2016 Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI REVIEW | Caught Between Mainstream And Premium
VOLKSWAGEN'S TOUAREG SITS COMFORTABLY BETWEEN MAINSTREAM LARGE SUVS - LIKE THE FORD TERRITORY AND TOYOTA KLUGER – AND THE PREMIUM BRIGADE DOMINATED BY THE BMW X5 AND RANGE ROVER SPORT.
A base Touareg 150TDI with 3.0-litre V6 diesel costs $67,990 plus on-road costs, slightly beyond the top-spec Territory Titanium or Kluger Grande.
The Touareg V6 TDI, the one we’re testing here, costs $81,990 (plus on-road costs). It adds extra equipment and extra grunt – 180kW and 550Nm, up from 150kW and 450Nm – from the same engine as found in the base model.
But if you really want to shed the dollars, there’s the $114,990 (plus) Touareg V8 TDI R-Line packing a burly 250kW and 800Nm.
Vehicle Style: Large SUV
Price: $81,990 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 180kW/550Nm 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel | 8spd automatic
Fuel Economy claimed: 7.6 l/100km | tested: 8.6 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Volkswagen is now as mainstream as it was when the Beetle went around with an engine in its backside. The Golf, for instance, may come with a segment-defining interior and features, and have a benchmark engine under its snout, but you can take one home for Corolla cash.
Repositioning hasn’t occurred with the Touareg, however.
It remains the same $68K to $100K-plus proposition it was in 2005, which is just enough to earn its ‘private-school-chariot’ stripes and leave the Ford and Toyota to ‘other’ school pick-up duty.