The Volkswagen Touareg is sort of the automotive equal of an unbranded designer purse.
How? Effectively it’s underpinned by the identical mechanical bones because the Audi Q7 and Q8, in addition to the Porsche Cayenne and the extra boutique Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus.
It’s not solely the MLB evo chassis of Volkswagen’s flagship SUV that’s shared with these different costlier fashions, however a lot of its engineering and know-how as effectively – proper all the way down to engines and chassis tech like 48V anti-roll bars.
Whereas this entry-level Volkswagen Touareg 170TDI does with out among the fancier options which can be extra available additional up the vary, these stable shared foundations make for unbelievable worth when you think about the Touareg is a few $20,000 cheaper at base degree than probably the most reasonably priced Audi Q7 in Australia.
As a part of a mid-life facelift launched in 2024, the bottom Touareg bought a stack of additional gear and a worth discount – unprecedented lately – turning the bottom grade from a foot site visitors driver to the worth decide of the lineup.
WATCH: Paul’s video assessment of the 2024 Volkswagen Touareg R eHybrid
It’s not as low cost because the earlier technology was, however for lower than $100,000 on the highway you possibly can nonetheless get right into a Touareg with a really stable normal gear record and a drive expertise that’s as polished as many luxurious SUVs costing tens if not tons of of hundreds extra.
Need to know extra? Learn on to seek out out.
How does the Volkswagen Touareg examine?
View an in depth breakdown of the Volkswagen Touareg towards equally sized autos.
Volkswagen
Touareg
How a lot does the Volkswagen Touareg value?
The entry-level Touareg variant we now have on check begins from $86,790 earlier than on-road prices, which is fairly attainable by European giant SUV requirements – the associated Audi Q7 begins from $108,815 plus on-roads, and for that worth you get a four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine.
| Mannequin | Worth earlier than on-road prices |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Touareg 170TDI | $86,790 |
| Volkswagen Touareg 210TDI Magnificence | $99,990 |
| Volkswagen Touareg 210TDI R-Line | $109,990 |
| Volkswagen Touareg R eHybrid | $129,990 |
There are just a few extra-cost choices out there that may add a bit to the sticker, together with premium paint ($2200-$2700), a panoramic sunroof ($3300), and the Sound & Consolation Bundle ($8500) – extra on that additional down.
Nonetheless, even a completely optioned Touareg 170TDI is available in beneath the bottom worth of an entry-level Audi Q7 45 TFSI quattro.
If you wish to see how the Touareg traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability software
What’s the Volkswagen Touareg like on the within?
The Touareg’s mid-life refresh introduced quite a few delicate however significant enhancements to the cabin.
After initially being criticised for patchy materials high quality and the outgoing mannequin’s lacklustre base infotainment and gauge cluster setup, the brand new mannequin has addressed all of those areas to ship a noticeable uplift in atmosphere.
The usual Innovision Cockpit combining a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and large 15-inch central touchscreen for the infotainment receives the German model’s newest interface, additionally incorporating wi-fi smartphone mirroring for iPhone and Android.
Nicer, padded supplies line the centre console the place your knees relaxation, and the bottom grade’s new open-pore wooden trim insert alongside the width of the dashboard in addition to the door inserts is an aesthetic contact.
Sadly, the fiddly touch-capacitive steering wheel buttons have returned for the sequel. I personally bought used to them, however not with out the odd mis-press which is annoying in any state of affairs.
Entrance occupant consolation is great, with superbly constructed seats and an ethereal really feel to the primary row. Whereas the Touareg has actually pared again on bodily switchgear, the ergonomics are nonetheless top-notch and effectively although out.
For instance, the touch-based temperature controls have a devoted toolbar on the base of the show, and the ridge the place the trim insert sits acts as a relaxation so that you don’t go urgent all 4 corners in the event you’re going over bumps.
Nonetheless, VW used to make improbable temperature dials (like in my Mk7.5 Golf), and these could be simpler and extra satisfying to function.
The shows for the motive force and infotainment seem to supply higher processing energy than earlier than plus improved graphics, which means they load shows extra rapidly and easily.
Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are higher built-in than within the previous wired-only setup, and the native system isn’t too convoluted. The usual eight-speaker sound system additionally punches above its weight with clear and deep sound high quality.
Rear seat lodging has additionally been a power of the current-generation Touareg, with its prolonged dimensions over the earlier mannequin making it a extra habitable full-size 5 seater. However in fact there’s nonetheless no third row, as within the Audi Q7.
Consider it as extra an elevated household wagon, with loads of house even for taller occupants and a flat centre pew so your children gained’t be combating over the window seats.
There are normal rear air vents and loads of storage on this entry specification, however you may also luxe it up with four-zone local weather management and heated outboard rear seats with the out there Sound & Consolation Bundle ($8500).
As you’d anticipate, the requisite ISOFIX factors in addition to top-tether little one seat anchors throughout all three rear seatbacks are included.
Whereas many proceed to be disenchanted that the Touareg nonetheless isn’t out there with sevens seats, the 810 litres of quoted boot capability with the rear seats in place is positively capacious.
