Volkswagen's Touareg is the flagship of the brand's SUV line-up and the new version does the job with real style
Verdict
The
all-new Volkswagen Touareg sets a sky-high benchmark in the premium SUV
class when it comes to interior quality and in-car tech. The cabin is a
masterpiece, and paves the way for an exciting new chapter in the
firm’s future. It’s a shame the new Touareg is not more involving to
drive, but as a way of getting from A to B in luxury and complete
comfort, few rivals come close. Our final verdict will hinge heavily on
UK prices and specs, but initial signs are very promising indeed.
The VW Touareg has been a constant for Volkswagen
since 2003. It was the firm’s very first off-roader, and paved the way
for the now four-strong SUV line-up. However, with the current car more
than eight years old, VW thought it high time the mainstay was given a
complete overhaul.
So, for 2018, the Touareg is new from the ground up. It is 77mm longer and 44mm wider than before, and it sits on the VW Group’s flagship MLBevo platform. That means it shares many of its internals with cars such as the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne, as well as high-end models like the Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus.
Visually, it’s a more considered design than before; the wider stance and lower roofline (-7mm) giving it a squatter, sportier stance. The wrap-around LED tail-lights provide a purposeful signature at night, while the huge horizontally-slatted grille emphasises this new-found visual dynamism.
But the biggest changes come inside, where the Touareg sets a class benchmark for quality and design. Digital dashboards are nothing new in this segment, but the VW’s optional dual-screen Innovision Cockpit display is a cut above the rest – slickly integrated to give the illusion of a single pane of glass spanning both the 12.3-inch digital dials and 15-inch central infotainment screen.
Not only does the set-up look superb, it works beautifully as well. The menus are configurable, using a tile-based system to allow you to drag and drop icons into positions of your choosing. Of course, functionality is top draw, with full-screen sat-nav with real time traffic info, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Ahead of the digital dials you’ll find a crystal clear heads-up display, showing a variety of trip information. Other tech highlights include a clever night vision system and 128-bulb Matrix LED headlamps.
Interior quality is superb. You’ll find swathes of leather across the dash and doors, as well as lashings of metal and high-quality gloss plastic. Everything you touch feels built to last, yet with prices expected to start from under £50,000, it’s likely the new Touareg will undercut like-for-like six-cylinder rivals from Land Rover, Mercedes and Audi by several thousand pounds.
Exact UK specs will be revealed when the car goes on sale in June, but expect safety to feature heavily on the standard kit list. Our car came with Adaptive Cruise Control featuring Predictive Cruise – a system that automatically changes your speed using the Touareg’s cameras and sat-nav data. It worked surprisingly well, in practice and required very little human input or interaction. Traffic Jam Assist and Cross Traffic Assist also feature, alongside Proactive Occupant Protection, which closes the windows and tightens the seatbelts if it senses an impending collision.
The new Touareg SUV will launch with a pair of V6 diesel engines. There’s a choice of two power outputs (228bhp or 282bhp) and before the end of the year a six-cylinder petrol will join the range. A V8 diesel is also on the way, and while a plug-in version has been confirmed for China, no European launch date has been announced.
Our test car had the higher-power V6 TDI, which is as quiet and smooth here as it is elsewhere in the VW Group range. It glides effortlessly along deserted motorways, and feels sufficiently muscular to pick up pace when things get twisty. The gearbox can be a bit hesitant and throttle response is occasionally sluggish, but the ride is excellent. The all-new Touareg will happily waft in Comfort mode before tightening up in Sport; admirably minimising body roll through tight bends.
It seemingly shrinks around you at low speed, too. In fact, the four-wheel steering set-up gives it a turning circle not dissimilar to the latest Golf hatchback. You notice it when making quick U-turns or exiting particularly tight junctions – where the Touareg just slithers through apparently impossible gaps. Of course, it’s laden with cameras, too, meaning parking is a doddle.
The
biggest disappointment – with regards to the driving experience, at
least – is the numb and occasionally unpredictable steering. There’s
very little feel, and while it weights-up in the more dynamic drive
modes, the situation doesn’t improve. In terms of the ride, the big
wheels highlight ruts and ridges that aren’t apparent in a Volvo XC90. It can be quite disconcerting, and isn’t likely to improve on broken British tarmac.
But from the back seat, the Touareg has improved once again. While rivals may offer seven seats, VW’s research suggests they are rarely used. As such, engineers have chosen to keep the firm’s flagship solely as a five-seater – improving space in the rear even for tall adults. There’s loads of knee room and ample headroom, and the doors open nice and wide for easy access.
