Good points: Ride, interior features, off-road capabilities, seats, stereo, tight turning radius.
Needs improvement: Gas mileage, accelerator angle, interior gauges, complex GPS, CD changer, transmission, night interior lighting.

The Touareg is a sophisticated, powerful, SUV with luxury touches and a host of unique features. For example, it has an electronically controlled all-wheel-drive system that automatically switches power between axles and is quite capable of the hardest off road adventures. The problem is that this Volkswagen consistently thwarted our attempt to love it by sucking gas in great quantities, having a six-speed automatic transmission that was abrupt at times going into low gear, and a gas pedal that was both slippery and uneven on its impact on acceleration.

There are some great things to love about the Touareg, too, such as the seats, tight turning radius, and superior stereo.

On the other hand, you must be willing to accept some limitations such as seating for only five—and the centre rear seat is especially hard—a limited luggage carrying area that is smaller than a Lexus RX 330, and the cost of filling the 26.4 gallon tank with premium unleaded. Is the Touareg worth a look?

Yes, if you need a truly off-road vehicle that can easily be called a less expensive Porsche Cayenne.

We immediately called this Volkswagen SUV the “Beast. “ It rides heavy, feels heavy, and has a beastly appetite for premium unleaded. Don’t get us wrong, this is a good deal for a technological enhanced SUV. For your money, you get 310 V8 horsepower willing to pull the 5100-pound, five passenger Touareg around as well as 7000 pounds of trailer. All you need is your gas credit card. If you only need 220 horsepower. the six cylinder pulls just as much. Of course, the V8 storms to 60 mph in about 7.7 second and is much more luxurious.

Mom’s view: This is an interesting SUV with a lot going for it, but it also has a lot of things that bothered us. For example, the six speed automatic transmission frequently lunged when downshifting when stopping for a light as it went into low gear.

The gas mileage was abysmal. It is easy to have your foot slip off the metal gas pedal when you are wearing smooth soled shoes. In addition, Volkswagen has apparently programmed the accelerator so that you get a lot of power during the first third of pedal travel giving the impression there is a lot of propulsion left. When you push the pedal further down all you get is more noise and a transmission that is sometimes reluctant to decide whether to drop down one or two gears.

The Volkswagen also gave me other concerns. I found it difficult to know when the doors were locked or unlocked. You had to hold the remote key down a long time to get the rear hatch to open and the rear seat fold down procedure was not as logical as on other SUVs.

The metal surrounding the interior door handle gets extremely hot and the small font on the gauges was difficult to read. In fact, why does a SUV need a 160 speedometer anyway?

The optional air suspension worked its heart out trying to level the Touareg to the point of seasickness. The large rear wheel wells cut into the door openings making it easy to get the back of your clothes dirty while climbing aboard.

I also found visibility is limited to the sides and back due to mirrors that are too small and because the rear seat headrests take up a great deal of the rear view mirror’s range. Those rear headrests are also a problem when you want to fold the seat down to make room for longer cargo loads. There is no storage area for these leather-covered units. I also had problems with the overly complex GPS unit and the fact that the radio is controlled through the dash-mounted monitor. There are way too many buttons and knobs to learn how to use in just a week. Over time, I am sure this would not be such a problem.

That is a lot of negatives, but outside of the gas mileage, I could live with all of them because of the ride. With settings from sport to luxury on the centre armrest, you can dial in your requirements quickly.

The result is a soft ride not unlike that of a large sedan. The 4XMotion is quite capable of making this Volkswagen a force to be reckoned with off road.

In town the turning radius is tight making parking this short-coupled, 112-inch wheelbase, SUV undemanding.

In traffic the Touareg driving position is quite high, although getting into it isn’t difficult even while wearing a moderate length dress. Than there are the other nifty features such as an air-conditioned glove box, displays that contain a compass and altimeter, as well as latitude and longitude coordinates, and temperature displays. You also get miles per gallon and the name of the street you are on as part of this information barrage. The steering wheel has controls for the information screen, radio volume, and cruise control and is an ideal size.

Young working woman’s view: I would have liked to see the availability of a disc changer in the dash, optional satellite radio, the ability to recline the rear seats, key locks in the doors, not having to unlock the rear hatch every time, a passenger seat airbag shut-off, a rear entertainment centre, more rear leg room, and radio station change controls on the steering wheel.
There is plenty to like with this Volkswagen. The seats are comfortable. On cold days the Volkswagen has the ability to pump heat into the passenger compartment even while the engine if off. In terms of safety there are dual front airbags, front side airbags, curtain side airbags, antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, brake assist, antiskid system, a tire-pressure monitor, powerful daytime running lights, seat belts with force-limiters and tensioners, a rigid roof for protection in roll over accidents, and the ability to sense when the car has been in an accident and automatically unlock the doors, disconnects the battery, and turn on the warning flashers. Amazing.

