The level of grip is phenomenal with tightness into and out of corner that defies belief. Body control isn't just taut, it's damn bloody tied down! Solid. Rock steady. Enabling a tracking of corners that will awe most of us, if not all those with a keen sporty driving instinct. The steering though a bit artificial (with DCC et al) in feedback and feel, is quick, weighs just about-okay and sharply accurate. Well, the steering wheel itself with red stitching, aluminium bits, micro-pocked leather sections and flat-bottom passes off like an expensive Sport option from the boys at AMG, M-division or Dr Ing HcF Porsche. The brakes though snatchy and quite hard to modulate initially - like the Audi A4 TFSI (B7) - are very clinical in scrubbing off speed, hence reassuring for late braking into corners. While those lovely bucket seats will keep you snugly planted whatever your lateral, accelerating and decelerating antics are. For the record, Vmax of the Mk6 GTI is an indicative 248km/h, tried and tested on a private stretch of road, and this is stock standard performance. Average fuel consumption that ranges from 8.2l/100km for cool, sedate, long-distance driving to a high of 13.5l/100km for those speed demon blasts! For that, it takes a very well engineered car to stay calm & composed, plus that fuel efficient. With that, I guess I'd still not have to buy anyone their preferred meal off a restaurant's evening menu.
There is an AdBlue diesel exhaust fluid reservoir that lives under the spare tire that does need to be topped up periodically. In terms of driving dynamics, the Touareg TDI doesn’t surprise, considering its size and heft. The steering remains hydraulically-assisted, but don’t expect sports car levels of feedback here. It is accurate and does the job well. The sport suspension from the R-Line doesn’t actually change very much - comfort at low and high speeds remains excellent at all times. The impressive-looking multi-piston brakes also do the job, but brake feel isn’t great - one would almost describe it as being a little numb. The Volkswagen CC we recently tested felt the same way; it might just be a Volkswagen family thing. The TDI engine exhibits only a little bit of turbo lag before full boost comes on - first gear is short enough to mostly mitigate this. I never got a chance to take the Touareg off-road, but aggressive approach and departure angles (Jeep lingo here) and short-ish overhangs make for good credentials should you need them. I was fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to put the Touareg through its paces by helping some friends move across the city.
They are a young married couple - both teachers - and had a lot of random gadgets that needed to be moved. I folded the rear seats down and loaded up box after box. One small issue of note: while the cargo area is usefully shaped, the load floor is not completely flat with the rear seats folded down. There is a small step you need to get over when pushing boxes forward. Other than that, the Touareg swallowed up an impressive amount of stuff that young couples like to accumulate. Thanks to the premium market positioning of the Q7 and Cayenne, it’s safe to assume the Touareg’s pricing wouldn’t be far off. My TDI Highline tester came very well equipped, with the aforementioned satellite navigation, full-leather seating surfaces, heated steering wheel, bi-xenon HID headlamps, 20” wheels, comfort access, the list goes on. It has pretty much everything one would expect for the price. My particular car also had the R-Line package, which adds many sporty cosmetic touches, such as brushed aluminum interior trim, tailgate spoiler, paddle shifters for the transmission, sport suspension, and the all-important R-Line badge on the front fenders.
It’s a pretty decent value in itself considering the standard and available equipment, and also considering how the Touareg’s cousins ask for considerably more once you start checking some option boxes. A base Audi Q7 TDI, for comparison is right around the same price, but is about as well equipped as a loaded-up Touareg. You do get the third row of seating standard if that’s what you’re looking for, and then there’s the badge in the front grille. 100,000 mark if you get excited with the options. The BMW X5 xDrive35d sits somewhere in between the Q7 and Cayenne, again, depending on the options selected. The dark horse in the room is the excellent Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel, new for this year. It matches the Touareg TDI in a lot of respects and is worth a look. I’ve never been a big SUV kind of guy. I gravitate to smaller vehicles for their superior driving dynamics and overall efficiency. I think a good wagon can provide almost all of the cargo capacity while being much better to drive for the times you’re not moving houses. However, I can give credit where it’s due - the VW Touareg is an excellent SUV, and the TDI powertrain is the logical choice and makes everything better. The answer to my earlier question on whether the Touareg is just a working-man’s Audi or Porsche: not really. It’s different enough to be looked at by a slightly different target audience, but still upscale enough so you don’t feel like you’ve sold yourself short.
