THE VW Touareg has been going for 16 years now - so that’s exactly 16 years that you haven’t really paid it any attention. And who could blame you? It wasn’t a good-looking car. Even after its 2010 and 2015 facelifts it looked pretty dull. This just wasn’t a car to write home about. Your neighbour up the road had one. Pleasant chap, think he was into golf. So far, so ho-hum. Until now. The dashing new 2019 model has expunged its ancestor’s record. The new Touareg is a seriously beautiful car. First glance tells you that. It’s got the bang-up-to-date sharp line styling that the whole Volkswagen family has fallen in love with. It’s bigger than ever - longer and wider - and you can pack in 1,800 litres of family debris with the back seats down. The other numbers are equally impressive. The R-Line model I tested has a chunky 3-litre V6 turbo diesel engine which can box off 0-62mph a in touch over six seconds. That’s rather impressive for a big bird.
Fuel efficiency is solid, too. I got two hours into Normandy, France, and back from my North London home for just over a tank. VW say it will give you 42 mpg. I’d say that was fair. Inside is no less special. It’s a spacious cab with a giant almost Tesla-sized main display. At the top end the tech is all there - heads-up display, massage seats, adaptive cruise control, parking assist. It has some tidy new things, too, such as night vision and a 3D satnav system. There are some niggles - it needs more USB chargers for all the family phones and iPads and then there’s the switch for the lights. It’s positioned down under the steering wheel, so it’s not easy to get to or work out if your lights are actually on. It’s not cheap either with the R-Line Tech - the one you really want - costing £58,000 and the entry version is just shy of £50,000. But one thing you are guaranteed if you do splash out.
The improvements include even more agile steering and added comfort. The basic layout is formed as before by two double wishbones, at the front with top suspension arms made of aluminium and lower arms made of steel. At the back the double wishbone suspension has forged upper aluminium arms and lower triangular steel arms. The optional air suspension's system includes self-levelling and ride height adjustment, plus electronic damper control. On tarmac roads the air suspension guarantees an extremely high level of comfort and - thanks to speed-dependent reduction of the ride height - optimised handling characteristics. As an alternative to the automatic 'Normal' mode the driver is able to select a 'Comfort' or 'Sport' mode. If 'Comfort' is chosen, the Skyhook system fundamentally strives for the best possible compensation for surface bumps, while in 'Sport' mode with the ride height lowered by 25 millimetres the result is increased agility. On rough terrain the air suspension further improves off-road qualities by means of variable ride height while maintaining comfort at a likewise extraordinarily high level. In order to calibrate the driving characteristics of the Touareg further in the direction of 'dynamic handling', there are two optional possibilities. Firstly, a sports running gear with more firmly damping steel springs. Secondly, a uniquely designed version of the air suspension: the 'Driving Dynamics Package' with adaptive body roll compensation. If the customer opts for this package, the Touareg is shipped with air suspension geared to sportier driving and the vehicle body lowered by 25 millimetres. The increased dynamism is achieved by strengthened anti-roll bars, shock absorbers regulated based on movement of the steering wheel and modified control software.
58,490).The 3.2-liter V6 is now rated 240 horsepower, up 20 horsepower from last year, and comes with a six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic. 2,440) and comes with 12-way power adjustable seats and other appointments.The V8 Touareg adds full leather 12-way power adjustable seating; 18-inch alloy wheels; flush-folding, auto-dimming outside mirrors with memory; and other luxuries. Dual chrome-tipped exhausts and chrome trim on the door sills add to the V8's uptown appearance.The V10 TDI comes with appropriately larger brakes and Servotronic steering. Four-wheel air suspension, HID headlamps and a multi-color driver information display, optional on other Touaregs, are standard on the V10. Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and emergency Brake Assist are standard. Also standard: a set of low-range gears, a locking center differential, and automatic hill-decent control. 550) is available for all models.Passive safety features include front airbags, side-impact airbags, and curtain airbags, the latter for head protection in a side impact or rollover, all standard.
