3. Not impressed. If you recall from *basic* Physics, (pull force) = (coefficient of friction) X weight. With decent low-friction bearings for the aircraft's wheels, it is not a big deal.

Another PR stunt dreamed up by clueless Marketing folks.

Touareg has huge appeal in terms of pulling power
Stuart Birch

“Please ensure that your seatbelts are fastened, your tray table is folded away and your seat is in the upright position. OK driver — take it away!” I gently squeeze the throttle and 155 tonnes of Boeing 747-200, complete with 500 seats and 11 lavatories, inches forward on its 18 tyres.
A little more throttle and then, like the jumbo it is, the huge aircraft moves majestically down the runway, its massive weight starting to give it a frightening momentum. At 7mph it’s time to pull back the power as the aircraft enters the cruise. There is just time to relax, check the instruments (20 gallons of fuel, plenty for this epic journey) and contemplate the pleasure of not having to eat an in-flight meal, before it is very gently on to the brakes to complete the big Boeing’s trip, with no hint of turbulence.

It was all made possible by the most unlikely aircraft tug, a V10 turbo-diesel Volkswagen Touareg 4x4. The Touareg’s previous claim to towing fame was a couple of Caravan Club Towcar awards but Paul Buckett, Volkswagen UK’s head of public affairs, reckoned that it could pull a little harder, hence the jumbo.

The 5-litre Touareg, loaded with more than four tonnes of steel ballast to bring its total weight up to just over seven tonnes and provide sufficient mass to prevent its wheels from spinning, even on a dry surface, was hitched by its standard towbar plus a special adapter to the nosewheel of the jumbo at Dunsfold Airfield, in Surrey.

Official maximum on-road towing weight for the Touareg is 3.5 tonnes, so the 155-tonne — with ballast but no engines — former British Airways 747 was a little outside regular limits. I completed the long haul in low ratio, second gear (there is a choice of 12) with not a groan of complaint from the Touareg. The self-levelling suspension, wheels, tyres and structure were all standard; apart from the ballast, the only modification was a lower axle ratio.

VW was canny in its choice of this particular jumbo. Retired from service last year, it is set to become the world’s best-known 747 because it was converted to represent a new airliner in the James Bond film, Casino Royale. But Daniel Craig, as Bond, did not get to tow it with a Touareg.