Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI 2007 Review

Road Test

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 4.0/5.0
Safety: 4.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 4.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.0/5.0

The Touareg should have always been one of the stars of the VW range. Good enough in base vehicle to extract six-figure sums from Porsche buyers, the lack of a third row of seats and some early quality niggles, saw the car languish near the bottom of the local sales ladder, outsold by nearly every other product in the luxury SUV market.

Thus although a facelifted version is due soon, late last year, Volkswagen decided to give the model a mechanical overhaul to relaunch it into the Australian market. The major change was the engine lineup with the sole petrol powerplant a 206kW/360Nm 3.6-litre direct-injection V6 (more here) and a new 3.0-litre V6 TDI unit joining the stonking V10.

Priced from the same level as the petrol V6, the new diesel is undoubtedly the star in the range and after spending a week in the car, we would suggest that it is also one of the leading contenders in the luxury SUV market.

With maximum power of 165kW at 4000rpm and massive peak torque of 500Nm from just 1750rpm, its paper specs seem more than up to the task of hauling this 2.3-tonne-plus four wheel drive without too much fuss, but probably the thing that impresses most is the car-like refinement and quietness of the engine.

Sitting inside the cabin, there is barely a murmur from the turbodiesel at idle. Indeed, you could easily confuse the powerplant with its petrol sibling -- it takes a blip of the throttle to confirm you are in fact in the TDI.

The thrust off the line is very smooth and strong, with just the slightest hesitation although whether this is due to turbo lag or simply the mass of the vehicle is difficult to ascertain.

However, once the engine is spinning over 2000rpm, there is some serious grunt that with firm pressure on the accelerator pedal will force you back into the comfy and supportive leather trimmed driver's seat.

It also delivered pretty good fuel figures with a single 160km country run returning 10.4lt/100km and after nearly 500km over the week of mixed conditions, the fuel consumption still only rose to an average of 11.8lt/100km.

Mated to a slick six-speed automatic transmission, there is little evidence of shifting ratios either (apart from the rise of the tacho) as your speed rapidly increases.

Out on the freeway, the diesel Touareg is a consummate tourer with a ride quality that remains comfortable, firm and solid and little in the way of engine, road or wind noise penetrating the quiet calm of the well-finished cabin.

Head off the smooth freeway and at higher speeds over undulating roads, the combination of the car's weight and firm sprung suspension means it can get a little bouncy but there is still enough suppleness in the spring and damper settings to ensure that it is not upset by short sharp ruts.

The trade-off for the firm suspension is in the car's handling and pushing along a winding country road, although again you do feel the weight of the vehicle, it sits fairly flat and remains well composed and predictable through faster corners.

It also offers an abundance of grip -- part chassis and partly as a result of its 4motion all-wheel-drive system that, unlike many others in the class that are either largely front or rear drive until four wheel traction is required, is constantly split 50/50 front/rear under normal conditions.

The only bugbear in the handling equation is the steering that is too light and lifeless although the car does have a surprisingly tight turning circle for a vehicle of its size.

Apart from the new drivetrain, the Touareg retains the rest of the range's superbly finished and spacious interior and decent list of standard kit.

With turbodiesels rapidly becoming the favoured powerplant in the luxury SUV market, Volkswagen has a winner with its 3.0-litre TDI V6. That it deserves to sell in greater numbers than it does is an opinion we share with its maker.

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