepped for use after a 2 year gap. Our driveway has a 12% (ish) gradient - and trailer/car will be close to 2,000kg. I will let you know how well it pulls from a standing start on that gradient. (T6 150 4M DSG)

I've towed with a variety of vehicles in the past - from an old 2200 Passat through to a Disco4. My previous X3 3.0D hauled the rig up the drive from a standing start - but it wasn't exactly sympathetic. My worst experience was many moons ago, I was just about to overtake a cyclist up a steep hill when I had to pull back in due to oncoming traffic. I failed to grab a lower gear quick enough and stalled. So there I am sat in a Xtrail 2.2 - with a 2000kg trailer slung out the back - on an 11% gradient.

I left the 4wd in auto mode - applied the throttle - slipped the clutch slightly - stalled
I switched the 4wd mode to locked - applied the throttle - slipped the clutch slightly - stalled
I'm beginning to get a bit sweaty - I'm not looking forward to reversing 1km down a twisty mountain road. I have to get this thing moving.
Locked 4wd mode engaged - 3500rpm on the dial - and dumped the clutch - keeping my foot in. The tyres chirped, then bit, then chirped, then bit, and the rig was moving. Span the engine up to the redline then a quick change into 2nd and we were on our way.

Being that the T6 is Dec 2017 model I'm rather hoping that I won't need to be quite so unsympathetic - otherwise I'll have to add an even chunkier tow-car to the fleet.

 

[Einion]

Tows brilliant. Forget its there.

 

[Dave F]

Just thought I would post this on here as it’s related ish !!.
I’m selling my caravan as upgrading
It’s a 2008 swift Oakmere GT it’s in immaculate condition for its age and all in working order.its only had 2 owners from new also inc is 2 awning pole type, water and waste rollers, new battery,gas bottle so ready to go £6600
I have asked if I can put it in the for sale section and awaiting answer.

 

[ngummow]

Acceleration was heavily blunted but once cruising it felt strong. I didn’t check it reversing or on a very steep start.

I did miss the 55ps and 100nm of the old X3 3.0d though.

(The trailer is a brand new Fitzel - over 15,000chf / £11,000)

 

[Jordan250]

What Mpg are you guys achieving with a 4 motion dsg 204 towing 2000kg?
Also anyone have a dsg mfsw so you select the gears to better control braking and speed?
I only managed 19mpg on an hrs run, all pressures are correct on trailer and van.
Was hoping to get closer to my parents Amarok BiTi at 25mpg towing.

 

[Salty Spuds]

24-25mpg, knocks seven shades out of the AdBlue though.

 

[Phil26]

Hey guys looking at purchasing a T6 but wanting to tow a caravan. What weight max could I tow with it? Cheers Phil

 

[Pete C]

Depends on the model, but either 2,200 kg or 2,500kg.

Pete

 

[DaveD]

Have a read, not all of it is relevant but much of it is:

Weight plate confusion

Please could somebody explain what this means please - I’m trying to find out what the maximum weight of a caravan I can pull with my T6 4motion Kombi. Iv been told this is what I need to see to find out. Unfortunately it means nothing to me.... the Caravans i have been looking at vary between...

www.t6forum.com

 

[PortsmouthVW]

Bear in mind also what you can LEGALLY tow which is different from what you can ACTUALLY tow.

Purely as an example, a T26 Transporter weighs 2,600kg. Gross train weight is 4,800kg. So the amount it can ACTUALLY tow is 4,800 - 2,600 = 2,200kg.

But wait! My licence only allows me to tow 3,500kg maximum train weight. Legally I can only tow 900kg.

Big difference!

I think this link might explain what you can tow: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/driving-advice/towing-a-caravan/#:~:text=A%20trailer%20over%20750kg%20as,kg%20Maximum%20Authorised%20Mass%20(MAM)

I discovered a lot of this myself when I bought a caravan. You might want to check out someone who does trailer driving courses - I did and got good advice.

Good luck and happy camping!

 

[Phil26]

Thanks for replies guys. Some interesting reading there!

 

[Phil26]

Bear in mind also what you can LEGALLY tow which is different from what you can ACTUALLY tow.

Purely as an example, a T26 Transporter weighs 2,600kg. Gross train weight is 4,800kg. So the amount it can ACTUALLY tow is 4,800 - 2,600 = 2,200kg.

But wait! My licence only allows me to tow 3,500kg maximum train weight. Legally I can only tow 900kg.

Big difference!

I think this link might explain what you can tow: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/driving-advice/towing-a-caravan/#:~:text=A%20trailer%20over%20750kg%20as,kg%20Maximum%20Authorised%20Mass%20(MAM)

I discovered a lot of this myself when I bought a caravan. You might want to check out someone who does trailer driving courses - I did and got good advice.

Good luck and happy camping!

Been looking up test. Have you completed it?
How was it?

 

[PortsmouthVW]

Sorry, sadly no, I didn't take the test.

I literally took the pre assessment the instructor offered for free (VERY helpful!) and was going to book a few days later, then we went into lockdown. It's on my to-do list, but probably won't be any time soon.