It's German brands that do it for you. Why's that?
I'm a huge fan simply because of their performance and build quality. I love the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the new BMW 7 Series and since I have a Touareg — Volkswagen too.
What's special about your Touareg?
I came across it when I visited the VW showroom. At that time I was simply looking at different cars and trying to get an idea of the various options that came with each one. Then the sales rep showed me this Special Edition R-Line, of which there were only 71 produced.
One look at this Touareg and I was convinced that my next car had to be German. I bought it in September 2010, so it's nearly 10 months old now.
What other cars were you considering?
A BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7.I narrowed it down to a choice between the Q7 and the Touareg. The X5 seemed to be overpriced, and I didn't like the looks of the Cayenne.
The Q7 had a gorgeous interior, but seemed a little too big and might have posed a problem to park for my mum, who sometimes drives my car. The Touareg, therefore, ticked all the right boxes. I'm pretty happy with it. It has R-line badges, larger rims, side skirts and the tyres are wider as well. The end result isa sportier and more aggressive-looking SUV with a noticeably wider profile overall.
Sounds great, but there's a downside too, isn't there?
Yes — I can't really take it on the sand dunes because of the low-profile tyres.
How's the performance and handling?
It's reasonably quick if you consider the fact that it's a big and heavy SUV. Officially, it does 0-100kph in about 8 seconds but it feels faster. And it's got more than enough torque to allow for effortless overtaking on highways.
It has a 3.6-litre V6 that produces 276bhp and 360Nm of torque and it's mated toa six-speed-automatic. In Sport mode, the gear shifts are delayed in order to produce the maximum power. It's lots of fun for short bursts of acceleration. The brakes are good too; you suffer very little inertia in an emergency braking manoeuvre.
The steering wheel feels light and there is a hint of body roll when turning at high speed, but not much. It's a lot of fun to drive and my parents also enjoy being behind the wheel.
Nice interior, but it's missing one key feature…
It's got GPS, a DVD player and Bluetooth, but it lacks a reversing camera.
The sales rep at VW told us that it can't be fitted because of the body kit.
What plans do you have for it?
The idea of having the rims painted black has been on my mind for a while — so I might get that done in the future. But apart from that, I haven't really thought of anything else.
It's not as flashy as some other SUVs out there…
It isn't the most extravagantly styled SUV, but I think that is actually a good thing and I quite like the understated styling.
What is your dream car?
A BMW M5. I feel it's the most well-rounded car on the planet.
Bio
- Name Abner Saha
- Job Student
- From India
- Wheels 2010 Volkswagen Touareg R-Line
- In the UAE Four years
