Force-1

Towing package does not include air suspension. It does include increased cooling capacity.

J. Patterson

You will be amazed at the towing ability. I have a Mastercraft ski boat that is not quite as heavy as yours but my ramp IS steep. I had a 5.7 liter Toyota Tundra crew cab before the TDI Q7 and the Q7 handles the ramp and a steep incline where I have to back my boat into its parking place FAR better than the big Tundra did. I also have towed my Audi TT to the track on an open trailer several times, as far even as Virgina International Raceway thru the North Carolina mountains. The Q7 is awesome. The torque handles upgrades with ease, and it has lots of brakes. I got 19 mpg towing 5500 lbs on that run to Virginia. The Tundra got 13 doing the same. I recommend the factory towing package. The wiring features and the way it interfaces with the rear camera and the park assist and the lane change assist are obviously complex. The additional cooling will be important on long summer tows too.
As mentioned in another post, the braking bias (electronic) changes that compensate for backing a trailer on the boat ramp are very helpful. In prior vehicles I have always had to shift to drive and use the engine for braking as I backed down my steep ramp in order not to slide the front tires and lose steering. With the Q7, this is not necessary.
It isn't as Macho as a Suburban, but I remember passing a Ford Diesel Dually pulling an enclosed trailer on a long upgrade on I 40 east of Asheville while I had the TT in tow behind the Q7. The look he gave me as I glided by him as he struggled up that grade blowing smoke was priceless. :-)

White Shark

The air suspension is a must on the Q7!

Ctsearay

Wow I had no idea the Q was that good in the towing dept also! Ok I'm down for the mod next factory service.

747capt

Guys
I started this thread awhile back and wanted to say thanks to ALL especially BOAT towrs.
Im going in next week to start the wheeling and dealing on a 14.
Ill be getting the Air Suspension for towing, but how does it work in a non towing environment?

Thanks Bunch

Ctsearay

Well like most systems I would assume, if you don't have any "junk in the trunk" you won't know the difference. Once you have a load in it or on it it self adjusts based on the amount of load.

rarslan

Just keep in mind, you are not getting a "towing package" with the features J. Patterson summarized above with dealer installed "mod". Dealer installed version is simply a hitch.

747capt

Cant find what the GWCR total is

Car + Boat =

Ctsearay

Yeah, it's the hitch and the air suspension. The wiring is already installed as that's how it comes from the factory. So if you don't have giant tongue weight or heavy payloads in the cargo area the air suspension is a moot point. I spoke with the service Guru and he made these points, also he said look at the percentage of time you tow vs normal driving with the Q7. It's very capable of towing 6600 lbs but if you going to tow heavy weight more than 40% of the time your driving your opt to be in a different mind set. Towing is not the main purpose of the Q7's design there are other vehicles that lend to that he said.

I told him point well taken.

pchansen

I don't think Audi lists a GWCR. With the FACTORY towing package, your trailer weight limit will be 6615 lbs with a tongue load not to exceed 662 lbs. In any case, You can not exceed the GVWR which will be listed on the driver's side B-pillar. In my case, the GVWR is 7110 lbs. The curb weight is 5291 lbs. That leaves 1819 lbs for fuel, people and tongue load. So, with a max tongue load, you get 1157 lbs. Subtract a full fuel load and you're at 990 lbs for pax and misc junk. That's with a 6615 lb trailer so you can adjust from there.