Fold the rear seats down and it opens up a large 1800 litres of cargo quantity. Regardless of the Touareg’s pitch as a succesful tourer, those that enterprise out of city usually could lament the space-saver spare wheel beneath the boot ground.
| Dimensions | Volkswagen Touareg 170TDI |
|---|---|
| Size | 4889mm |
| Width | 1984mm |
| Peak | 1718mm |
| Wheelbase | 2894mm |
| Cargo capability | 810 litres – rear seats up 1800 litres – rear seats folded |
If you wish to see how the Touareg traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability software
What’s beneath the bonnet?
Non-R variations of the Touareg use a 3.0-litre V6 TDI turbo-diesel in Australia, out there in two states of tune. On check we now have the lower-grade 170TDI specification.
| Specs | Volkswagen Touareg 170TDI |
|---|---|
| Engine | 3.0L V6 turbo-diesel |
| Energy | 170kW at 4000rpm |
| Torque | 500Nm at 1750-3000rpm |
| Transmission | 8-speed automated |
| Drive kind | All-wheel drive |
| Weight | 2164kg – tare |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 8.0 seconds |
| Gasoline financial system (claimed) | 7.3L/100km |
| Gasoline financial system (as examined) | 7.1L/100km |
| Gasoline tank capability | 90 litres |
| Gasoline requirement | Diesel |
| AdBlue tank capability | 24 litres |
| CO2 emissions | 192g/km |
| Emissions normal | Euro 6 |
| Braked tow capability | 3500kg |
If you wish to see how the Touareg traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability software
How does the Volkswagen Touareg drive?
Put merely, very properly.
These high-end foundations we’ve touched on already prepared come to the fore on the highway, the place the Touareg feels each bit like a stable and safe tourer.
It could have a diesel engine beneath the bonnet however you’d barely comprehend it, such is the extent of sound insulation and normal refinement right here. VW’s V6 TDI is a improbable energy unit relating to efficiency and effectivity.
Even in base 170TDI trim, the Touareg has sufficient shove to drive effortlessly in metropolis site visitors or eat up miles on the freeway. Drive it in a demure trend and also you’ll recover from 1000km between fills, too.
I like how even the steel-sprung Touareg 170TDI wafts alongside nearly each kind of highway floor with out feeling wallowy or ponderous. Volkswagen has carried out a wonderful job of hanging a near-perfect steadiness between experience and dealing with right here.
Affect suppression and physique management are very effectively managed over sharper hits like tram tracks and potholes, in addition to higher-speed undulations such as you may discover on the Hume Freeway.
The steering is frivolously weighted at low speeds for comfort and luxury, but it surely has sufficient weight and accuracy about centre at pace to offer you confidence inspiring stability and a good suggestion of what the entrance wheels are doing in bends. It’s buttery clean, and makes the Touareg really feel like a smaller car than it’s.
Whereas this base spec does with out the lively anti-roll bar and rear-wheel steering programs out there additional up the vary, the Touareg stays a very simple SUV to drive about city regardless of its exterior dimensions, in addition to on the freeway – a correct Swiss military knife.
Even on winding B-roads the well-sorted steering and impartial dealing with, which errs barely on the firmer aspect, makes it partaking sufficient for the goal market. In order for you one thing extra centered and communicative, you’d finest to go to your native Porsche Centre to purchase the Touareg’s Cayenne cousin – although this may value you considerably extra.
Whereas there’s lots to love, that’s to not say the Touareg is ideal – regardless that it will likely be very near good for nearly all preferences.
There’s an added layer of compliance in costlier variants fitted with adaptive air suspension, and the sunshine steering talked about earlier might not be fairly as related as some may like.
When driving extra dynamically, the large diesel can at occasions be a contact lazy momentarily, earlier than the large single turbo spools as much as provide you with a 500Nm thump within the again.
The Touareg can also’t conceal its weight. It looks like a giant, heavy car. Whereas some individuals will like the sensation of solidity and safety, the two.1-tonne Touareg doesn’t masks its heft fairly in addition to its extra dynamic VW Group stablemates just like the Cayenne.
However Volkswagen has up to date the Touareg with its newest suite of driver help applied sciences, which as we’ve seen in its smaller fashions are among the many finest for normal useability.
Journey Help combines adaptive lane steering and adaptive cruise management for seamless semi-autonomous freeway cruising, and does an excellent job at driving like a really clean human driver. It’s very hardly ever caught out by somebody reducing you off within the lane forward or patchy markings.
From the bottom degree it’s decked out with about each security system you possibly can need or want, together with blind-spot monitoring, entrance and rear cross-traffic alert, lane preserving help and Emergency Help, which can activate the hazard lights and pull the car over if its driver turns into incapacitated.
When parking, sensors and cameras throughout the automotive provide you with view out of this 4.9m-long, 2.0m-wide household chariot, and there’s an automatic parking assistant do you have to need the automotive to do the onerous give you the results you want.
Additionally glorious are the usual IQ.Gentle Matrix LED headlights, which supply robust illumination and a trick adaptive high-beam perform that can give attention to highway indicators and swap off segments so that you don’t dazzle oncoming site visitors.
