Does Anyone Tow a Camper with a Q5?
 

I just bought an SQ5 and will be towing a camper trailer that is 4000 lbs. Does anybody have any experience/problems with towing at near the weight limit? Curiously the manual says towing may effect the "durability" of the car. That comment has me a bit concerned.

Is that dry weight or with everything loaded? Towing will affect the durability of any car, not just the Audi. It puts additional stress on the engine, drivetrain and especially the brakes.

I would not recommend towing at the limit. There is a member on the board who fried her transmission on a 2.0 who was towing in the mountains. Her trailer weighed 1900 lbs according to her. She traded her car in for a SQ5. Maybe she we get on and chime in. There is no doubt the car has the power to tow it(it has more power than some half tons) but I don't think the rest of the powertrain is up for it. Will you be towing in the mountains? The additional frontal area of a travel trailer causes the engine to work hard long after the load is up to speed.

You also need to add the stress on the body. As this is not a body on frame truck, the whole car structure gets stressed by pulling a trailer.

I had a pop-up trailer tent that I towed with my Q5. The total weight was about 2200lbs. I didn't want to go too close to the limit. I had no issues.

Dry weight is about 3,500. I'm looking at the Airstream Sport 22 or 16.

Spot on...

Take thumb rule 3/4 of limit and then start looking bigger tow vehicle.

Agred w/ others--any towing adds wear; close to limits; travel trailers especially
 

All towing adds wear, to any vehicle. There is no free lunch. To what degree, that depends on how much/how often, how big, how hard, etc.

As others have said, close to limit I would be careful, and more so if hot temps and/or mountain climbs are involved; as compared to comfortable/coast type weather and generally flats. SQ's and others with higher motor torque will likely have a step up on the tranny rating, related coolers, etc., but that would need to be checked further.

Last, as also flagged, be careful with a big full sized trailer as compared to either a pop up or a boat. A boat is naturally wedge shaped in front so that helps. A pop is like a 3x7ish sheet of plywood face on into the wind (some behind the Q5's slip stream). Then a house trailer can be like 1 1/2 to two full sheets of plywood head on into the wind. Thats a load of drag!--and thus a lot of stress and strain on drivetrain and hitch area. I recall one of the companies (Acura or Honda?) used to give a slightly higher spec. for boats than for other types of trailers.