Launched in 2002, the original Touareg was the product of a joint venture, with Porsche and Audi sharing costs and using the same PL71 platform as the basis for the Cayenne and later, the Q7. The Touareg sat somewhere between the two — not as overtly sporty as the Porsche, nor as road-biased as the Audi. It kept the off-road capability of a proper low range gearbox and optional air suspension helped give it a combination of good ride and road manners, coupled with decent sure-footedness in the rough stuff. A minor facelift in 2007 saw the very plain face updated with the corporate shield grille and fancier lights, but that was about it.
In pictures: 2010 Volkswagen Touareg
Engines were the familiar 3.6-litre V6, and later a 4.2-litre V8. Europe got diesel versions of both, and the stonking V10 was available for a while. Some early examples suffered engine failures and build quality was hardly stellar — rubber paint on the illuminated switches had a habit of rubbing off over time and was hugely expensive to rectify. But over time it got better and the Touareg offered reasonable performance and reliability, even if it was never going to set the road on fire.
On the move, the impressions were much as you would expect; a really heavy car propelled by a small engine, which always had to work hard and developed an unhealthy appetite for unleaded. And yet they sold well, with Touaregs of all shades all too common on the school and supermarket run. Which is a shame, because like the Cayenne, a properly specced Touareg is surprisingly competent off-road.
But that was then. The game has undoubtedly moved on and VW moved with it. So, wheels went to Tuscany to find out just how far they've come.
Smrter and leaner
First impressions are that the new generation Touareg has a more aesthetically appealing design. Penned by Walter de'Silva and Klaus Bischoff, it is wider, longer and lower than its predecessor and sports the new corporate visage of strong horizontal bands. In fact, what it most looks like is a pumped up Scirocco, which is no bad thing. You could argue that this is the most resolved and successful of all the PL71 variants. Gone are the heavy, slab sided looks, replaced with a much more fluid and sculpted shape, with jewel-like headlights and completely new tail lights, together with a range of new wheels in 18, 19 and 20in sizes.
The story is similar inside, with a strong horizontal theme dominating, set off by a solid centre console with the now obligatory sat-nav. Below it are the rotary controls for driving conditions (the computer adjusts throttle response, traction control and so on for snow, sand and on-road accordingly), and for the air suspension which raises the whole car for better off-road ground clearance. It does the opposite on-road, lowering the body at high speeds for better stability and reduced wind resistance.
But it is in the driving experience that the biggest difference is felt. VW has invested a huge amount of time and effort in weight reduction. This Touareg has spent its days in the gym and its nights eating sensibly and in the process has shed an astonishing 208kg, or 10 per cent of its predecessor's weight. So not only is it smarter and better looking, it's fitter too, sipping fuel as much as 20 per cent more efficiently than before.
On road, this translates into a completely new experience; a car that is much more responsive and wieldy, a luxurious and comfortable mile-eater and a capable off-roader all in one. Quite an achievement. Gone is the old and lumbering leviathan, replaced with a very car-like experience that is crisp, accurate and fast. It rides superbly, completely smothering small imperfections in the surface and refusing to be upset by even the largest potholes. However, there is a caveat — the 20in wheels on our tester may look great, but they wear very skinny rubber and transmit quite a lot of noise into the cabin. This intrusive thump rather spoils the air of calm sophistication inside the car. Smaller wheels and bigger tyres would definitely be the way to go — noise wasn't a problem at all on the cars kitted for off-road use and I wonder whether the selection of tyres "optimised for rolling resistance" has resulted in a compound that is stiffer than ideal.
Pocket-friendly
We had a chance to drive the whole current range, including VW's intriguing first production hybrid. The Hybrid uses a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 coupled to an electric motor-cum-generator that sits between engine and gearbox. The result, they claim, is a car with the performance of a V8 and the consumption of a four cylinder. Certainly the latter is justified — a miserly 28.7mpg and sub-200g of CO2. Unfortunately, our test route into the heart of the ancient city of Florence gave us little opportunity to test the former.
That said, the Hybrid is intended to be an urban vehicle. While it will only cover a paltry 2km purely on electric power, it is constantly working to balance the various technologies into a seamlessly integrated driving experience. It moves off under electric power, then the petrol engine joins in (you can't feel it engage, but the sweep of the rev counter tells you what's happening). Cruise gently and you're only using petrol. Accelerate hard and the electric motor rejoins the party to boost performance. Coupled together, they deliver a healthy 380bhp and a whopping 500Nm of torque. Indeed, the Hybrid is rated to tow a 3.5-tonne load.
