The Touareg cabin is luxurious and attractive. It elegantly combines robust dimensions with delicate details in rich leather and wood trim. Burled walnut is standard, with vavona or myrtle wood available as an upgrade on the V8 and V10 diesel. We like both grades of leather, Cricket and smooth Nappa. (Leatherette is standard on the V6 models.) The premium light-colored wood with tan leather is particularly attractive and the dark-colored wood is quite nice. The textures found on the dash, door panels and other trim appeal to the sense of touch as well. Chrome and brushed aluminum trim add elegance with a hint of technology. Everything seems perfectly tailored and fitted.
The seats are excellent, supportive and comfortable, much better than most. We've found it sometimes takes time to get comfortable in Volkswagen seats, but we were immediately comfortable in the Touareg.
Visibility from the driver's seat is quite good, aided rearward by huge outside mirrors. All controls are easy to reach. The steering column tilts and telescopes manually; optional power adjustments make it easier to fine-tune its position. The switchgear, climate control, audio controls, and window lifts all feel smooth and sophisticated. Move the turn signal lever momentarily and the signals flash three times, handy for lane changes. Instruments are attractive and easy to read, big and clearly marked, using white-on-black graphics.
Robust climate controls make adjusting the temperature quick and easy. The standard two-zone system (with rear A/C) does an excellent job. The optional four-zone system, allowing separate control of each of the four primary seating positions, may be overkill but it does give passengers more control over their personal space and it works well. Farther down on the center console are big round knobs for controlling the differential locks and air suspension (when equipped). The center armrest features a ring designed to hold large water bottles. Overhead, you'll find a small indigo display with compass and clock along with a pair of nicely designed map lights. The glove box is air-conditioned, so you can store a sandwich or beverage in there.
Touareg's optional Navigation System provides traditional route guidance with mapping and voice announcements. The Navigation System is being upgraded halfway through the 2006 model year. The system includes a neat off-road navigation mode with compass, altimeter, and GPS coordinates. A tracking mode leaves an electronic trail that can be used to retrace your route.
The automatic wipers respond well to changing conditions. While driving through a squall in the mountains near Park City, Utah, they quickly changed the wiper speed from ultra-fast to slow to intermittent, then stopped them altogether when the going got dry.
The rear seats are firm, supportive, and comfortable. The back seat of a Touareg is a pleasant place to be and we spent several hours there, sometimes in extreme terrain. Vents in the B-pillars help direct air back there and the four-zone climate control offers individual temperature controls. A second heat exchanger for the rear seats helps get heat back there quickly on cold mornings.
Fold down the rear seats and Touareg offers 71 cubic feet of cargo space with a nice, flat floor. That's more than what's found in the BMW X5, but less than that of the Mercedes M-Class or Lexus RX 330. Folding the seats is a little fussy because the seat bottoms must articulate before folding the seat backs down, but the system works well. Put the rear seats back into place and there's 31 cubic feet of space behind them. There's an optional pass-through for skis available, a cargo cover to shield valuables, and a net partition that keeps cargo from flying forward in the event of an accident or hard stop.
The Volkswagen Touareg feels like a well-engineered vehicle carved from a single block. It's relatively quiet underway, the V6 and V8 engines are smooth, and the six-speed automatic transmission is really smooth.
The 3.2-liter V6 lacks the gusto to propel the Touareg with authority. It was revised to produce more power for 2005, bringing the total to 240 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 229 pound-feet of torque at 3200 rpm. Though smooth and quiet, the 3.2-liter V6 Touareg took about 9.4 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60, slow by anyone's stopwatch. Often it felt quite adequate but sometimes it felt distinctly underpowered, often at important moments, and it felt sluggish at altitude.
An all-new 3.6-liter V6 is replacing it late in the 2006 model year, so be sure and get that one. We haven't tried it, but it's rated at 280 horsepower at 6200 and, even more important, 265 pound-feet of torque at 2500 to 5000 rpm. That increase of torque, spread across a wide power band, should translate into better acceleration performance and throttle response.
