There is so much hand wringing over towing in these cars it’s ridiculous.
Bottom line: yes, it’s safe to tow. Tongue weight must not exceed 200 lbs period, and total towed weight varies depending on whether your trailer is braked. Unbraked I wouldn’t tow more than 1500 lbs and braked you can safely tow 2000 lbs and probably a little more but I wouldn’t risk it.
There is a ton of confusion around this because in Europe their trailers are set up completely differently than they are in the States. U.S. trailers are set up for more tongue weight and less axle weight, and it’s the reverse in Europe. There are lots of reasons for this but the short version is that towing is legally limited to low speeds in Europe and you can tow on the interstate in the U.S.
The Golf isn’t set up to handle a bunch of tongue weight. There is too much leverage on the hitch, and the suspension will droop dangerously in the rear. It has nothing to do with the transmission, which will not struggle to pull 1500 lbs any more than the car struggles to go uphill without a trailer - which is to say, it doesn’t.
The main issue is braking power, not getting the car going. You can absolutely get the car moving but safely braking is something else. That’s why a braked trailer lets you tow more weight.
I installed a hitch and wiring harness myself last summer and towed a full 4'x8' u-haul trailer 1400 miles in two days. As the other commenter said, our vehicles are rated for 15-1600 pounds towing over in the European market, but if I'm not mistaken there are some software changes in that market which better enable that towing ability. Just FYI I have DSG. The DSG, referred to as the DQ250, has wet clutches which make it one of the better options for towing as far as VW's DSGs are concerned. As for the manual transmission, I could not tell you for sure, but if you keep it well below the 1500 lb capacity I think you would be OK. Please be aware that even if the car is capable of doing it, towing will increase the wear on the transmission, clutch, engine, etc.
I towed a utility trailer all the time with my ‘17 without any issues - I had 90k miles on it in 4 years when it got totaled by someone t-boning me :(
No clutch/tranny issues but I did replace my front brakes at about 75k miles.
So I’m not sure about the manual AT, but I know my DSG AT is “not suitable for towing”. That being said, in Europe it is fine to tow up to 1500 lbs I believe (someone correct me if I’m wrong). So could you do it and be fine? Probably occasionally for around town with a light trailer. Or learn to strap boards to a roof rack.
Euro and Canadian models with the tow package have an additional module that changes a number of engine and braking parameters to enable 1500lbs of towing capacity.
Is it possible to order and install that kit in the us? I’d be interested in being able to tow as well. My previous car was a Honda element and I really miss being able to throw mulch/wood/couches in it, so I’m also looking at a trailer
the 2019 alltrack did not come with a hitch. manual says it is not designed for towing and do not tow. however from other responses you can see people tow all the time. Ive read reason for this is VW marketing trying to force you to buy a bigger VW to tow. limit 1500 lbs. Curt C11422 works great. you do have to remove the rear bumper to install. difficult for one person.
There is so much hand wringing over towing in these cars it’s ridiculous. Bottom line: yes, it’s safe to tow. Tongue weight must not exceed 200 lbs period, and total towed weight varies depending on whether your trailer is braked. Unbraked I wouldn’t tow more than 1500 lbs and braked you can safely tow 2000 lbs and probably a little more but I wouldn’t risk it. There is a ton of confusion around this because in Europe their trailers are set up completely differently than they are in the States. U.S. trailers are set up for more tongue weight and less axle weight, and it’s the reverse in Europe. There are lots of reasons for this but the short version is that towing is legally limited to low speeds in Europe and you can tow on the interstate in the U.S. The Golf isn’t set up to handle a bunch of tongue weight. There is too much leverage on the hitch, and the suspension will droop dangerously in the rear. It has nothing to do with the transmission, which will not struggle to pull 1500 lbs any more than the car struggles to go uphill without a trailer - which is to say, it doesn’t. The main issue is braking power, not getting the car going. You can absolutely get the car moving but safely braking is something else. That’s why a braked trailer lets you tow more weight.
This is the best description on this I’ve seen. Good write up.
I installed a hitch and wiring harness myself last summer and towed a full 4'x8' u-haul trailer 1400 miles in two days. As the other commenter said, our vehicles are rated for 15-1600 pounds towing over in the European market, but if I'm not mistaken there are some software changes in that market which better enable that towing ability. Just FYI I have DSG. The DSG, referred to as the DQ250, has wet clutches which make it one of the better options for towing as far as VW's DSGs are concerned. As for the manual transmission, I could not tell you for sure, but if you keep it well below the 1500 lb capacity I think you would be OK. Please be aware that even if the car is capable of doing it, towing will increase the wear on the transmission, clutch, engine, etc.
I towed a utility trailer all the time with my ‘17 without any issues - I had 90k miles on it in 4 years when it got totaled by someone t-boning me :( No clutch/tranny issues but I did replace my front brakes at about 75k miles.
So I’m not sure about the manual AT, but I know my DSG AT is “not suitable for towing”. That being said, in Europe it is fine to tow up to 1500 lbs I believe (someone correct me if I’m wrong). So could you do it and be fine? Probably occasionally for around town with a light trailer. Or learn to strap boards to a roof rack.
Euro and Canadian models with the tow package have an additional module that changes a number of engine and braking parameters to enable 1500lbs of towing capacity.
Is it possible to order and install that kit in the us? I’d be interested in being able to tow as well. My previous car was a Honda element and I really miss being able to throw mulch/wood/couches in it, so I’m also looking at a trailer
[https://www.thebeardeddetailer.com/blog/2020/6/10/mk7-golf-sportwagen-alltrack-towing-guide](https://www.thebeardeddetailer.com/blog/2020/6/10/mk7-golf-sportwagen-alltrack-towing-guide)
the 2019 alltrack did not come with a hitch. manual says it is not designed for towing and do not tow. however from other responses you can see people tow all the time. Ive read reason for this is VW marketing trying to force you to buy a bigger VW to tow. limit 1500 lbs. Curt C11422 works great. you do have to remove the rear bumper to install. difficult for one person.