Topic: First Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg

[Autos_Editor]

An all-new VW Touareg hybrid will join the V6 gas and diesel models for the 2011 model year, reports Editor-in-chief, Greg Wilson.  All 2011 Touaregs will have better fuel economy, improved driving dynamics, and more interior room, he says.

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[John MacDonald]

The Touareg has always been a good looking vehicle in my eyes (especially when it first came out) but now with the improvement in styling it's maintained it's attractiveness.  From the sound of the article this vehicle is light years ahead of the previous generation and it makes me say why don't all car companies do the same thing as VW with this vehicle.  Every car can be improved in some way or another and the vast majority of redesigns and refreshes only address a few of the problems.  Yet another reason why I'm such a big fan of VW (I've never owned one but man do they drive well).  The 2010 TDI model won the AJAC award and I'm going to say right now that it will repeat next year with either the TDI or the Hybrid model.  That being said this vehicle is very expensive and if I had $45,000 (base model) I think I would just buy myself the Audi Q5 SUV.  I know that the Q5 is smaller (it would fit in somewhere between the Tiguan and the Touareg) but it comes with basically the same HP and a much more attractive styling and I'd rather say i own an Audi than VW.

[bluelines]

The 200 kg weight saving is highly misleading. They have achieved most of this by stripping out the off road gear from the base model (i.e. the base model does not have the low range transmission and locking diff that is currently standard on all Touaregs). You could argue that most buyers won't take the vehicle off road anyway, but one of the key differentiators of the Touareg has always been that it has real off road ability, far more so than the X5, for example.

For many of the Touareg enthusiasts on the various forums, the stripping out of the off road equipment is a total deal breaker.

[Shnak]

Oh come on, most Touareg buyers they don't need the off road capabilities, nor do they care about it. This allows VW to lower the price of the Touareg, which is great as they were way too expensive, and those who do want the extra capabilities will pay extra for it. I'd be curious to see what % actually picks up the Terrain Tech Pack, probably less than 10% of sales.

[Winterpeg]

Oh come on, most Touareg buyers they don't need the off road capabilities, nor do they care about it. This allows VW to lower the price of the Touareg, which is great as they were way too expensive, and those who do want the extra capabilities will pay extra for it. I'd be curious to see what % actually picks up the Terrain Tech Pack, probably less than 10% of sales.


I agree Shnak....most Touareg (to be more precise most SUV) buyers/drivers never take them 4x4'ing. All that matters is getting to the country club in time for tee off....among other "activities" and the rest who venture offroad to the "cabin" will have to pay a few more $$$$$'s for the additional pkge.   

[lebowski]

This car looks like a winner. It's even better looking than the original, which i really liked, and I agree it was shrewd of VW to render the added extra weight/cost of serious off-road capability as an option this time around.

Can anyone remember the last time an updated version of an SUV was introduced with a curb weight *lower* than its predecessor? Bravo, VW.

Also, it's hard to believe VAG would price the V6 Touareg too close to the Audi Q5. They're smarter than that...I think. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[John MacDonald]

This car looks like a winner. It's even better looking than the original, which i really liked, and I agree it was shrewd of VW to render the added extra weight/cost of serious off-road capability as an option this time around.

Can anyone remember the last time an updated version of an SUV was introduced with a curb weight *lower* than its predecessor? Bravo, VW.

Also, it's hard to believe VAG would price the V6 Touareg too close to the Audi Q5. They're smarter than that...I think. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

There are plenty of SUV's (and cars for that matter) that the updated version weighs less.  Here's a couple, the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2010 Hyundai Tucson.  But the real question should be does anyone know of the last time a vehicle got updated and lost 450 pounds!  That just doesn't happen, more of the time a big weight loss would be about 100 pounds, to lose 4.5X that amount is really something.  As for the price being close to the Q5 I think it's inevitable seeing as the base Touareg is $45,000 right now (might go down with the cheaper AWD system) and the base Q5 is $43,500.

[wing]

The Q5 is a much smaller SUV though based on the A4 platform (modified).

[lebowski]

There are plenty of SUV's (and cars for that matter) that the updated version weighs less.  Here's a couple, the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2010 Hyundai Tucson.  But the real question should be does anyone know of the last time a vehicle got updated and lost 450 pounds!  That just doesn't happen, more of the time a big weight loss would be about 100 pounds, to lose 4.5X that amount is really something.  As for the price being close to the Q5 I think it's inevitable seeing as the base Touareg is $45,000 right now (might go down with the cheaper AWD system) and the base Q5 is $43,500.

@John MacDonald, i stand corrected on both points  . Noted, there have been some SUV's lighter than their predecessors, but yeah, 450 lbs. is indeed a huge difference.

As for the pricing, that is really strange and i have to believe the marginal price difference between the two won't last (either the VW's will be lowered, or the Audi's will be raised).

[Dan]

I have to agree with everyone that the design is amazing....thats one thing that VW has going for it and the other is the way their vehicles drive...but I had 2 VW's in the past and the reliability was way below average, plus the cost for the repairs has made me stop buying VW...i know people will say that the reliability has improved now but thats what everyone has been saying about Toyota all these years too and im just speaking from my own experience here so even though VW has great looking cars they have lost me as a customer. The price of new VW seems to be getting a little high in my opinion as well.

[John MacDonald]

The Q5 is a much smaller SUV though based on the A4 platform (modified).

