Since owning my first 2017 Alltrack, I have seen a new towing capacity or general towing post weekly, sometimes almost daily, so I decided to put everything towing related in one post to make it easier to find.

No towing at all is RECOMMENDED for any Golf Variant (Sportwagen and Alltrack) in the United States (I imagine Canada might be similar since that falls under the North American Region). That is the official stance from Volkswagen. One common rumor that gets passed around is that if you tow, you will void your warranty. Your warranty won’t be voided if you tow, however, if you tow and let’s say your clutch goes bad because you decided to tow 3 tons of bricks, then it’s likely that repair will not be covered by your warranty.

Now, we all know that the same vehicles exist in the United Kingdom and Europe and over there they are rated for towing. It is important to note that since towing is common place over there, the vehicles are able to be equipped with an OEM trailer module which allows for improved stability and cooling when towing. Also, most tow with trailer brakes. Here is a breakdown of what their ratings are:

1.8T Sportwagen: 1,500 kg / 3,307 lbs braked (750 kg / 1,653 lbs un-braked)
1.4T Sportwagen: 1,500 kg / 3,307 lbs braked (670 kg / 1,477 lbs un-braked)
2.0 TDI Sportwagen: 1,600 kg / 3,527 lbs braked (710 kg / 1,565 lbs un-braked)
1.8T Alltrack: 1,500 kg / 3,307 lbs braked (750 kg / 1,653 lbs un-braked)
2.0 TDI Alltrack: 2,000 kg / 4,409 lbs braked (750 kg / 1,653 lbs un-braked)

It is important to remember that these numbers are for braked trailers and the hitches are not 1.25” hitches. Also these numbers are the same for manual and automatic (DSG) transmissions. Since most people I know that tow with their Golf Variants don’t have trailer brakes (myself included), here is a very safe rule of thumb: regardless if you use a 2” or a 1.25” hitch, do not exceed 91 kg / 200 lbs tongue weight and do not exceed 907 kg / 2,000 lbs total weight. That is the rating of Class 1 hitches (that is what is mostly available for our cars). Let’s move on to options for hitches.

Curt: 114223 Class 1, 1.25” - this part number includes the receiver and ball mount
Curt: 11422 Class 1, 1.25” - this part number is just the receiver, no ball mount
Draw-Tite: 24949 Class 1, 1.25”
EcoHitch: XV1VWGOLF02 Class 1 Hidden, 1.25” or 2”
Westfalia: 321782, 50mm ball and rated for 80 kg / 176 lb tongue and 2,000 kg / 4,409 lb towing

As for trailer wiring, there are two manufacturers with piggy-back options that I know of, and all work specifically on the NAR (North American Region) lighting behaviors of the brake and turn signals operating at the same time.

2015-2017 with halogen tail lamps: Curt C56391
2015-2017 with halogen tail lamps: Tekonsha 118730
2018+ with LED tail lamps: Curt C59236 - doesn’t appear to have plug and play adapter
2018+ with LED tail lamps: Tekonsha 118730
If you have European tail lamps or coded your NAR tail lamps to function as European, you’ll need to splice in Curt 56496 in order to have full trailer functions.
If you are interested in retrofitting an OEM trailer module to your vehicle, there is information here: http://bit.ly/mk7trailermodulediy

I really think that covers all the important aspects of towing with a Mk7 Golf Variant. I can update this post if new information arrives. Please be safe when towing, braking early and down shifting to use engine braking, and take care of your gear. To check on what your state requires when towing, visit this site for a break down: https://trailers.com/state-laws