Volkswagen Touareg 190TDI 2019 Review

It has been a busy few months for the new Volkswagen Touareg in Australia.

Touching down in a solitary, highly equipped Launch Edition grade in June, the big German SUV has since outshone the latest BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE in a comparison, and went very close to clinching our 2019 carsales Car of the Year award earlier this month.

Now, the large five-seat luxury SUV offers another consideration for purchase – that of ‘affordability’. With nearly 1000 Launch Edition variants all but spoken for in Australia, Volkswagen has introduced two new permanent editions to its Touareg line-up.

The new Volkswagen Touareg 190TDI, priced at $79,490 (plus on-road costs), lowers the entry price of the Touareg by more than $10,000, while the 190TDI Premium adds lashings of luxury for $85,490 plus ORCs.

Both use an identical 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 producing 190kW and 600Nm – the same as that fitted to the Launch Edition -- driving all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Check our pricing story for the full rundown, but in essence the entry Touareg 190TDI incorporates as standard: 19-inch alloy wheels with spare, keyless entry and start, LED headlights, daytime running lights and tail-lights, dual-zone climate control, auto-dimming mirrors and rain-sensing wipers.

Inside resides a 9.2-inch touch-screen and analogue driver’s instrument cluster separated by a digital screen, four USB ports and an electric rear tailgate. Vienna leather upholstery replaces the Launch Edition’s Savona-trimmed seats and the massage function is gone, though the front pews remain heated and electrically controlled.

So, what does your $10,000 discount mean in terms of exclusions? For one, the 190TDI misses out on the Launch Edition’s air suspension, 20-inch alloy wheels, four-zone climate control and LED Matrix headlights with dynamic indicators.

The optional packages are quite extensive on the 190TDI – to the point where the original Launch Edition’s standard value equation looks quite favourable.

There are three individual optional packs, each priced at $8000 – the Innovision Package, R-Line Package and Sound and Comfort Package. Again, check our pricing story for more details but you would need to bundle at least two of these packages to make your 190TDI start looking like a Launch Edition model – and therein lies the role of the new 190TDI Premium, which offers more standard spec for a minor bump in price.

One area in which Volkswagen does diverge from the German triumvirate is warranty – the Touareg is backed by more generous five-year/unlimited kilometre provisions.

Servicing costs are also favourable. According to Volkswagen’s estimates, spreading servicing costs over the first five years/75,000km amounts to $3248 across 12-month/15,000km intervals.

The 190TDI features a 3.5-tonne towing braked towing capacity, along with a space-saver spare tyre.

Anyone who has spent time in a ‘taxi-spec’ Mercedes-Benz, Audi or BMW will appreciate the cosmetic value of an optional accessory. Seemingly superficial touches like bigger screens, premium materials or fancier interior highlights can make a huge difference in presentation and overall cabin ambience.

A similar theme manifests in the entry level Volkswagen Touareg 190TDI – but VW’s insistence of ‘affordable luxury’ still stands.

The cabin feels suitably matched to the $80,000 price tag, with quality materials, neat shut lines and – if you so wished – the availability of the Touareg’s optional show-stopping 15-inch centre screen (below), active info display, head-up display and ambient lighting.

However, there’s simply less wow-factor than that of the $90,000 Launch Edition. There are no tinted windows, no four-zone climate control and comparatively bland plastic inlays adorn real estate on the centre fascia and console in place of gloss-black treatment.

In any case, the foundations are the same, which means excellent passenger space in the first and second rows, and a sizeable 810-litre boot accessed via split/folding seats and underslung by a temporary spare tyre.

The Volkswagen Touareg is likewise accommodating for little ones, offering an excellent outward view, easily-accessed ISOFIX anchorage points on the outer pews, a pop-down armrest, two USB points and integrated rear sun shades – all notable inclusions.

The rear seat misses out on separate climate controls but is still heated and cooled via face-level air-vents.

Storage space is well considered, with bottle-friendly door pockets front and rear, centre cup holders front and rear and a strong array of incidental open cubbies hidey holes.

The 810-litre boot is accessed via an electric tailgate with kick function, and features a large aperture and enough length to accommodate a full-size pram plus a couple of suitcases. A rear sun blind keeps valuables away from prying eyes.

Further up front, the 9.2-inch centre screen and matching semi-digital instrument cluster are neat, legible and easy to navigate. Neither impart the same luxury vibe as the 15-inch screen, digital dashboard and head-up display included in the $8000 Innovision package – though that would ultimately change with the tick of a box in the catalogue.

Pleasingly, the Volkswagen Touareg 190TDI retains the same rock-solid dynamics and driving finesse as the Launch Edition.

First, the engine. Few drivetrain options in this segment offer the same breath of capability as the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6, which is armed with hybrid-matching levels of efficiency along with a brisk turn of speed when required.

Making use of the efficiency setting within the Touareg’s drive mode selector, it is not outside the realms of possibility to achieve fuel consumption in the sixes (L/100km) on the highway, courtesy of a coasting function and a constant push for efficiency from the eight-speed automatic.

Moreover, the engine builds speed effortlessly, with stump-pulling torque peaking from a lowly 2250rpm. And it’s matched with a smooth-shifting auto offering timely shifts and an innate ability to keep the engine at its most ideal rpm. The soundtrack is muscular for a diesel, if a little gruff at low speed.

Turning up the wick, the Volkswagen Touareg 190TDI is a surprisingly spritely machine – despite its two-tonne heft. Officially, nought to 100km/h takes 6.5 seconds, but more relevant is the engine’s availability of grunt out of tight corners and a surging mid-range, which makes overtaking a cinch.

In fact, the only real unknown for the 190TDI was how it would fare without air suspension and on standard steel springs instead. The news is good on this front, too; the steel suspension deflects bumps in the road without any jarring or crashing.

There’s not quite the same level of polish as the air suspension, but it’s not far off either, dispatching small amplitude imperfections with minimal fuss and breezing through mid-corner bumps without upsetting the car’s overall balance.

Elsewhere, the Volkswagen Touareg 190TDI is endowed with excellent steering feel, admirable levels of body control and ever-ready composure on loose surfaces and in headier driving. Call it the Euro factor.

Notwithstanding its slightly risk-averse stability control suite, few SUVs of this size manage to control their heft so adeptly on the open road.

The shrink-wrap factor also presents itself in day-to-day situations. Despite considerable 4.87-metre long and 1.98-metre wide proportions, the big VW is surprisingly easy to come to terms with in car park and in testing spatial awareness scenarios – with clear front and rear vistas and decent side mirrors helping offset its sheer size.

An overhead 360-degree camera would add even more value to Volkswagen’s most affordable full-size SUV. Then again, it already undercuts its nearest European rival by almost $20,000.

How much does the 2019 Volkswagen Touareg 190TDI cost?
Price: $79,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel
Output: 190kW/600Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 194g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2018)