With new Touareg, VW one-ups the past

It is never easy being the poor relation, especially when it seems you’re always being kicked in the teeth by superior and unbeatable forces. When you’re always regarded as second-class or completely downtrodden in some way or another, it is difficult to emerge from the stigma and establish yourself as a genuine and worthwhile being in your own right.

Sat, 29 Aug, 2015 - 01:00

Declan Colley

So it was with the Volkswagen Touareg — a big SUV with credible credentials but overshadowed and overwhelmed by its close relatives, the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q7. It might be the case that both Audi and Porsche are owned by Volkswagen, but that does not mean any of these company’s products actually stack up against each other.

On the one hand all Porsche models are gilded with automotive gold leaf and thus have a cachet all of their own, while Audi don’t do too badly on the desirability front either; on the other, all Volkswagen models are, by comparison, of the sackcloth and ashes variety.

This fact is not determined by the relative quality of those machines made in Zuffenhausen, Ingolstadt, or Wolfsburg, but by the rampant consumerism which is part and parcel of modern life.

Thus the perceived difference between these three cars which share many components and characteristics is in the value we place on the merit of one badge over another. The almost heraldic Porsche emblem and Audi’s four intertwined rings will always hold sway over the utilitarian VW badge. But then, whoever said life was fair?

Originally seen in 2002, the Touareg is built in VW’s Bratislava plant alongside the Cayenne and the Q7. It was intended to be an SUV with sportscar-like qualities, particularly in the handling department; these cars were designed and built, after all, in reaction to the hugely successful BMW X5 which rewrote the rulebook for such vehicles.

While Irish sales of the VW were solid enough down the years, they never really matched those of the Q7, X5, and other contenders in this market such as the Land Rover Discovery.

The Porsche, by dint of its cost, only ever sold in tiny numbers here, but was massive across continental Europe and the States. Sure, the Touareg had its fans, but there were never large numbers of them here in Ireland.

But now as we dwell on the facelifted second generation of the car, it appears Volkswagen has rowed in behind it in a much more determined fashion. They’ve added ten grand worth of kit to the standard version, while also lopping nearly €6,500 off the list price. With a list price just shy of the €70,000 mark, VW’s price readjustment will hardly see salesmen being trampled in the rush to buy one, but it certainly gives those with such disposable gelt reasonable pause for thought. And so it should too because this is a really good car which is discernibly better than its predecessor.

While still identifiable as a Touareg, the new car features many of the across-the-board styling cues from the VW range and is now an altogether sleeker-looking beast than before and is also a much stronger driving package — quieter and more refined while retaining the nimbleness that was always a characteristic. Worth noting too is the excellent steering which is so pin-sharp you’d think you were driving something way smaller.

There is a big thumbs-up too for the 3-litre V6 turbodiesel engine, smooth and with plenty of grunt. Outputting some 204 bhp and a very healthy 450 Nm of torque from just 1,250 rpm, this unit has a decent balance of valuable character traits, not least of which are the top speed of 206km/h and the impressive 0-100km/h time of just 8.7 seconds.

Power is transmitted to the road via an eight-speed gearbox and a full-time 4WD system (2WD is not an option here) and the manner in which these elements have been tuned means that the Touareg is equally at home on long highway journeys as well as the meat and drink stuff on country roads.

It also has true off-road ability, not something every contender in this class can boast, and the excellent rotary dial allowing you to choose various on- and off-road settings could not be simpler.

Although it is quite a big and bulky car, VW has shaved quite a deal of weight off the Touareg. This shows in its 6.6 l/100 km (42.8) consumption level which is not bad for a V6 unit being asked to lug such an amount of metal around. Unfortunately the annual tax bill of €750 (Band E) might seem hefty to some.

One practical area which might affect sales is the fact that despite having a load space of up to 1,642 litres, VW has stuck resolutely to the five-seat format, and the addition of another two — a feature of many competitors — is not even an option. This will put plenty of family buyers off and it is something of a surprise that VW does not consider it worthwhile.

The upside is a raft of kit as standard, from the 20” alloys to the bi-xenon lights, leather upholstery, electric heated seats, dual zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, and an excellent infotainment system.

The improvements across the board are obvious and add greatly to the car’s capabilities and its capacity to deliver excellent comfort levels and nearly unrivalled space for driver and passenger.

Some might not like the fact the Touareg is considerably more understated than many of its growing number of rivals — the recent introductions of the Mercedes GLE and the new Volvo XC90 have spiced up the competition no end — but in my view that is an aspect of the car which will actually add to its appeal rather than detract from it.

The VW Touareg is better in almost every regard than its predecessor and has talent to burn, whatever you want it to do. If you’re in the market for a big SUV, you’d be unwise to overlook it.