By Ian Strachan
The first thing you notice about the Volkswagen Touareg is just how big it is. This first ever luxury large 4×4 from the German maker is huge.
It is also very comfortable – with bags of room, it handles well, is extremely competent off road and very well behaved on road. It also looks good, has more than enough power, and compared to some of its luxury 4×4 rivals, doesn’t cost mega-bucks.
The latest Touareg comes in at nearly £20,000 cheaper than a Range Rover. But for my money it gives it a run for its money. It doesn’t have quite the same luxurious credentials but it’s a superb motorway cruiser and it can go from tarmac to mud without the driver having to do anything other than turn a button to activate the electronic differential lock and go into off-road mode.
Even though my test vehicle wasn’t fitted with mud plugging tyres, it never put a foot wrong in some deep and sticky Derbyshire mud. With the help of a wealth of technology it maintained grip throughout and never threatened to get stuck. A lot of manufacturers have tried and failed to emulate Land Rover’s superior mud-plugging capabilities. I think Volkswagen have come close to pulling it off with the Touareg. It also has superb ground clearance and wasn’t phased by some seriously flooded roads which were rendering lesser vehicles waterlogged and useless.
Despite its size, the Touareg maintains a clear Volkswagen identity, with a deep grille and pleasing lines. Inside it’s roomy and comfortable, with plenty of creature comforts.
The design takes its cues from smaller Volkswagens but is obviously much taller. There’s plenty of capacity in the loadspace area with no wheel-arch intrusion. My only reservation here is that the loading sill is quite high.
I test drove a petrol powered Touareg with a smooth but powerful 3.6 litre V6 280 bhp engine. This unit has plenty of grunt, delivering power throughout the range without ever feeling reluctant to propel this big car. The six speed tiptronic automatic gearbox is exceptionally flexible. It’s not particularly frugal – this is a big car with a big engine – only delivering 20.8 mpg in mixed driving.
The Touareg handles better than most 4x4s. It is stable and predictable, with no suspension wallow, and flat cornering.
On road its manners are impeccable and it’s a great motorway cruiser. Steering is light but precise.
Specification is good, and includes a wealth of electronics to keep you moving and stable in difficult conditions, as well as big alloy wheels, automatic door locking, satellite navigation, six-disc CD autochanger, all-round airbags, dual-zone electronic climate control, heated seats, leather upholstery, cruise control and front fog lights. Surprisingly for a car in this price bracket you don’t get an audible parking assist or electric seat adjustment as standard.
The Touareg that I tested will cost you £55,195 on the road. But that’s still a bit less than some of its less well equipped competitors and you get the benefit of a high specification, a vehicle that won’t depreciate quickly, and a versatile and more than competent performer.