The Touareg’s boot is huge, too. With the seats in place there’s 40 litres more than you’ll find in a Q7 (810 litres vs 770 litres) – and it very nearly matches the boxier XC90 punch-for-punch with its rear bench folded flat. Our car came fitted with all-round air suspension, which not only lets you to raise the ride height (by up to 70mm) for off-roading, but also allows you to drop it for help when loading heavy or bulky items in the back.
So, for 2018, the Touareg is new from the ground up. It is 77mm longer and 44mm wider than before, and it sits on the VW Group’s flagship MLBevo platform. That means it shares many of its internals with cars such as the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne, as well as high-end models like the Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus.
Visually, it’s a more considered design than before; the wider stance and lower roofline (-7mm) giving it a squatter, sportier stance. The wrap-around LED tail-lights provide a purposeful signature at night, while the huge horizontally-slatted grille emphasises this new-found visual dynamism.
But the biggest changes come inside, where the Touareg sets a class benchmark for quality and design. Digital dashboards are nothing new in this segment, but the VW’s optional dual-screen Innovision Cockpit display is a cut above the rest – slickly integrated to give the illusion of a single pane of glass spanning both the 12.3-inch digital dials and 15-inch central infotainment screen.
Not only does the set-up look superb, it works beautifully as well. The menus are configurable, using a tile-based system to allow you to drag and drop icons into positions of your choosing. Of course, functionality is top draw, with full-screen sat-nav with real time traffic info, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Ahead of the digital dials you’ll find a crystal clear heads-up display, showing a variety of trip information. Other tech highlights include a clever night vision system and 128-bulb Matrix LED headlamps.
Interior quality is superb. You’ll find swathes of leather across the dash and doors, as well as lashings of metal and high-quality gloss plastic. Everything you touch feels built to last, yet with prices expected to start from under £50,000, it’s likely the new Touareg will undercut like-for-like six-cylinder rivals from Land Rover, Mercedes and Audi by several thousand pounds.
Exact UK specs will be revealed when the car goes on sale in June, but expect safety to feature heavily on the standard kit list. Our car came with Adaptive Cruise Control featuring Predictive Cruise – a system that automatically changes your speed using the Touareg’s cameras and sat-nav data. It worked surprisingly well, in practice and required very little human input or interaction. Traffic Jam Assist and Cross Traffic Assist also feature, alongside Proactive Occupant Protection, which closes the windows and tightens the seatbelts if it senses an impending collision.
The new Touareg SUV will launch with a pair of V6 diesel engines. There’s a choice of two power outputs (228bhp or 282bhp) and before the end of the year a six-cylinder petrol will join the range. A V8 diesel is also on the way, and while a plug-in version has been confirmed for China, no European launch date has been announced.
Our test car had the higher-power V6 TDI, which is as quiet and smooth here as it is elsewhere in the VW Group range. It glides effortlessly along deserted motorways, and feels sufficiently muscular to pick up pace when things get twisty. The gearbox can be a bit hesitant and throttle response is occasionally sluggish, but the ride is excellent. The all-new Touareg will happily waft in Comfort mode before tightening up in Sport; admirably minimising body roll through tight bends.
It seemingly shrinks around you at low speed, too. In fact, the four-wheel steering set-up gives it a turning circle not dissimilar to the latest Golf hatchback. You notice it when making quick U-turns or exiting particularly tight junctions – where the Touareg just slithers through apparently impossible gaps. Of course, it’s laden with cameras, too, meaning parking is a doddle.
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But from the back seat, the Touareg has improved once again. While rivals may offer seven seats, VW’s research suggests they are rarely used. As such, engineers have chosen to keep the firm’s flagship solely as a five-seater – improving space in the rear even for tall adults. There’s loads of knee room and ample headroom, and the doors open nice and wide for easy access.
The Touareg’s boot is huge, too. With the seats in place there’s 40 litres more than you’ll find in a Q7 (810 litres vs 770 litres) – and it very nearly matches the boxier XC90 punch-for-punch with its rear bench folded flat. Our car came fitted with all-round air suspension, which not only lets you to raise the ride height (by up to 70mm) for off-roading, but also allows you to drop it for help when loading heavy or bulky items in the back.
Key specs
- Model: Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI
- Price: £49,000 (est)
- Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel
- Power/torque: 282bhp/600Nm
- Transmission: Eight-speed auto, four-wheel drive
- 0-62mph: 6.1 seconds
- Top speed: 146mph
- Economy/CO2: 40.9mpg/182g/km
- On sale: June 7