I enjoyed the drivability and power the “Beast” brought to our testing area and in daily use. I liked it better than the new Volvo SUV and the Mercedes M Class SUV. I liked it better than the V8 competition from the American manufactures, too, because it was much more sophisticated and calming to drive in a variety of situations.

It is priced much better than the BMW and Porsche, but handles just as well. Only the Lexus promises to be competitive, but they are not as off-road ready as this Volkswagen.

The question to ask yourself is whether or not you need a large SUV in your life.

College going male’s view: This is a car that takes a while to get to know. It can be seductive at first, with its powerful purring engine and elegant interior.

The glow of its dash lights at night rivals a meteor shower and there’s enough buttons to play with to keep the conversation going on those long, blind date rides home. However, after the novelty wears off what you are left with is a high maintenance, but elegant, fun loving vehicle that can create a sense of lust or disgust with potential buyers depending if they can afford her expensive taste in petrol. Besides, it would be difficult for me to explain to the parents why my car has a deflated spare tire that requires the use of the included air compressor before it can replace a flat. Yep, the Touareg has an onboard compressor and hose for that purpose.

There is profusion of interesting items to enjoy with this Volkswagen. The power seats are easy to adjust. The ignition switch is located high on the dash and is simple to find, although it should be lighted when you enter at night to make it simpler to locate. There are lighted vanity mirrors, excellent cup holders, a nicely padded steering wheel, and a powerized steering wheel that lifts and telescopes. And, for those in the backseat our test car had an elaborate air conditioning control system that was trimmed in wood and looked very first class. At night, the Touareg has small red lights that indicate where the interior light switches are located over the rear doors. This is a great feature. In fact, you should test this car at night because it has a powerful set of headlights, too.

As in most relationships there are ups and downs and we are not talking about the air suspension here. There is the remote key fob that you had to hold down a long time before the trail gate released, an almost inaudible click to tell you if the car is locked, and the remote has limited range.

The small cargo area behind the rear seat is less that that of a Lexus RX 330. The rear seat mechanism needs to be mastered before the seat backs can be tucked to expand the space to a fairly level 71 cubic area of storage.

If you don’t have an owner’s manual don’t even try to master the technique to tilt the rear seat bottoms.

Would I buy one? No. I am not in any position to care for an expensive vehicle and, despite its obvious allure and promise of good times in distant places, I find this Volkswagen too upper middle class. I want the new Volkswagen van more and can hardly wait for its arrival. So cool and beachy, too.

Dad’s view: The VW's 4XMotion AWD with low-range gearing and a locking centre differential, ABS and antiskid systems is no toy. It is a hefty vehicle with a soft inside. The most notable element about the Touareg is the 4.2-liter engine that produces 310 horsepower, but you have to wait until the unit reaches 5000 rpm to harvest that thrust.

To move quickly you must shift the automatic transmission yourself. That is uncomplicated with the shift lever being mounted readily at hand. A problem does emerge though, when you have a drink in the centre console cup holder as the container interferes with your reach.

On the highway, the Touareg provides a satisfying ride, although the optional 19-inch wheels making a fair amount of noise over some surfaces. The compact 39.1 turning radius is great, but you can hear and feel the drive train binding during tight, parking lot turns. The Volkswagen is responsive, but don’t expect the term sporty from a reviewer when it comes time to describe its cornering.

Just as well, because the leather 12-way power adjustable seats are fairly flat and slippery. Driving- wise, the anti lock brakes were especially good, but the pedal feel was not really linear. Steering, with the rack and pinion system, was better than most and highway travel was exceptionally relaxing, except when there was a strong side wind.

The optional air suspension adapts the suspension to driving conditions and vehicle velocity by lowering the body as speed increases. It can also be raised when needed.

The Touareg's ground clearance goes from about eight inches up to as much as 11.8 inches with the a twist of the centre console mounted switch. But with the Touareg at its full height you better be wearing a kidney belt because there is no give to the suspension.

Interestingly, this is the same chassis that is used under the Porsche Cayenne.

Family conference: Before ordering a Touareg, we recommend highly you do your homework. You can get a locking rear differential, air suspension, xenon lights, larger tires, an electronic park assist, and other expensive options that can drive this Volkswagen to a very expensive level.

However, even the base unit is loaded with hill holder, descent control, and a unique centre knob that enables you control the locking differential, among other things. You also get heated front seats, a sunroof, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, five power outlets, tire-pressure monitor, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with built-in controls for audio, cruise and trip computer, and rain-sensing wipers.

We recommend you take a look at the V6 model first. It still gets poor gas mileage, averaging about 16 mpg in mixed use, but it offers most of the useful features of its more powerful brother and is more nimble and costs several thousand dollars less.

There is a lot going for the new Touareg, such as the ability to go off road with ease and a sophisticated suspension system. There are also plenty of features, such as automatic dimming rear mirrors, independent suspension, and a flip-up rear hatch window that enhance the ownership experience. If we had the gas money, this Volkswagen would be a be an enjoyable ride, and its always fun to control a “beast.”

Written by The Car Family