Fit of Carpod # M2200-01-02 Cargo Carrier on 2009 VW Tiguan

Question:

Do you know if I would be able to open and close the rear door of a 2009 VW Tiguan with the carpod open and filled with cargo? Can I use a hitch extender if not and would that affect the performance of the Carpod?

asked by: Ben M

Expert Reply:

When installed in the hitch on your Tiguan, the closest edge of the carrier will be 4 inches rearward of the hitch pin hole, very close to the bumper. So close that it might not fit your vehicle. You'll need to measure the distance between the hitch pin hole in your receiver tube and the furthest rearward point of your back bumper. If this distance is greater than the length of the carrier's shank, the rack wont fit on your Tiguan. Even if it did fit, you won't be able to open the rear hatch.

Using a hitch extender would provide some more room between the carrier and the rear bumper, but using a hitch extender would apply more leverage to the hitch, and because of that, if an extender is used the tongue weight capacity of the hitch (maximum amount of weight that can be safely suspended from the hitch) would be reduced by half. If your hitch tongue weight is 350 lbs currently, using the extender would reduce that by half to 175 lbs.

I'd recommend going with a carrier that has a longer shank like the # C18151. You could use a cargo bag like part # 988501 that offers 20 cubic feet of cargo space. The closest edge of the cargo platform would be 9 inches rearward of the receiver hitch pin hole which is lots of clearance, but whether or not your hatch would clear would depend on how tall the load on the carrier is.

expert reply by: Mike L