# 2017 250 Urs And 2013 Touareg



## jennynaree (Jun 4, 2017)

Hi all,

We have a 2013 Touareg that documents 7700 lb towing capacity with 610 lb hitch weight. They do not recommend a weight distribution hitch. We are looking at a 2017 Outback 250 URS.

It fits within all range except that the 250 says it is 27' and we can only tow 26". My guess is that the 27" is with the king bed pushed out but wanted to get some advice.

What do you guys think?

Thank you!

Jenny


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## Parrothead (Jul 17, 2015)

I'm not familiar with the Touareg, but I know from experience it is very easy to exceed the allowable hitch weight on a vehicle. When you consider that all trailering references insist that tongue weight (and therefore the weight on your vehicle's hitch) must be 10-15% of total trailer weight, even a 7,700# trailer quickly exceeds the 610# max you have listed. Ask me how I know! We intentionally bought a trailer that was within our vehicle tow rating, and afterward learned it exceeded our vehicle payload rating because of the need for that 10-15% of weight on the tongue and hitch.

Oh, sorry for the edit... then 27' probably refers to the total length of the trailer (front of tongue to rear bumper) WITHOUT THE rear slide extended. Our 240URS is rated as 24' but is closer to 28' from the tongue to rear bumper. With the slide out,IIRC, it's something like 32' total length.


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## Dave-Gray (Jul 9, 2012)

I caution you strongly about towing a trailer that long with the short wheelbase Touareg. You need to find out what the Touareg's realistic vehicle towing capacity is. I recommend you use RV Tow Check. Read your towing section in the owner's manual thoroughly. Visit FifthWheelStreet.com for more safety info.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

I own a 2013 250RS and tow with a 2009 Silverado 1500. The towing capacity of the truck is well over what the weight of the trailer is but that is only one part of the equation. Even though the tow weight is acceptable, the tongue weight of the trailer overloads the weight allowed on the rear axle of the truck even with a weight distribution hitch. With the Toureg and no weight distribution hitch I'll bet that your rear axle wouldn't come close to handling the added weight. From the VW specs for the 2013 Toureg, your payload is 1287 lbs. That means everything you put in the car including driver, passengers, cargo, fuel etc. With a full 26.4 gallon fuel tank and gas at 6 lbs per gallon, that is 158 lbs. Hitch weight is 585 lbs which leaves 544 lbs for all passengers and cargo. That combined with the short wheel base and no weight distribution hitch would make me not recommend the Toureg as your tow vehicle with this trailer.

https://media.vw.com/doc/889/81400253536a4f9d81ed9.pdf


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## deepvee16 (Jan 27, 2014)

Going down that long windy hill, with the tail wagging the dog, may change your opinion real quick. For us, having an adequate tow vehicle really adds a lot to our relaxation and peace of mind.

My opinion might be different if we didn't live with hills all around us.


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## jennynaree (Jun 4, 2017)

Thanks all. I really appreciate it. After your advice we have done a lot more research and created a spreadsheet to calculate all of this to ensure we are safe. Looks like we will go with a hybrid instead.


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## Parrothead (Jul 17, 2015)

Good on you! The spreadsheet I built helped me immensely in comparing actual vehicle capabilities, trailer weights, and determining what combinations worked for our needs. It allowed me to get past the sales hype and look at close-to-real-world numbers, and keep it all straight.
I ended up buying a vehicle that was over-spec'ed for our towing needs. This gave me a large safety margin (primary for me, it's my family in there!) as well as the feasibility to upgrade the camper, if that ever becomes an issue, without having to simultaneously upgrade the tow vehicle.


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## Mijdirtyjeep (Jul 30, 2016)

Do you need the length of the 250URS or could you go a little smaller?

We are hauling our 210TRS with a Grand Cherokee diesel and it hauls great, it does so well we left my 2500hd duramax at home and took off on a 2800miles round trip to Florida last year for 2-weeks over Christmas. The biggest surprised was with the wife and I along with 2 teenage boys how well it worked out. This camper was downsized from a 32' 5th wheel we had previously, so we were expecting growing pains with the smaller trailer, but almost none were found. Even better with a smaller trailer is I could find so many more sites to choose from when looking last minute.

With a Touareg TDI you would have no problem hauling a 210URS. We were dead set on getting one, but VW had to recall the darn things and I was set on a diesel. The Touareg is a great towing machine if you stay within safe limits of what they can tow. Also if you read on the Touareg forums, that same hitch with a 660lb tongue weight is also listed in Europe as being able to handle 770lbs. Those same forums is where I first read about the Anderson No Sway hitch and them using that on the Touareg as they really don't distribute a ton of weight, but are great with sway control. Also don't get too scared away by the half ton truck folks. There is a lot of them that think you need a truck to haul and stop that weight. you just need to remind them, you basically have 6 pistons Brembo brakes up front where most of theirs only have 1 piston. 

I will say, it sure does look big behind the little GC though.


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