If you wish to see how the Touareg traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability software
What do you get?
Regardless of being a ‘base’ variant, the entry-level Touareg comes fairly effectively geared up.
Touareg 170TDI gear highlights:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Energy tailgate with kick activation
- Energy-folding exterior mirrors with reminiscence and auto-dip
- IQ.Gentle HD Matrix LED headlights
- Innovision Cockpit
- 15-inch touchscreen
- 12-inch digital instrument display screen
- Satellite tv for pc navigation
- Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- FM, AM, DAB+ digital radio
- 8-speaker audio
- Wi-fi cellphone charging
- 5 x USB-C ports
- Heated, power-adjustable entrance seats
- Vienna leather-based seat trim
- 30-colour ambient lighting
- Twin-zone local weather management
- Open-pore dashboard wooden trim
- Illuminated door scuff plates
- Cargo administration system for boot
Choices
Sound & Consolation Bundle: $8500
- Energy latching doorways – entrance, rear
- Head-up show – projector tyre
- Electrical steering column adjustment incl. reminiscence
- 4-zone local weather management incl. Air Care filtration
- Heated outer rear seats
- Dynaudio Consequence premium audio
- 730W output
- 14 audio system
- 16-channel amplifier
- Tyre strain monitoring
- Anti-theft alarm system
- Safelock deadlocking system
Panoramic sunroof: $3300
Metallic paint: $2200
Premium metallic paint: $2700
If you wish to see how the Touareg traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability software
Is the Volkswagen Touareg secure?
The Touareg has a five-star ANCAP security ranking primarily based on Euro NCAP checks carried out in 2018.
| Class | Volkswagen Touareg |
|---|---|
| Grownup occupant safety | 89 per cent (34.0 out of 38) |
| Youngster occupant safety | 88 per cent (43.4 out of 49) |
| Susceptible highway consumer safety | 72 per cent (34.6 out of 48) |
| Security help | 78 per cent (10.2 out of 13) |
Normal security gear contains:
- 8 airbags
- Adaptive cruise management
- Driver fatigue detection
- Dynamic Street Signal show
- Emergency Help
- Entrance and rear cross-traffic alert
- Entrance Help (AEB)
- incl. pedestrian monitoring
- Lane Help
- incl. adaptive lane steering
- Park Help Plus – semi-auto parking
- Parking sensors – entrance, rear
- Manoeuvre braking
- Proactive occupant safety
- Space View encompass cameras
- Velocity limiter
- Facet Help – blind-spot monitor
- Journey Help
- Adaptive cruise management
- Adaptive lane steering
If you wish to see how the Touareg traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability software
How a lot does the Volkswagen Touareg value to run?
Like the broader vary, the Touareg is roofed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre new car guarantee.
| Servicing and Guarantee | Volkswagen Touareg 170TDI |
|---|---|
| Guarantee | 5 years, limitless kilometres |
| Roadside help | 12 months – normal, then service activated |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000 kilometres |
| Capped-price servicing | As much as 5 years |
| Complete capped-price service value | $3500 – 5-year Care Plan |
If you wish to see how the Touareg traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability software
CarExpert’s Tackle the Volkswagen Touareg
The bottom Touareg may effectively be the candy spot within the native lineup.
Even with out the exxy Sound & Consolation Bundle, the entry grade covers all of the bases after which some, and may be rather well decked out. However you’ll have to buy extra upmarket in the event you will need to have probably the most premium options out there.
The Touareg additionally affords the towing and touring capabilities of one thing like a Ford Everest or Toyota Prado with the sort of refinement and luxury extra befitting of its Audi and Porsche sister fashions, making it a wonderful all-rounder for upwardly cellular households that want their huge near-premium SUV to have the ability to do a little bit of every little thing.
It’s fairly understated for these not eager to flash their spending an excessive amount of, which is kind of typical of Volkswagen merchandise – the Touareg appears to be like as at dwelling on the nation membership or vineyard because it does within the suburban purchasing centre carpark.
Credit score to Volkswagen for addressing the few criticisms of the newest technology Touareg, whereas additionally bringing costs down.
However there’s nonetheless room for enchancment. Some individuals don’t need diesels anymore, even when the Touareg’s AdBlue-equipped V6 TDI is comparatively environment friendly and cleaner by present business requirements.
It’s a disgrace the V6 TSI petrol and lower-spec eHybrid PHEV powertrains should not out there right here, given many equally sized rivals are beginning to provide related diesel options. The PHEV specifically tailors the Touareg for metropolis use even additional.
The touch-capacitive steering wheel controls stay one other gripe, as is the lowered variety of paint color and alloy wheel choices out there domestically relative to different markets just like the UK. Patrons spending this a lot must be afforded extra alternative. Lastly, the shortage of a 3rd row additionally takes it off the record for lots of Australian consumers, even when they don’t want seven seats.
Nonetheless, the Touareg stays among the best giant SUVs cash should buy. It could do absolutely anything you ask of it effectively, and with out breaking a sweat.
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