Motor News
Underrated luxury: The new VW Touareg is cushy, practical and brilliantly executed
Black detailing adds a sporting attitude that may polarise opinion, though
Despite a close under-skin relationship with the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and the Lamborghini Urus, the Volkswagen Touareg continues to bask in the shadows of its more fancied cousins but it has distinct styling and it’s also pitched and priced as a premium alternative to the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE and Range Rover Sport.
This Executive model unit is equipped with the Black Style Package, a R41,500 option that adds blackened chrome elements, front air intake and grille, roof rails and exterior mirror housings. The bumpers too are "R" style and it’s perched on black 21-inch Suzuka alloy wheels.
The "Black Pack" gives this large SUV a sinister race-face that I didn’t like, and that's equally at odds with the fancy place that greets you when you climb aboard.
The Innovision cockpit dominates with class and a 38.1cm brilliant graphics main display. It’s one of the largest I’ve seen in the segment and it’s a deep labyrinth of touch-activated, tactile and mostly quick and intuitive infotainment features. Another 30.4cm digital screen houses the driver’s array of instrumentation.
Both are stacked with every conceivable high-end feature you’d want in a premium SUV, including optional head-up display and standard matrix headlamps.
Image: Phuti Mpyane
Image: Phuti Mpyane
TECH SPECS
ENGINE
Type: V6 turbo diesel
Capacity: 2,967cc
Power: 190kW
Torque: 600Nm
TRANSMISSION
Type: Eight-speed automatic
DRIVETRAIN
Type: Full-time 4X4
PERFORMANCE
Top speed: 231km/h
0-100km/h: 6.1 sec
Fuel Consumption: 7.1l/100km (as claimed) 10.1l/100km (as tested)
Emissions: 188g/kg
The Touareg is one of the early adopters of adjustable air-suspension and the latest damping technology is at a supreme level. It seems good at dealing with bumps in its normal mode and when its softer comfort mode is selected it doesn’t heave about clumsily, and maintains a respectable level of sturdiness under enthusiastic cornering.
Thumb in sport and the suspension hunkers down for better grip levels which proved good rather than modest owing to standard fitment four wheel steering. The 3.0l V6 TDI with 190kW and 600Nm engine that’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission revs freely and has plenty of lowdown muscle when poked from its slumbers. Performance is acceptably brisk, and the 6.1 sec to 100km/h and 231km/h top speed are ballpark figures in the diesel six-cylinder powered large SUV segment it competes in.
The robust torque also bodes well for use of its integrated mountaineering equipment of a low-range gear and off-road height mode. A short bush drive revealed it’s also at home in the rough but the wide and large diameter alloys will limit your game tracking sport.
Ultimately the Touareg’s comfortable underpinnings make it happiest when cruising in a hushed and stately progress on normal roads. It devoured an average 10.5l/100km/h during the test period of mostly relaxed and sometimes hurried driving styles. It’s quite unlikely I would opt for the Batman suit bits though as the Touareg looks stunning in its regular frock.