Traded the TDI and went polar opposite to a GLI.

@Ice-9



Apparently I need to explain that approval in European markets does not mean there is approval in the US.

The fact that the 2019 Golf Sportwagen was prohibited from towing by VW of America is the root of this discussion ( I apologize to the OP for the unintended and ongoing thread hijack ).

I wrote ( above ) that I wanted a link which contained towing approval info that applied to the US market. We don't use the word "caravan" in the US, and this implies that the link you provided applies to the European market, but may not necessarily apply to the US market.

It's worth noting that in the link you provided VW specifies a maximum of an 8% grade and the trailer MUST have its own brakes. Those of us who have done considerable towing will understand that VW is aware that using a Golf to tow such a heavy and large load is a dodgy proposition, but VW's goal is to SELL CARS, and VW knows that if they tell you towing is a bad idea you might not buy their car. So VW is going to tell you what you want to hear. It's up to the end user to determine whether something, while permissible, is a good idea or not ( many stories that have unfortunate endings begin with the soon-to-be victim facing such a quandary and making a decision which leads to the unfortunate ending ). I'd pay to see you use a Golf to tow that large caravan through the Columbia River Gorge on a windy day. The video of the whole mess flipping multiple times could generate millions of hits on Youtube. ( I've seen a modular home AND the trailer on which it was being transported flipped in those winds, and that load weighed over 50,000 pounds )


If a vehicle is not approved for towing in the US market, there are all sorts of ramifications which could apply if that vehicle is used for towing, ranging from warranty issues to insurance companies refusing to indemnify the insured if the insured towed with a vehicle which was not approved for towing and an accident occurred ; this last point could result in financial ruin, so it is a LONG way from being trivial unless you have no assets to protect.

I actually think VW of America did me a favor when they prohibited towing with the Golf Sportwagen. I'm going to end up buying a used Mercedes E350 4Matic wagon, which will be a better car in ways that matter and which IS approved for towing.
 
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This just in, VW is bad because they want to sell cars.

Pretty sure they were behind Covid too.

Seriously though... in this country VW wants to sell you an Atlas to tow. And for the typical American mindset regarding towing, that strategy works wonderfully.

OP enjoy your wonderful GLI, what fun!
 
This just in, VW is bad because they want to sell cars.

Pretty sure they were behind Covid too.

Seriously though... in this country VW wants to sell you an Atlas to tow. And for the typical American mindset regarding towing, that strategy works wonderfully.

OP enjoy your wonderful GLI, what fun!


It's never too late to become an adult.
 
Thanks yall - I have to say I am quite jealous of the car as it just looks and drives far better than my pedestrian E-Golf. Fortunately I can drive it whenever I want so have my cake and eat it too? :ROFLMAO:. We discussed 5k oil change intervals last night but annual mileage is going to be ~7k so we figured just stick to the annual service and call it a day - will be dealer serviced while under CPO warranty then will go to the independent after that.

Neither of us are new to VW's so we kinda know to expect hiccups, we deal with it for the I guess better driving experience they provide versus the more pedestrian offerings (Civic, Corolla, Elantra, etc.) and we have pretty decent dealers around that actually have to compete for business. I am on my 5th ('03 Golf TDI, '06 Jetta 2.5, '15 Jetta 2.slow, '12 TDI Sportwagen and '16 E-Golf) and other half is on his 3rd ('00 Jetta VR6, '11 TDI Sportwagen and now '17 GLI) - really looking back its only been the TDI's that have been truly awful reliability wise even my relatively simple in comparison '03 Golf - the gassers have been pretty decent and the electric very good reliability wise.
 
Nice car. I almost bought a silver one like that from a rebuilt title place but i decided it wasn’t worth it with the title status and price. I ended up in a new sportwagen for my not much more.
 
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I agree on 7k/annual service. it'll certainly be fine. (y)


I don't believe for a second that a Mark 7 GTi is VWAG - certified to tow 3,520 pounds.

That's interesting.


That weight would be very close to the weight of the car, and anyone who has a reasonable amount of towing experience will be aware of the scenario in which the "tail can wag the dog" when a trailer weighs too much.

Did I say I recommend towing these VW & KBA certified 1600 kg?


I believe you are confusing kilograms and pounds.

I think I was crystal clear when I said 'My GTI Mk7 is certified to tow 1600 kg = 3520 lbs.'

Which it still is.


MAYBE the Golf 7 can tow 1,600 pounds ( that is plausible ) but a Golf 7 being certified to tow 3,520 pounds is improbable in the extreme.

Maybe?


Show me an official source which backs up your claim for the 3,520 pound towing capacity of the Golf 7. To be clear what I mean by "official source", I want a link to a VW factory owner's or service manual or a VW service bulletin for the US market, where most of the members here are using cars, which clearly indicates towing capacity for a Golf 7 GTi.

I'd suggest you just don't believe me. While it's easy to provide evidence
in a heartbeat you're not the kind of guy I feel taking the effort for.


I wrote ( above ) that I wanted a link which contained towing approval info that applied to the US market. We don't use the word "caravan" in the US, and this implies that the link you provided applies to the European market, but may not necessarily apply to the US market.

Where did I say US market? On a sidenote, shout louder, I can't hear you.

