The Volkswagen Touareg has all the stylings of a Volkswagen classic – the full width radiator gril and slim headlamps are there with a neat row of LED daytime running lights alongside.
The Car
It may not be flashy, but you can tell that it’s structured to appeal to the mid and upper class customers. The Touareg is also built to be practical, safe and efficient, and should definitely appeal to the family driver.
There are 3 trims – SE, R-Line and Escape. Besides the Escape which has more off-roading capability, the SE and R-line trims are decent enough for the regular school run and errands about town, the R-line would be the sportier look of the two with a different bodykit and sports seats. The Touareg comes with a lot of safety technology too, like the Driver Fatigue System and an optional Driver Assistance Package which includes the City Emergency Braking function.
The Drive
We enjoyed driving the Touareg a lot – the ride was quiet and stable on the road, even around corners and on rough surfaces and that’s thanks to the permanent four wheel drive. The driving position is high but the view can be a bit obstructed due to the thick pillar and small window openings at the back. You’ll definitely be happy with the responsiveness of the steering and brakes although we would recommend upgrading the brake pads for something firmer.
The adaptive cruise control system is an important feature for us to elaborate on because it can really be a hit or miss for you depending on how you drive. The system works by adhering the Touareg’s speed to a safe distance from the vehicle in front and can range all the way to maximum speed to a full stop. You’ll have to re-engage the system every time the car stops for more than 2 seconds though so you might want to ignore the feature if you live somewhere with a lot of traffic, otherwise it can really change the way you enjoy the car on long trips.
The Interior
The Touareg ain’t too shabby inside with plenty of soft touch plastics albeit a bit dark due to the amount of black inside. The switches and dials may look a bit dated coming from the previous generation of VW stylings but the controls are laid out well enough and the sat nav is easy to use. The seats are comfortable also and the driver’s seat can be adjusted for height while the steering wheel can be adjusted for position too and the rear seat passengers will have a fair amount of space since the back seat is pretty versatile – it can move forward and back as well as recline and in addition to access to their own vents, it’s about as comfortable as you can get in the backseat.
The seats can also be folded down at a touch of a button to help loading up the boot much easier. They might not go down flat all the way, but there is no high lip at the boot door, so it’s easy enough to put things in. Boot size is counts in at 580 litres and expands to 1,642 litres with the seats down.
Overall
The Touareg is a pretty decent midrange SUV for the family to get into. With its range of safety features and fuel economy, it’s sure to be the pick of drivers who have a growing family to think of. There is no 7-seat option and the interior may look a bit dated, but all in all, small blips that are easy to overlook for the pros of the vehicle.
Original : Reviewing the Volkswagen Touareg
More Car Reviews
Audi A1 | Audi A3 | BMW 4-series | Ford EcoSport | Honda Jazz | Jeep Renegade
Land Rover Discovery | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | Porsche Boxster | Mitsubishi Pajero
Hyundai i30 | Suzuki Swift