Volkswagen Touareg 2019 Long-Term Test #1

In real estate, we’re often told purchasing the most modest house on the best street in town is a wise, prudent investment.

Can the same argument hold water for a new car?

Well, for starters, we’d hardly call our new Volkswagen Touareg long-termer, finished in a striking ($2000) Silicon Grey hue, modest. But it does seem like a clever way of getting relative value.

Sharing the same MLB platform as the Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga, Audi Q7 and Q8, the new Touareg is the only one that will bring you change from $100,000 after on-road costs.

It doesn’t exactly skimp on equipment either; rather, it is Volkswagen’s biggest luxury play in this space so far, truly pushing the envelope in equipment, technology and safety.
The Touareg is limited to a lone Launch Edition variant for now that costs $89,990 (plus on-road costs). The entry price incorporates Savona leather seats with heating, cooling and massaging options for the front pews, wireless phone charging, four USB ports, 9.2-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless entry and start, powered tailgate, quad-zone climate control and much more.

Safety is likewise well sorted, as our original pricing story can attest: Front Assist with City AEB and Predictive Pedestrian Monitoring, Lane Assist with Adaptive Lane Guidance, Park Assist, Traffic Jam Assist, Emergency Assist, Side Assist with Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Front Cross Traffic Assist, Proactive Occupant Protection and Rear View Camera.

Our test example includes an $8000 Innovision package that is in essence the Touareg’s statement piece – a mega 15-inch curved panel that controls the car’s key buttons, eschewing nearly all traditional switchgear, and a 12.3-inch active info display (essentially the same as Audi’s Virtual Cockpit), head-up display, the choice of 30 ambient interior lighting colours and volume scroll wheel.

It also takes in the aforementioned $2000 paint job, one of four hues in the new Touareg range (Pure White, Silicone Grey, Deep Black and Reef Blue).

With all that said, the Touareg is backed by a five-year/unlimited kilometre factory warranty, which is excellent given the company it dabbles in. Spreading your costs over the first five years/75,000km at Volkswagen will set you back $3248 – though we’ll have a closer look at this with a dedicated long-term update.

Superior warranty prospects aside, everything else adds to the impression the new Touareg is ready to play luxury for real. Our new long-term fleet member has already passed the badge test in its opening foray, causing numerous double-takes and conversations at the petrol bowser. What’s it like to live with as the new luxury kid on the block?

Does it matter the Touareg is not available in seven-seat form?
Not for this little duck who, like so many others – carsales’ resident Mum Nadine Armstrong included – is rarely in need for seven-seat passage for our modest three-member clan.

Instead, it’s the spatial layout and proportions of the bustling VW that are most appreciated – best illustrated by its roomy first and second row, ample headroom and accommodating 810-litre boot, underslung by a space-saver spare tyre.

Loading and unloading into the wide aperture boot opening immediately strikes a chord – a trait facilitated by the ability to raise or lower the car via air suspension.

Elsewhere, the front chairs are supportive and comfortable on longer journeys – though, granted, we’ll save full judgement for our dedicated ‘road trip’ update in our long-term series – and the cabin materials are soft-to-touch yet premised around durability.

Incidental storage is another obvious but nonetheless redeeming feature – with central cupholders worthy of a coffee keep-cup or servo-spec slurpee (it’s surprising how many vehicles aren’t) and cavernous door pockets with space for bottles and iPads.

It’s a similar story with the Touareg’s integrated rear sunshades and 82 per cent window tints – a real plus for families whose little ones enjoy a kip on the road…

The huge screen might appear slightly imposing at first – and indeed it does require adjustment especially when interacting with it on the go – but after a couple of weeks in the chair, we’ve adjusted to its quirks, including the two-stage approach to adjusting the climate settings and the layout of the various menus. Matched with the brilliant digital cockpit, the screen becomes easier to navigate and fairly intuitive.

On the other side of the ledger, the metallic wheel that controls the infotainment volume is a masterstroke; an easy, effortless way to crank or wind down the volume in a hurry.

More than anything though, the sense of occasion on offer here is a real strong point. Even after a few weeks at the wheel, the big screen, ambient lighting and tech offerings imbue the cabin with that special feeling – as a $100k right should.

Despite the Touareg’s surfeit of equipment, we have been able to find a couple of misnomers… Strangely, there’s no digital radio function available and there’s no overhead 360-degree camera, the latter a valuable helper when negotiating car parks and tighter spaces.

Volkswagen Australia has confirmed the overhead camera will become available once the expanded Touareg range lands in Australia around November.

Our initial few weeks at the wheel of the Touareg tell us this is new territory for Volkswagen.

The Touareg moves the German car-maker into genuinely prestige territory, not only matching the established triumvirate on dynamics, fitment and polish, but in some areas eclipsing them.

Firstly, the ride and handling tune is first-rate for Australian roads, with air suspension bringing an uncanny ability to take the edge of bumps and provide smooth, uninterrupted passage on rough b-roads. Highway conveyance is likewise smooth and comfortable, a redeeming quality given the Touareg’s frugal diesel is capable of covering Sydney to Brisbane on a single tank.

Upon taking delivery of EBN-70T, it’s the whisper quiet ride, hushed wind acoustics and lack of vibrations, squeaks and rattles that reinforces the luxury brief.

The one caveat here is a diesel engine that imparts a brutish but noticeable soundtrack as it steps off the line, quickly fading to background noise as the matching eight-speed automatic segues through the ratios.

With 190kW and 600Nm, the diesel brings equal parts performance and efficiency, even though greener, Euro6-complaint variants of the Touareg are yet to come.

Officially, nought to 100km/h takes 6.5 seconds, but in earnest, we’re yet to try full throttle blasts – such is the accessibility to low-range torque, which peaks at 2250rpm. Instead, the oiler makes effortless progress in building speeds, climbing out of ascents and through intersection, its quick-witted ZF automatic a key facilitator in keeping the engine at its sweet spot.

Only weeks into our loan, the engine-gearbox pairing proves remarkably efficient too. Highway runs net anywhere from 5.0 to 6.0L/100km, while a mix of conditions usually yields a figure under 8.0L/100km – not far at all from the official 7.4L/100km claim. In one instance, driving purely on dense inner city roads, the big VW returned 9.3L/100km, which is excellent in our books.

At the same time, there’s a sporty premise to the controls, one that imbues excellent feel and feedback yet isolates occupants over rougher terrain with an inherent surefootedness. This is an all-paw SUV that hides its 2100kg mass incredibly well, settling into faster corners and shaking off imperfections superbly.

Already, we can tell you that night driving is well facilitated with the Touareg’s IQ light matrix LED cluster headlights, comprising 128 individual LEDs on either side to highlight the road but isolate oncoming motorists and road signs so as not to dazzle road users. Very clever.

In the coming weeks, keep an eye out for regular reports on the Touareg’s family and long-journey amenities and efficiency, a close-up on it infotainment, safety and technology, a good old-fashioned road trip, and a closer inspection on servicing costs, resale values and aftersales care.

In the opening stanza, the EBN-70T has delivered everything as promised, and in some respects more.

How much does the 2019 Volkswagen Touareg Launch Edition TDI190 cost?
Price: $89,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 190kW/600Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.4L/100km (ADR Combined), 8.0L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 194g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2019)