It’s a sad fact that manufacturers’ concept cars rarely go into production. Well, Volkswagen is one company that has gone ahead and bitten the bullet - the awesome Touareg V10 twin-turbo diesel is a fantasy vehicle come reality! The bit that makes the Touareg V10 TDI so extraordinary is, of course, the engine. Hills that you once thought steep are climbed with barely a whiff of throttle and the ability to run away other cars from a standing start is simply startling. Gently squeeze the throttle and the Touareg V10 TDI picks up its nose and sprints! So how on earth is it possible for a near 2.5-tonne SUV to be so potent, you ask? Well, there are lots of cylinders, lots of cubic inches and a couple of turbochargers! The TDI Touareg uses a long-stroke 2-valves-per-cylinder V10 engine that displaces 5.0-litres and is boosted by a pair of turbochargers.
The static compression ratio is 18.0:1 - oh, did we mention it’s a direct-injection diesel? The twin-turbo V10 diesel engine configuration might seem peculiar at first but it makes sense when you consider the balance of low-down torque, emissions and fuel economy. The twin-turbo V10 diesel can be quite frugal when driven gently - the official 12.2-litres per 100km average figure would be difficult to achieve but we regularly saw short-term averages below 15.0-litres per 100km (as read from the trip computer). Average fuel consumption during our test was around 17-litres per 100km. A 100-litre fuel tank is fitted, providing a good touring range. But you don’t buy a V10 twin-turbo for fuel economy. That V10 turbo engine delivers effortless performance from very low revs and good response. Despite the size of the engine, there’s minimal vibration through to the cabin and the whizzes and whooshes of the turbo system are well muted.
But there’s no mistaking this machine for a diesel - it has a hint of clatter at idle and it will occasionally blow a cloud of black smoke from the twin tailpipes when you stand on the go pedal. Volkswagen claims a 0 - 100 km/h time of 7.8-seconds, but we were stunned to record mid 7s on consecutive hand-timed runs; that’s bloody quick! The stupendous torque is evident when the front tyres scabble for grip when the V10 Touareg is stalled up and released off the line. Impressive stuff considering the tyres are nothing less than Pirelli P-Zero Rossos measuring 275/45 19! When this 2.5-tonne monster barrels up to a corner at speed you can apply the brake pedal at the last moment thanks to a truly mammoth braking system. At the front are tremendous 6-pot front calipers that bite over nearly half of the disc (ventilated, of course) and the rear uses chunky 4-pot calipers. ABS, EBD and brake assist come as standard braking supplements.
We have absolutely no criticism of the V10 TDI’s brakes. Point it towards an apex and the Touareg chassis feels immensely stable and the lateral grip from those P-Zero Rossos is excellent. It’s apparent that the chassis is set up with a slight understeer bias but you can rely on the ESP (Electronic Stability Program) to prevent excessive understeer or oversteer. Note that if you want to drive the Touareg to its limits you absolutely must switch the transmission to manual mode - this gives much better control. The power assisted rack and pinion steering on the Touareg also makes it hard work to negotiate a series of relatively tight bends. The steering is light and has little feel - all that we felt was tramlining along bitumen edges. Interestingly, the Touareg is based on the same design as the Porsche Cayenne and uses double wishbones at the front and rear.
The V10 TDI also gets CDC (Continuous Damping Control) air suspension. The air suspension system is self-levelling and gives up to 300mm of ground clearance on demand. There are three damper settings - Sport, Auto and Comfort. The difference between Sport and Comfort is noticeable but the ride always remains compliant and comfortable. The V10 TDI has a curious mix of off-roading abilities. On one hand, it looks the goods with a switchable centre diff lock, high and low range gearing, hill start and downhill assist, adjustable ride height, generous approach/departure angles and, of course, ample grunt. On the other hand, the 275/45 P-Zero Rossos were never intended to venture far off the bitumen and the standard spare wheel is a tiny space saver job. We’re told that a larger spare will be fitted to later examples, but - as it stands - the Touareg V10 TDI is not a truly serious bush-basher. The top-line Touareg is luxury-car refined, solid and well appointed.
