Volkswagen is as soon as once more nipping on the heels of BMW and Mercedes-Benz with its flagship Touareg SUV.
The massive, unhealthy household hauler has been overhauled for 2024 with a brand new look, much more know-how, and a sharper value than the automotive it replaces. That’s proper, after industry-wide value hikes and have elimination, the Touareg alerts a transfer in the other way.
On paper, the brand new Touareg shapes as an actual luxurious cut price due to its trick matrix LED headlights, a leather-lined inside that includes extra huge screens than a JB Hello-Fi runout clearance, and correct V6 turbo-diesel energy on even the bottom mannequin.
It even shares core bits of its chassis with the Bentley Bentayga, which is esteemed firm at this value level. However luxurious isn’t skilled on paper. It performs out in the way in which issues really feel, and sound, and react on the street.
Does the Touareg dwell as much as its on-paper promise in the true world?
How does the Volkswagen Touareg examine?
View an in depth breakdown of the Volkswagen Touareg towards equally sized autos.
Volkswagen
Touareg
How a lot does the Volkswagen Touareg value?
The 2024 Volkswagen Touareg lineup has seen value cuts in addition to elevated specification throughout the vary.
| Mannequin | $RRP | Worth reduce |
|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Touareg 170TDI | $86,790 | $2450 |
| Volkswagen Touareg 210TDI Magnificence | $99,990 | $8250 |
| Volkswagen Touareg 210TDI R-Line | $109,990 | $7550 |
| Volkswagen Touareg R | $129,990 | N/A |
Costs exclude on-road prices
To see how the Touareg strains up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability software.
What’s the Volkswagen Touareg like on the within?
It is a huge, comfy automotive.
It’s additionally an expensive-looking one, with a flashy dual-screen setup dominating the dashboard and open-pore wooden trim that would have been lifted from an Audi.
The basics are glorious right here. The motive force and passenger sit in generously stuffed armchairs with heating, with acres of adjustment to dial within the good driving place for lengthy journeys.
Massaging and air flow are on provide increased within the vary, and additional reinforce the posh vibes.
Together with the dying of the cheap-looking base infotainment system and analogue gauges from the final 170TDI, the Innovision display screen setup has been handled to a couple selection upgrades. The graphics have been polished, whereas Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are actually wi-fi.
CarPlay now takes up the entire display screen, fairly than sitting in an ungainly little window. It seems to be nice, but it surely’s unusual that utilizing the local weather controls or seat buttons on the base of the display screen blanks out that full display screen show.
Past that, the system is snappy to reply and simple sufficient to navigate. A lot of the icons are huge and vibrant, to allow them to be noticed and prodded merely on the transfer.
Volkswagen hasn’t killed the haptic steering wheel buttons within the Touareg, which suggests you’re nonetheless caught with fingerprint-prone gloss black on the spokes – the earlier that goes, the higher.
The 12.3-inch digital driver’s show is crystal clear, and blends a variety of totally trendy choices with the choice for classic-looking gauges. It’s additionally been massaged for 2024, with new colors and graphics on provide.
With a storage bin below the dashboard (dwelling to the wi-fi cellphone charger), cupholders on the centre console, a good bin below the armrest, and spacious door pockets, there are many nooks and crannies for snacks, units, and keys on lengthy street journeys.
As you’d anticipate of a hulking household SUV, the Touareg has acres of area within the rear. There’s sufficient legroom for lanky adults to sit down behind lanky adults, and the entrance seats are set excessive to unencumber sufficient toe room for chunky winter boots.
Prime tether factors characteristic on all three rear seats, and there are ISOFIX factors on the outboard rear seats.
Headroom is nice, however the angled C-pillar does make it really feel a bit tighter again there than possibly it must.
Then once more, it places the mid-sized Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC within the shade for rear area – regardless of being priced according to them, the Touareg is a extra substantial automotive.
The boot is a broad area, full with distant releases for the rear seats and a baggage cowl that slides routinely up once you pop the boot to make loading huge objects simpler.
| Dimensions | Volkswagen Touareg |
|---|---|
| Size | 4889mm |
| Width | 1984mm |
| Peak | 1718mm – 1757mm |
| Wheelbase | 2894mm (170TDI) – 2888mm (210TDI) |
| Boot area (seats up) | 810L |
| Boot area (seats folded) | 1800L |
What’s below the bonnet?
The three.0-litre turbo-diesel engine within the Touareg 170TDI we drove hasn’t modified for 2024, nor has the extra highly effective 210TDI sitting above it within the vary.
| 170TDI | 210TDI | |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 3.0L turbo V6 | 3.0L turbo V6 |
| Gasoline | Diesel | Diesel |
| Transmission | 8-speed auto | 8-speed auto |
| Pushed wheels | AWD | AWD |
| EV battery | N/A | N/A |
| Energy | 170kW | 210kW |
| Torque | 500Nm | 600Nm |
| Claimed gasoline economic system | 7.3L/100km | 7.4L/100km |
| Noticed gasoline economic system | 6.6L/100km (freeway) | N/A |
| Gasoline tank | 90L | 90L |
| Towing (unbraked) | 750kg | 750kg |
| Towing (braked) | 3500kg | 3500kg |
| Weight | 2164kg | |
| Gross Automobile Mass | 2850kg | 2850kg |
| Gross Mixed Mass | 6350kg | 6350kg |
To see how the Touareg strains up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability software.
How does the Volkswagen Touareg drive?
Large and relaxed on the open street, even the bottom Touareg is a stunning automotive during which to eat up the miles.