(font size and color are by 'Ice-9')
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@Ice-9

Not interested in the towing discussion since the OP isnt towing. BTW, I love European cars and somehow never had one. The styling, appearance and "mechanics" is as the OP describes to me in everyway. He got himself a nice find, I wonder during this lifetime if I will ever have one.
I would LOVE to have a manual shift again. Really sharp looking car.

Now I do need to comment one time only on the towing. I think ICE-9 is correct. In the USA everything I seem to read, "towing not recommended" The article you posted has a photo of a foreign car with foreign tags/plates on it.

With that said ICE-9 is incorrect by saying this about any vehicle =
"That weight would be very close to the weight of the car, and anyone who has a reasonable amount of towing experience will be aware of the scenario in which the "tail can wag the dog" when a trailer weighs too much."

Just about any vehicle with a factory tow package can tow more weight than the vehicle. My 2017 Traverse can, my 2008 Durango could, the Voltswagon Atlas can... ect... ect ... ect...

 
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Nice car. I almost bought a silver one like that from a rebuilt title place but i decided it wasn’t worth it with the title status and price. I ended up in a new sportwagen for my not much more.
dareo, I just found out yesterday that my 2016 GSW was recently bought - I'd sold it to Carvana in June 2021 for $11,947 72k miles - went for $17,990. My March 2016, new purchase price - $18,500
L O L

Carvana has 2015 TDI GSWs for over $20k. Crazy market. They couldn't give away GSWs back in the day. Who knew that VW wagons were an investment!

I had zero problems with my VW and enjoyed the ownership. No complaints here. The 1.8T and tall-geared 5sp stick returned great hwy MPG, far exceeding the EPA ratings.
 
Not interested in the towing discussion since the OP isnt towing. BTW, I love European cars and somehow never had one. The styling, appearance and "mechanics" is as the OP describes to me in everyway. He got himself a nice find, I wonder during this lifetime if I will ever have one.
I would LOVE to have a manual shift again. Really sharp looking car.

Now I do need to comment one time only on the towing. I think ICE-9 is correct. In the USA everything I seem to read, "towing not recommended" The article you posted has a photo of a foreign car with foreign tags/plates on it.

With that said ICE-9 is incorrect by saying this about any vehicle =
"That weight would be very close to the weight of the car, and anyone who has a reasonable amount of towing experience will be aware of the scenario in which the "tail can wag the dog" when a trailer weighs too much."

Just about any vehicle with a factory tow package can tow more weight than the vehicle. My 2017 Traverse can, my 2008 Durango could, the Voltswagon Atlas can... ect... ect ... ect...

Yeah, my Touareg is rated to tow 8,000lbs.

It *only* weighs 5,000lbs.
 
Some nonsense about towing being spoken in here. We love our caravans in the UK and most people get by with just day to day cars. My Vauxhall Insignia with it's tiddly 1.5 3 cylinder diesel (122hp & 221lbft) pulls our 1400kg (3000lbs) caravan quite happily (& legally). It sits on the motorway in 5th gear at 2000rpm chugging away at 60mph (maximum towing speed in the UK) without breaking a sweat!

Wish we still had the Jetta in the UK. We only have the Golf hatch and estate here but there's a certain level of sophistication you get from a Jetta that you don't quite get with a Golf.
 

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Millions of travellers every year across European highways and roads
towing caravans near or above vehicle weight. Since it's hardly salient
in statistics, it's obviously rarely an issue.
That said, according to its certificate of approval (mandatory in the EU)
my GTI's permitted towing capacity is:

690 kg (trailers without brakes)
1600 kg (trailers with brakes)
1800 kg (trailers with brakes, on gradients up to 8 % only)

This GTI is 1387 kg including driver.

So that's what's legal in Europe. Virtually everyone here knows that it's
better to keep trailer weight below these legal limits as far as possible.
Those who aren't aware likely don't tow trailers/caravans anyway.
.
 
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Thanks yall - I have to say I am quite jealous of the car as it just looks and drives far better than my pedestrian E-Golf. Fortunately I can drive it whenever I want so have my cake and eat it too? :ROFLMAO:. We discussed 5k oil change intervals last night but annual mileage is going to be ~7k so we figured just stick to the annual service and call it a day - will be dealer serviced while under CPO warranty then will go to the independent after that.
I like how the 2.0T's drive, especially in the more performance-oriented flavors. With that said, my experience with the EA888 (even the Gen 3) has been less than favorable from the upkeep and reliability departments. Pistons blowing out, water pump leaks, cam cover leaks, etc. Since you are used to owning VAG products I'm sure you are already prepared.
 
Nice! MK6 Jetta is nicer looking to me than the current iteration. That 2.0 isn't quite the same I believe as the gen 3 EA888 in the GTIs but still should be rock solid. Tune it and send it!
 
So DSG fluid exchange was coming up (~$400), shocks and struts were shot to hell and I still can't gather whether the timing belt was on its last legs as VW didn't give a time interval on it just mileage (110k) so that was kind of scary in its own right being a 11-12 year old rubber belt. On top of this the car developed an odd rattling sound in the area of the fuel filter/HPFP and was increasingly taking longer to start over the past few months but VW wouldn't look at it unless the CEL was lit.

Honestly it was starting to scare us - we maintained it by the book but it was just something here and there every which way we turned. It has had a lot of issues under dieselgate warranty and we didn't want to chance it when it was on our own dime.

I've been through something like that recently. I can relate.
 
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