For sure it's smaller but the front space is about the same size and it's all about the driver.  The kids/passangers in the back don't get a vote.

[John MacDonald]

There are plenty of SUV's (and cars for that matter) that the updated version weighs less.  Here's a couple, the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2010 Hyundai Tucson.  But the real question should be does anyone know of the last time a vehicle got updated and lost 450 pounds!  That just doesn't happen, more of the time a big weight loss would be about 100 pounds, to lose 4.5X that amount is really something.  As for the price being close to the Q5 I think it's inevitable seeing as the base Touareg is $45,000 right now (might go down with the cheaper AWD system) and the base Q5 is $43,500.

@John MacDonald, i stand corrected on both points  . Noted, there have been some SUV's lighter than their predecessors, but yeah, 450 lbs. is indeed a huge difference.

As for the pricing, that is really strange and i have to believe the marginal price difference between the two won't last (either the VW's will be lowered, or the Audi's will be raised).

It's funny some of the prices of the VW and Audi, the gap seems to be norrowing on their premium vehicles.  For example I'd buy the Q5 over the Touareg and I'd buy the Passat CC V6 over the Audi A4 (premium with quattro auto trans) which are both $45,000 ish.

[Spheric]

Looks great though almost uncannily like a Golf on steroids.

Never really cared for how well it performs on the Dakar rally but if it can generate on a consistent basis, a few 'average reliability' (or better) clear circles on the CR reports instead of that big black dot it always gets, I might seriously look at one in the next couple of years.

[Shnak]

It's funny some of the prices of the VW and Audi, the gap seems to be norrowing on their premium vehicles.  For example I'd buy the Q5 over the Touareg and I'd buy the Passat CC V6 over the Audi A4 (premium with quattro auto trans) which are both $45,000 ish.

Comparing prices of the Q5 with the Touareg is meaningless.

If you want to compare prices, compare the Tiguan with the Q5, and the Touareg with the Q7. Those are the similar models. Comparing the Touareg with the Q5 is like comparing the Avalon with the IS250. Sure they're about the same price, but they don't offer nearly the same thing.

[aknutson]

Nice going VW! I'm really happy to see the trend that engineers are actually getting to fiddle with the important pieces on a car, not the styling-only changes we've been seeing for the past decade. Every generation cars would get bigger, heavier and often use a bigger motor that drank more fuel. Lately they have been making bigger and more efficient motors that actually use significantly less fuel and reduced emissions, lighter curb weights, and...well, they are still bloating new models, but at least they are better performers. Someone mentioned the Santa Fe - 2010 gets a 3.5L motor (vs. old 3.3) that has like a 35-hp increase but gets 20% better fuel economy. Keep it up guys!

[John MacDonald]

It's funny some of the prices of the VW and Audi, the gap seems to be norrowing on their premium vehicles.  For example I'd buy the Q5 over the Touareg and I'd buy the Passat CC V6 over the Audi A4 (premium with quattro auto trans) which are both $45,000 ish.

Comparing prices of the Q5 with the Touareg is meaningless.

If you want to compare prices, compare the Tiguan with the Q5, and the Touareg with the Q7. Those are the similar models. Comparing the Touareg with the Q5 is like comparing the Avalon with the IS250. Sure they're about the same price, but they don't offer nearly the same thing.

I'll disagree Shnak because like I stated above the Q5 fits inbetween the Tiguan and Touareg in size.  The Tiguan is quite small and you can tell it's based of the Golf where as the Q5 is based off the A4 which is a bigger vehicle and has more room and more power.  The comparo is with price and performance and on both parts the Q5 and base Touareg would be a good comparo.  If however you need more room in the back seat of your SUV then for sure you'll probably go for the Touareg, I'm just saying that I would go for the Q5 as back seat space is not high on our list (it is a consideration but there are more important things).

[John MacDonald]

Nice going VW! I'm really happy to see the trend that engineers are actually getting to fiddle with the important pieces on a car, not the styling-only changes we've been seeing for the past decade. Every generation cars would get bigger, heavier and often use a bigger motor that drank more fuel. Lately they have been making bigger and more efficient motors that actually use significantly less fuel and reduced emissions, lighter curb weights, and...well, they are still bloating new models, but at least they are better performers. Someone mentioned the Santa Fe - 2010 gets a 3.5L motor (vs. old 3.3) that has like a 35-hp increase but gets 20% better fuel economy. Keep it up guys!

Yeah just think what that 3.5L engine out of the Santa Fe would be like with GDI tech, it get over 300HP and probably another 10% better fuel economy.  All these companies have the technology and know how it's just making the most money, not about producing the best possible vehicle.  Heck just look at the Bugatti Veyron, VW is capable of making the fastest car on the planet but they lose millions of dollars doing so.

[Mike]

Anyone interested in the Touareg should probably budget for buying two of them -- one to drive while the other is being fixed.  

[ktm525]

Interesting vehicle in a diesel. I would only consider if they had in writing a Touareg loaner guaranteed when mine goes into the shop... Or a GTI

[ethan]

No low range make this car a dime a dozen in the US.  I can name at least 2 digits of AWD SUVS in the states, but I cannot name a single diesel 4x4 w/ a low range.  They should just name this the Tiguan XL, or German Honda Pilot, or not quite a Mercedes SUV, etc.  Keep the 4x4, air suspension as options, or this vehicle will be lost in the murky SUV land of the rest of he bunch...