The 4.2-liter V8 boasts 310 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 302 pound-feet of torque, capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 in 7.6 seconds, says Volkswagen. More important in daily use, the V8 delivers strong throttle response, aided by a transmission that always selects the right gear. So you don't need much throttle pressure to smoothly accelerate to the desired speed. Slam the throttle down and the V8 responds well, but it does not deliver breathtaking thrust. The reason is weight: The V8 model weighs about 5,300 pounds when empty. That makes the Touareg some 375 pounds heavier than a BMW X5 4.4i, and 650 pounds heavier than a 2006 Mercedes-Benz ML 500.
Neither the V6 nor V8 models are particularly fuel efficient, at least partly due to that weight. The V6 earns an EPA rating of 15/20 mpg City/Highway, while the V8 returns 14/18 mpg. VW recommends premium gas for maximum performance.
The 4.9-liter turbocharged diesel V10 develops 310 horsepower but at a much lower 3750 rpm and 553 pound-feet of torque at just 2000 rpm. Torque is the force that propels you from intersections, helps you crawl over rocks and tows trailers, so that massive torque should translate into impressive power.
The six-speed automatic that comes on all Touareg models is brilliant, a luxury-grade transmission shared with the Audi A8 L. Fuzzy logic senses the driver's intentions then smoothly selects the proper gear. Switch from Normal to Sport mode and it selects higher shift points for more aggressive driving. There's also a Tiptronic mode for manual shifting, useful in some situations, but ultimately the transmission will still shift up automatically when redline is reached.
Two suspensions are available for Touareg: a standard suspension with regular steel springs and an optional air suspension. The standard suspension works very well and we recommend it highly. It might even be our preference. It offers a nice ride and handles well, as we discovered on some winding mountain roads in Utah. Touareg boasts an impressive 8.3 inches of ground clearance with the standard suspension. Starting with the 2005 models, Volkswagen recalibrated the Touareg suspension for more sport.
The ride quality is good, though road vibration increases with wheel size and this is most noticeable with the 19-inch wheels and tires. The 17-inch wheels that come on the V6 models offer the best ride quality, smoother and quieter, though the aggressive tread pattern of the tires still generated some noise and vibration. The Touareg isn't as smooth and quiet as a Lexus RX 330, but we prefer the tautness and superior control of the Touareg.
On the road, the Touareg feels more substantial than the RX 330. Granted, the Touareg is heavier than the Lexus, but the Volkswagen suspension is beefier and more sophisticated than the RX 330 suspension, and the VW drive system is more sophisticated. We found the Touareg easier to manage and more pleasant than a BMW X5, which feels taller and jiggles more on bumpy pavement.
Steering responses are sharper with the 19-inch wheels, and more lethargic and mushier with the 17-inch wheels. The 18-inch wheel and tires fall between the two both in terms of handling and ride and may be the best compromise. Most of our time with the 18-inch wheels was spent off-road, but the ride seemed quite pleasant during the few, short highway sections that we drove with them. In short, we preferred the 17-inch and 18-inch wheels over the 19-inch wheels.
The optional air suspension features adjustable ride height and Continuous Damping Control, which varies shock stiffness according to driving conditions. The driver can select among three damping modes: Comfort, Sport, and Auto. The Sport mode is firmer, and we found it offered better handling on winding roads with less wallowing in corners and less chassis oscillation. The Comfort mode feels softer, and we found it to be more comfortable on bumpy roads. Road vibration can be felt even in the Comfort mode, however, particularly with the 19-inch wheels. And even in the Sport mode, this is a heavy vehicle that reacts more ponderously in corners than a sedan. We found it was often best to select the Auto mode, as the system does a good job of adjusting the damping automatically according to driving conditions.
The air suspension can adjust ride height automatically or manually. In normal operation, the driver need do nothing. The system maintains an 8.7-inch ground clearance in normal driving. At 87 mph, it automatically lowers the ride height to 7.7 inches, dropping the center of gravity and reducing wind resistance. At 118 mph, it lowers the ride height to 7.3 inches. We didn't hit the 118-mph mark, but found the Touareg quite stable at high speeds. When heading off the pavement or wading through deep snow, the driver can manually raise the high ride height to 9.6 inches by turning a knob. To ford extreme obstacles, the driver can select an ultra-high mode, raising the ground clearance to an impressive 11.8 inches. The extra-high level raises the suspension to the tops of the springs, making the ride uncomfortable, however, so you'll want to switch back to the high setting as soon as you clear the obstacle. It sometimes takes a moment to raise the suspension to the extra-high level. So the technique is to approach the obstacle, raise the suspension to the extra-high level, clamber over, and then lower it to the high level. We tackled Hell's Revenge near Moab, a challenging off-road trail, without any trouble and easily drove down the Dragon's Tail, only invoking the top level on a few occasions. On the other end of the spectrum, the ultra-low kneeling mode, which lowers the height to 6.3 inches, is quite useful for getting less-agile passengers in or out or when loading cargo or unloading big dogs. A handy side benefit of the system is that an air hose can be plugged into the system under the passenger's seat and used to inflate the tires or accessories.