We spent most of our time within the 170TDI on the freeway, however we did even have a fast go within the metropolis the place the sunshine steering and smooth-moving diesel engine make it simple to pilot.
Trip high quality on the bottom metal springs is nice, retaining pimply metropolis streets and harsh pace bumps out with out an excessive amount of bother.
Regardless of the chubby tyres that come normal on the bottom 19-inch alloy wheels, it doesn’t fairly float by way of the world like costlier fashions on their air suspension – however that’s a really excessive bar, and in the end the mix of compliance and management on provide right here is fairly rattling good.
The encompass view digicam makes it simple sufficient to position what’s a comparatively huge automotive in tight areas, and the steering is direct sufficient that you just’re not continuously twirling the wheel to squeeze into parking spots. It’s effectively geared up for the varsity run, which little doubt loads of Touareg homeowners can be doing.
Refinement is spectacular. The three.0-litre diesel V6 is whisper quiet at idle, and there hardly any vibrations or awkward noises within the cabin.
It’s {smooth} off the mark, and has loads of torque within the mid-range to surf round city for an expensive, easy feeling.
On the freeway it instantly settles right into a relaxed cruise, ticking over barely above idle in eighth gear doing 100km/h.
There’s minimal wind noise from the mirrors, and minimal street roar from the tyres which suggests you don’t want to lift your voice to speak with passengers, or flip up the radio to drown it out. That’s not at all times the case in European automobiles.
Though it’s technically the ‘base’ engine, the 170TDI has sufficient of a punch to really feel potent on the freeway. Put your foot down and the smooth-moving eight-speed computerized transmission drops a gear or two to place you within the meat of the torque band, providing a strong shove within the again.
Solely once you actually put your foot all the way down to overtake at freeway speeds is there a way you’d need the costlier 210TDI, such is the way in which it delivers its efficiency.
As for the journey? The R on its air suspension has an additional diploma of belligerent wafty-ness about it, however even this base mannequin on its metal springs is a snug cruiser. It dispatches huge bumps, and doesn’t do the awkward bouncing or bobbing factor some huge, heavy automobiles can over freeway crests and dips.
Volkswagen’s adaptive cruise management is {smooth} and sensible, sustaining a niche to the automotive in entrance with minimal fuss, and the energetic lane-centring perform included as a part of Journey Help retains you between the white strains with out making an attempt to wrench the wheel out of your fingers.
What do you get?
Touareg 170TDI consists of:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Energy tailgate with kick activation
- Energy-folding exterior mirrors with reminiscence and auto-dip
- IQ.Gentle HD matrix LED headlights
- Innovision Cockpit
- 15-inch touchscreen
- 12-inch digital instrument display screen
- Satellite tv for pc navigation
- Wi-fi Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- FM, AM, DAB+ digital radio
- Wi-fi cellphone charging + 5 x USB-C ports
- Heated, power-adjustable entrance seats
- Vienna leather-based seat trim
- 30-colour ambient lighting
- Twin-zone local weather management
- Open-pore dashboard wooden trim
- Illuminated door scuff plates
- Cargo administration system for boot
Touareg 210TDI Magnificence provides:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Varenna leather-based seat upholstery (Blue, White inside optionally available)
- Ventilated entrance seats
- Massaging entrance seats
- Auto-levelling air suspension
Touareg 210TDI R-Line brings:
- R-Line inside/exterior styling bundle
- 21-inch alloy wheels
- Puglia R-Line leather-based inside trim
- Brushed chrome steel pedals
- Stainless-steel scuff plates with R-Line emblem in entrance doorways
- Rear privateness glass
- Rear-wheel steering
- Lively anti-roll stabilisation
- Heated sports activities steering wheel
- Brushed aluminium inside trim
- Black headliner
Is the Volkswagen Touareg secure?
The pre-update Touareg had a five-star ANCAP security score primarily based on testing carried out in 2018.
It achieved scores of 89 per cent for grownup occupant safety, 88 per cent for baby occupant safety, 72 per cent for susceptible street consumer safety, and 78 per cent for security help capabilities.
Customary security tools throughout the vary consists of:
- Entrance, front-side, rear-side, entrance and rear curtain airbags
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Entrance cross-traffic help
- Blind-spot monitor
- Rear cross-traffic help
- Adaptive cruise management with energetic lane centring
- Dynamic street signal monitoring
- Encompass-view digicam
How a lot does the Volkswagen Touareg value to run?
Just like the broader Volkswagen vary, the Touareg is backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee.
| Volkswagen Touareg | |
|---|---|
| Guarantee | 5 years, limitless kilometres |
| Roadside help | 12 months, prolonged with every scheduled service |
| Service schedule | 12 months or 15,000 kilometres |
| Three 12 months service plan | $1900 |
| 5 12 months service plan | $3500 |
CarExpert’s Tackle the Volkswagen Touareg
The up to date Touareg is Volkswagen doing what it does greatest – taking it as much as the German luxurious institution, with out demanding the identical cash.
It seems to be and feels costly, and there’s actual expertise to again up the premium feeling within the base 170TDI with its V6 diesel.
Large, comfy, and refined on the open street, it’s a powerful giant household SUV. Beneath the pores and skin, components of this Volkswagen are shared with the Bentley Bentayga and Audi Q7, and that depth of engineering actually does shine by way of.
Throw within the reality it’s picked up additional tools and been handled to a value reduce for 2024, and it’s a severely compelling various to costlier mid-sized luxurious SUVs from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi.
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