Volkswagen Touareg 2006 Review

While Volkswagen was revealing the mid-life facelift of its Touareg SUV at the Paris Motor Show, it was undergoing an urgent double heart transplant for presentation in the Australian capital.

So urgent, in fact, that while we won't see the tarted-up Touareg until well into the new year, the current shape has been revised, priced down and beefed up under the bonnet.

Cosmetic frippery can wait - in the wake of new SUVs from other marques, VW needs it to perform in the market now.

That translates to two new V6 engines that massively enhance on-road performance.

There's the 3.0 TDI (direct injection turbo diesel) that graces several Audis, most saliently its new Q7 - an SUV that's more expensive and perceived as more prestigious than the Touareg.

Then there's a 3.6 FSI, an ungunned version of the VW group's direct injection petrol six that does not arrive in the Q7 until next month.

In Touareg form, both are of identical trim and price - $74,990.

The doughty 2.5 R5 TDI remains the entry model at $64,990 and the heroic 5.0 V10 TDI is top dog, though at a reduced $121,990.

All are driven through a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission with manual function and sport mode.

The V8 petrol is no more for Australia, leaving three diesels in the four-model line-up.

Climbing into either of the new V6s is to be reminded that Touareg approximates, rather than emulates, pointy-end-of-the-plane luxury.

The finish isn't quite up there and nor, I suspected after 215km alone in the FSI, is the fit.

A vibration and a squeak were to be heard from within the dash and doors during the drive on tarmac and dirt roads between Canberra and Crackenback. Not overly distracting to be sure, but incongruent with $75K.

That said, the TDI example didn't emit so much as a peep on the way back, an ambience undisturbed by an engine that's as suited to a luxury saloon as it is an SUV, with genuine off-road and towing capability.

For all its excellence, the sole petrol Touareg looks even more token when driven back-to-back with the 3.0 TDI.

In all circumstances, save for off-the-line acceleration, the FSI's power advantage (206kW over the TDI's 165kW) is obliterated by the diesel's volcanic torque.

With 500Nm at its disposal from 1500-1800rpm, the diesel's torque dwarfs the petrol's 360Nm, which turns up at 2800rpm. And in doing so, the TDI consumes a claimed 10.9 litres of fuel per 100km, as opposed to 13.8.

The hoary argument about diesel's relative expense at the pump cuts no ice. FSI technology demands the near-equivalently priced 98 RON petrol.

Though hefty beasts - the diesel weighs in at 2345kg - the Touareg's road manners are polite.

Both new models were equipped with air suspension and active dampers that, combined with variable 4Motion all-wheel drive, imbue the Touareg with poise and stability through corners.

The almost car-like impression extends to the driving position, which is perhaps a little too much so - it's tough to see beyond the bonnet when purring uphill.

With an exceptional list of standard features, VW's only SUV is a compelling package made more so by its five-star rating in NCAP crash testing, an exacting procedure in which the Q7 could manage just four.

And if buying a more lustrous badge than Volkswagen's is a heart over head decision, the new Touaregs deliver loads of real ticker.

Paul Pottinger is a senior roadtester on the CARSguide team, and also editor of the Sunday Telegraph CARSguide. A version of this review, as well as other news, reviews and analysis will appear in the Sunday Telegraph.