Touareg conquers challenges both on, off roads
MOAB, UTAH — From your first opportunity to check out the Volkswagen Touareg, you might question the name, the price, and why a company like Volkswagen would want to build a sport-utility vehicle.
Volkswagen is eagerly anticipating the questions, because it figures the Touareg provides all the answers.
First, the name. Touareg is pronounced “TOUR-egg,†and if it were named because it is structurally as smooth and safe as a high-tensile-steel egg, we could understand it, despite all those vowels in succession. Volkswagen claims the name came from a nomadic tribe that overcame unbelievably harsh conditions to wander self-reliantly across the Sahara Desert. So, OK, we’ll give them that, and it’s a neat connection because the Touareg will allow you to go anywhere, on or off any roadway.
Examining the rigid structure and the forceful stance from the outside is impressive, and opening the door displays a luxurious and classy interior, with real wood, brushed aluminum and leather covering just about every surface. A check of other features such as the navigation system, or the refrigerated glove box, makes you realize that this thing is going to cost a lot.
There is no “stripped down†Touareg. The V6 model starts at $34,900, and the V8 version starts at $40,700. Those prices are reasonable in the current sport-utility vehicle business, and for the Touareg’s capabilities, but they are high for a company that always has stressed common cars for common people at economical prices. So, what is Volkswagen doing building a $40,000 SUV?
“An SUV makes perfect sense for us, because our buyers are young, adventurous, and many of them have left Volkswagen for an SUV,†said Frank McGuire, VWÂ’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Today, SUVs compromise, and donÂ’t perform the way SUVs were intended. The way weÂ’ve built this vehicle is the reason SUVs were built. What sets Touareg apart is it combines the ability to go off-road with luxury and performance.Ââ€
McGuire noted that Touareg was given the elegant features traditional in the finest German road cars, yet had to be a valid SUV that went well-beyond the current trend of “don’t-go-off-road†SUVs. He addressed automotive journalists at the Touareg’s press introduction in Utah, where closer examination in the mountains and over the amazing terrain of the Moab Desert provided some very impressive evidence in Touareg’s behalf.
When Volkswagen decided to go after the SUV segment, it had some large targets, such as the Lexus RX330, Acura MDX, BMW X5, Mercedes M-Class, VolvoÂ’s new XC-90, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, and the Porsche Cayenne. The Cayenne represents an interesting target, because Volkswagen and Porsche worked together to develop the basic chassis and body shape, then they went their separate ways, with Porsche installing an all-new V8 that performs like a Porsche sports car on the road, and takes on any obstacle off the road.
Volkswagen didnÂ’t flinch, however, and with more moderate objectives than Porsche, it is bargain-priced, comparatively. VW officials point out that their upgraded Touareg V8 is priced lower than BMWÂ’s 6-cylinder X5.
The V6 is the latest derivative of VolkswagenÂ’s narrow-angle VR-6, with 3.2 liters, dual-overhead camshafts operating four valves per cylinder, controlled by variable valve timing, developing 220 horsepower at 5,200 RPMs and 225 foot-pounds of torque at 3,200 RPMs. The V6 is adequate in most circumstances, and might feel more than adequate if it werenÂ’t for the 4.2-liter V8, which is borrowed from AudiÂ’s powerful A8 sedan, with five valves per cylinder, 310 horsepower at 6,200 RPMs and 302 foot-pounds of torque at 3,000 RPMs.
A six-speed automatic transmission with a manual-shift gate responds to a sport setting by holding the revs higher before shifting, but also adapts flawlessly to even heavy-duty off-roading. VolkswagenÂ’s 4XMotion system splits the torque 50-50 to the front and rear axles for optimum traction on the road, while an electronic control can alter that mix if traction is threatened at either end.
A switch on the console can engage the differential locks in a high setting for traveling on icy roads or in a storm, while switching it to low and locking it gives you an off-road reduction for creeping up steep inclines or edging down similar angles. An incredible feature is one that allows you to stop while going up a steep grade and holds the Touareg steady with no rollback, and similarly there is a hill descent control that locks in when youÂ’re going less than 15 miles per hour and going down a grade of 20 percent or more, using engine torque to slow the vehicle, and applying the brakes if necessary.
Those technical features set the Touareg apart from the crossover SUVs or SUV pretenders, which are popular and efficient as trendy people-movers, but are not intended to be used off-road. The Touareg is intended to go off-road, and conquer the toughest terrain. The strength and rigidity of the vehicle works for a four-star crash-test rating as well as stability on and off the road, and it will carry five with a towing capacity of 7,716 pounds.
Sometimes on-road conditions can duplicate off-roading, not the least of which is flash-flooding after a rainstorm. The TouaregÂ’s flexible plastic door sealing technique means you can drive through water 22.8 inches deep without anything seeping into the interior. If a crash did occur, the TouaregÂ’s doors unlock, the battery cable is disconnected, the fuel supply is shut off, and the interior lights come on. It doesnÂ’t say whether you would still have access to the 11-speaker, 300-watt (or optional 400-watt) audio system.
Volkswagen officials said they chose not to put even a jumpseat in the back as a third row, because it would have upset what the company feels is perfect balance. The standard suspension is very impressive in all conditions, but the optional air suspension improves on every capacity. Stock, the Touareg has 8.3 inches ground clearance, and can climb a 28-degree approach angle and descend a 28 degree departure angle. The air suspension allows you to adjust from 6.3 to 11.8 inches ground clearance with a switch on the console, increasing the approach and departure angles to 33 degrees. It also lowers or raises automatically when circumstances demand alteration.
The steadily increasing popularity of SUVs has led to a wide scope of vehicles, and statistics say that the great majority never venture off the road. Volkswagen could have built an inexpensive family hauler out of its Touareg at a very moderate price, undoubtedly. But that isnÂ’t the companyÂ’s manner.
“We are committed to technology for the customersÂ’ sake, not for technologyÂ’s sake,†said McGuire, the marketing guy. “Every SUV and sedan in this price range is going to feel some heat from Touareg, and we donÂ’t think weÂ’ll lose any more customers because they want SUVs.Ââ€
(John Gilbert road-tests over 100 cars a year and votes on the International Car and Truck of the Year awards. He writes a weekly auto column and can be contacted by e-mail at: cars@jwgilbert.com.)
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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