Volkswagen Touareg 3.6 V6 FSI 2007 Review

Road Test

If the shape of Volkswagen's beefy SUV seems familiar, you might have seen it wearing Porsche badges -- the Touareg shares its basic structure with the Cayenne uber-SUV although nose and tail treatments and sundry details differ. Thus if you can get by with a less upmarket badge, quite a bit less mumbo and reduced bragging-rights, you can drive a Cayenne silhouette for a fraction of the money. Not that you'll be making many compromises -- the as tested Touareg cames stacked to the gills with features and also offered remarkable performance.

Now available with either a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel or 3.6-litre V6 petrol power at the same money (or a stonking five-litre V10 turbodiesel for a bundle more), the Touareg added luxury 4x4 capability to the VW passenger range when it was first introduced here in 2003 (more here). Upgraded in specification and drivetrain last year (more here), it will receive a nip and tuck facelift later in 2007. We tested this pre-facelifted model and came away impressed, nonetheless.

Touareg is a big vehicle far removed from its Golf-based stablemates and empowered (if not intended) to go to some of the planet's more remote places. It boasts a suite of traction and safety electronics in a bodyshell which would probably swallow a Beetle -- with a Polo under the bonnet for good measure.

As can been seen from the 'as tested' options list above, it's pretty easy to add the cost of a brand-new small car to the already well-equipped German SUV, just in extras. And while cow-skin seats and the rest are nice to have, they're not must-have items -- with the exception of that spare wheel carrier (VW Australia's answer to local contempt for vehicles which offer only a space-saver spare)

In practice, the ponderous-looking add-on is a compromise -- it adds significantly to the length of the vehicle, needs to be manually swung out of the way to open the tailgate and is heavy. On an adverse slope, even well-muscled men will find it an effort to move. At least VW made the effort to supply a full-sized spare-- albeit at almost $2000 extra and with an irritatingly different colour.

That aside, the Touareg is a very complete package -- there's a harmony of performance, safety, features, comfort and driver appeal. Aspects such as the 3500kg towing capacity make this much more than a steroid-snorting suburbanite -- it's engineered to perform in the real world too.

An adaptive three-way switchable six-speed auto transmission not only gives high, low and locked ratios, but it analyses the way the vehicle is being driven and adjusts shifts accordingly -- slow, smooth and languid for Sunday afternoon cruising, urgent; decisive and higher-revving for drivers in a hurry.

The transmission is pretty much invisible -- an indication of just how good it is. That said, the throttle response at less than walking speed is clumsy. It's not easy to trickle the big VW, which becomes a lumbering beast at just the times when you'd want a bit more finesse.

The 'cleverness' of the vehicle is evidenced in details like the left-side mirror dipping to show the kerb when reverse gear is engaged, the parking proximity sensors and the automatic lights and wipers which spring into action when the car decides they're appropriate. A great sound system, seven-inch sat-nav screen and a trip computer with more functions than a Swiss army knife look after entertainment, trip destination and information.

Small touches impress, like the fact that the lighting level for all the controls, right across the dash and including buttons on the steering wheel, is adjusted by the rheostat to precisely the same extent.

The driver need only spin the key to start and let go -- the engine will crank till it fires. Not that it takes long for the 3.6-litre V6 to spring to life ready to deliver its maximums of 206kW and 360Nm.

The steering column adjusts for rake and reach electrically and both front seats are 12-way adjustable -- including lumbar support. Yet other, admittedly minor, details grate -- over-eager indicators insist on a minimum of three flashes, even if the driver changes his mind, and the centre-console's lid is surprisingly plasticky. And it rattled on our tester.

But the Touareg isn't only about details -- it's about being able to get to virtually anywhere on the planet that's under less than 500mm of water (VW's quoted maximum wading depth). Touareg has better than 28 degrees approach and departure angles, 22 degrees break-over and 237mm ground clearance. It will tackle a 45-degree incline and a 35-degree lateral slope -- all good measures for a rugged 4x4 and exceptional for a so-called Toorak tractor.

Coupled with a top-speed capability of 215km/h and a 0-100 km/h time of 8.7sec, it's clear that VW's off-roader has significant on-road performance too. A 100-litre fuel tank and our average of 15.4lt/100km gives a theoretical range of about 650km.

For all its size (4754mm long, 1925mm wide and 1726mm high -- for the record a Territory's vitals are 4856mm, 1898mm, and 1714mm respectively… more here) the Touareg weighs a laudable 2250kg.

Active safety driver aids include ABS brakes (with Brake Assist and Electronic Brake force distribution), coupled to a Stability Program that incorporates a multi-faceted traction control system, hill hold and hill descent controls. Passive safety features include front, side and curtain airbags on both sides. It'll take the sales person hours to list all the standard features -- if they can remember them.

Driven like a regular car, the Touareg gathers up its skirts and lunges off the line in a very purposeful fashion, offers minimal bodyroll, surprisingly accurate steering -- and almost zero tyre noise from its 255/60 R17 tyres.

It also seems to shed much of its bulk on good asphalt surfaces -- turn-in is accurate and it's possible to trail-brake into turns, although trying too hard will eventually see the various grip, stability and traction controls lighting up, limiting power and pinching brakes as appropriate to keep the car going where it's pointed. On-road manners are exemplary for such a big vehicle.

On dirt roads, the electronic driver aids can get in the way of the driving experience -- working with German clinical efficiency and at computer-speed, the arsenal of traction and grip-enhancing systems will make tricky conditions mundane -- or put another way, make an average driver look like a talented one.

There was nothing in our standard test arena that would cause the Touareg any difficulty and heading off the tracks and among the trees seldom caused much stress -- other than the need to keep that shiny paint off the eucalypts.

Perhaps the only minor observation was that the standard aluminium double wishbone suspension didn't offer quite as much wheel articulation as we expected (see photos) but as long as two of the wheels had hold of a firm bit of terra firma the VW would inch its way over, through, across, into and out of anything we could throw at it.

In all, the petrol V6 Touareg is an impressive piece of kit. And guess what? The 3.0-litre turbodiesel Touareg is even better.

To comment on this story click