Back off and everything goes into reverse. The petrol engine is de-coupled from the drivetrain to eliminate engine drag and the electric motor recovers energy by working as a generator. When you brake, this effort is increased, feeding as much energy as possible back to the battery. Come to a halt and the petrol engine stops completely, so the only things working are electrical, including the AC. Step on the pedal and it all re-engages. Cool.
It all seems to work. In urban driving the Hybrid offers fuel savings of more than 25 per cent compared to a conventional setup. Downsides? The brakes took some getting used to, feeling very over-servoed and fierce. Whether this was due to the energy recuperation process, or just the braking set-up on the Hybrid, we couldn't tell, but I wasn't the only driver to comment on the experience. Once clear of the city and headed for the off-road course, it was time to experience the more conventional cars; the 3.6-litre V6 and the 4.2-litre V8. The 280bhp petrol unit in the new Touareg is more fuel efficient and eco-friendly than the previous version. It returns figures of almost 24mpg and 236g of CO2/km.
The other thing to specify is the optional Terrain Tech package. Although all Touaregs are permanent 4WD, there are actually two versions. The standard is a beefed-up version of VW's 4Motion system with a self-locking centre diff. The Terrain Tech package is called 4XMotion and comprises a transfer case, low range gearset, an electrically controlled centre lock and a locking diff in the rear axle. Together with the air suspension and a 100-litre fuel tank, 15 litres more than the standard version, this makes for a formidable set of abilities. It will climb a 45-degree slope, get down again with Hill Descent assist and wade through 580mm of water.
There's a huge amount of technology built into this new Touareg, which is bristling with cameras, sensors and proximity detectors. Adaptive Cruise Control, Front Assist (warns you that you're about to run into something), Side Assist (detects nearby vehicles), Lane Assist (vibrates the steering wheel if you start wandering across lanes), Area View (bird's eye view of what's around you) and even Dynamic Light Assist — fancy headlights that change the shape of their beam to avoid dazzling other drivers while keeping the road around them clearly lit. In fact, there's so much technology going on that I asked a member of the Touareg team about it — apparently, "the markets demand it".
However, I wonder what the implications are for complexity, reliability and performance. I mean, do you really need an electrically opening tailgate, or electrically folding rear seats in a rugged go-anywhere vehicle? Apparently you do, so what do I know?
Truth be told, I wasn't a fan of the old Touareg. I thought it was far too heavy, which blunted the performance both on and off-road, made it thirsty and put too much strain on the smaller engines. The diesels work better but are largely irrelevant here.
Verdict
So the new Touareg is a revelation. It is faster, lighter and better built than its predecessor, as well as massively well equipped. The Hybrid is undoubtedly a technological triumph, but I can't help feeling it's the answer to a question that needn't be asked. So I'll bide my time and wait impatiently for the arrival of the new V8 petrol, which should be available here early next year. It can't come soon enough.
More miles, less fuel
The all-wheel drive Touareg Hybrid is VW's first production hybrid. The drive unit of this parallel hybrid SUV comprises a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 engine, an eight-speed automatic transmission, torque converter and the hybrid module. The latter includes an electric motor and a disengagement clutch that disconnects the transmission from the petrol engine when in pure electric mode.
Together, the V6 unit and the motor generate a total system output of 380bhp and 580Nm, all the while returning a claimed economy of 28.7mpg. The electric motor draws energy from a Nickel Metal-Hydride battery at the rear. The energy stored in this unit is enough to haul the Touareg for 2km and up to 50kph in electric mode. Doesn't sound like much, but it could come in handy if you repeatedly ignore the low-fuel warning, run out of petrol and want to drive just to the next pump.
Specs & rating
- Model: 2010 Touareg
- Engine: 3.6-litre V6
- Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
- Max power: 280bhp @ 6,200rpm
- Max torque: 360Nm @ 2,500rpm
- Top speed: NA
- 0-100kph: NA
- Price: TBC
- Plus: Build quality, fuel economy, equipment levels
- Minus: Not for technophobes