Towing: turbodiesel vs Cayenne S

[DuncanC]

Newbie to this forum here.

I have looked through previous messages in hopes that my questions would have been addressed already but it looks like I need to post my specific questions in a new post.

I have a several questions for those who have towed a trailer with both a 2013 or newer Cayenne diesel and a 2015 or newer Cayenne S with the turbo V6 gas engine. I am located in the USA and intend to buy one of these two models soon. Please describe how their performance differs and which one you preferred. I realize both have a similar torque figure but assume that the horsepower advantage of the turbo V6 S model ought to give it an advantage when climbing long grades. Do you regard that as a significant benefit of the gasoline engine, and would it be significant enough to sway you to choose the S model over the turbodiesel if you towed a lot in the mountains? Second question includes those that have towed with either powertrain: I have an 18-foot long enclosed trailer that is 8.5 feet wide and over 8 feet tall, and therefore it creates a lot of aerodynamic drag. When fully loaded, it can weigh up to 6800 lbs (3100 Kg). If you've towed a similar trailer, what was your highway fuel economy average (either in miles per gallon or litres per 100km; please also mention your usual towing speed). Thank you in advance.

[Van B.]

Good evening, I have the VW Touareg TDI as a 2016 model. The Cayenne is the same vehicle. I recommend the diesel as torque, not HP, is what you need for towing. HP as a function of torque over RPM means you need revs to get the job done. Not great for highway miles under load.
If you really want to get a clear idea of that each engine would be like to tow with, look at each engine’s dyno graph and see what the torque curve looks like at the RPMs you’ll be at on the highway.
Both chassis’ will be capable of the same 7800lbs, but mileage will depend on how much of the throttle you need to use in order to keep things moving.