In addition to adjusting the ride height, the optional air suspension automatically adjusts suspension damping, or stiffness, according to driving conditions.
When it was first launched, we drove the Touareg through Hell's Revenge, a trail that weaves through sandy gullies and the not-so-slick rock near Moab, Utah. With its articulated independent suspension, sophisticated drive system, and advanced technology, the Touareg handled this rugged terrain incredibly well. We wouldn't hesitate to follow a Jeep Wrangler or Range Rover anywhere in one of these. With the air suspension, the Touareg boasts an impressive approach angle (33.2 degrees), departure angle (33.6 degrees), and breakover angle (27.2 degrees). Touareg can be driven on a 35-degree offset angle (side inclination), which is an uncomfortable, unsettling situation, we might add.
With the optional rear differential lock, up to 100 percent of the engine's power can be used by any wheel that still has traction. The center differential is controlled automatically when the transfer case is set in the High position. The driver can shift on the fly into Low range, and doing so automatically locks the center differential.
Hill Roll-Back Control prevents the Touareg from rolling back on a steep incline by locking the gearbox, which makes accelerating up a steep hill from a standing start easier.
Hill Descent Control makes going down steep hills easier. HDC detects your Touareg is on a steep hill (greater than 20 percent) and automatically eases you down, applying the brakes to individual wheels as needed. Just take your feet off the pedals, steer and enjoy the ride. The system works extremely well, allowing you to adjust speed with the brake or gas pedal, and will maintain whatever creepy crawly speed you want it to hold. Slower is better in these situations.
The 2006 Volkswagen Touareg is available in V6 ($37,320), V8 ($44,660), and V10 versions. (The new V6 is priced the same as the old V6.) All Touareg models are well-equipped.
The V6 model comes standard with leatherette upholstery, dual-zone climate control with rear seat controls, wood trim, power glass sunroof, eight-way adjustable seating, multi-function leather-wrapped steering wheel, automatic rain-sensor windshield wipers, heated windshield washer nozzles, 17-inch alloy wheels and many more items. Cricket Leather is optional.
The V8 model adds full leather upholstery; 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.
Options include a new DVD Navigation System, a rearview camera, park assist, an outside rear spare tire carrier, Nappa leather trim, Myrtle or Vavona wood trim or chrome trim, special carpeting, upgraded sound systems, bi-xenon headlamps with washers, Keyless Access, a power adjustable steering column, power adjustable front seatbelts, memory functions, and a trailer hitch. A 4-Corner air suspension is available, along with a rear differential lock, four-zone Climatronic air conditioning, tire pressure monitoring system. A winter package is available with a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats and a ski bag. Summer performance tires on 19-inch alloy wheels are optional.
Safety features on all Touaregs include a sophisticated permanent all-wheel-drive system, an electronic stability program (ESP), adaptive torque distribution. 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. A locking rear differential ($550) is available for all models. The rearview camera can help the driver spot objects and children behind the vehicle when backing up.
Passive safety features that come on all models include front airbags, side-impact airbags (for torso protection), and curtain airbags (for head protection in a side impact or rollover). Touareg surrounds occupants with a carefully engineered safety structure with a rigid roof designed to protect them in a crash or rollover. Touareg earned a four-star rating from the federal government (NHTSA) in its frontal crash test and a five-star rating (the highest) in its side-impact tests. Touareg senses when an accident has occurred and automatically unlocks the doors, disconnects the battery, and turns on the warning flashers. Add optional OnStar ($699) and an operator will be alerted to send out the safety crews. Most important to safety are seat belts, which should always be worn, and Touareg comes with three-point belts for all passengers including the rear-center position; the front seat belts are equipped with force-limiters to reduce injuries, while the rear belts have tensioners to enhance their effectiveness.