Volkswagen Touareg 2021 review: Adventure off-road test

The Adventure looks pretty good from the outside, but the inside is a real crowd-pleaser: the two-tone ‘Savona’ leather interior is rather eye-catching, as is the open-pore ash wood trim on the dash and doors; and the whole dash and media screen set-up is angled towards the driver, which gives the cabin a snug feel.

The Adventure looks pretty good from the outside.

It’s a distinctly premium space, that’s for sure, and a mostly practical one, as well – as long as you watch out for real-life messes, stains and spills – in other words, anything resulting from kids being kids.

But it is a very nice space in which to quickly get comfortable, with cushy seating and soft-touch surfaces everywhere and those make spending any time in here a welcome ask. 

All seats are very comfortable and the front seats are power-adjustable (with memory settings) and are heated and cooled – obviously not at the same time. 

The rear seats are a 40/20/40 split configuration and that row can slide and recline. It has a fold-down centre arm-rest with cupholders.

The rear seats are a 40/20/40 split configuration and that row can slide and recline. 

There are plenty storage spaces including the usual suspects (glove box, cup-holders, door pockets etc) as well as the centre console. The wireless phone-charging spot in front of the auto shifter, which I didn’t use for its intended purpose but instead put my phone, wallet and other assorted bits and pieces in there.

If you’re looking to charge your devices, there’s a USB port (tucked away in front of the shifter) and a USB port and 12V socket in the centre console.

The 9.2-inch colour touch screen is clear and easy enough to use, but I experienced some issues trying to link my smartphone (Android Auto) to it – but I eventually sorted it out.

The 9.2-inch colour touch screen is clear and easy enough to use.

Rear cargo area capacity is listed as 810 litres with the rear seat in use, and 1800L with those seats folded.  

Overall, this is a very nice cabin: it feels premium and it’s supremely comfortable.

For a bloke who spends most of his time in rough-riding 4WDs, this Touareg is a revelation of sorts.

The marketing staff tasked with promoting any one of the many vehicles I’ve driven in recent years would love everyone to believe that their products are “car-like” in terms of ride and handling, but the reality is a fair bit different.

Not for this VW though, because this successfully inhabits the realm of city-friendly large SUVs far better than many others do.

It is a mostly quiet, smooth driving experience.

As noted earlier, the six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and eight-speed auto makes an easy-going but generally effective match-up. The little shifter takes a bit of getting used to, though.

The Touareg is 4878mm long (with a 2899mm wheelbase) and it’s 1984mm wide and 1686mm high. It feels well-settled at all times – except on sharper corrugated dirt tracks, but more about that later.

The Touareg is 4878mm long (with a 2899mm wheelbase) and it’s 1984mm wide and 1686mm high.

The steering wheel has paddle shifters if you get the urge to work through the transmission that way.

VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drive system – with up to 70 percent of the drive torque being sent to the front axle, or up to 80 percent to the rear axle, depending on circumstances and conditions – is generally quietly effective in day-to-day driving and on different surfaces that offer up various levels of traction.

Cycling through the drive mode options – eco, comfort, normal, sport, individual, off-road, snow – is easy enough to do via a dial to the rear of the shifter, and your selection tweaks engine performance, throttle response, and damping and steering, among other characteristics, to suit your selection. 

The Touareg is a mostly quiet, smooth driving experience.

Adjustable air suspension comes in handy, but more so when you head off-road, but the rotary dial is to the left of the drive mode dial if you get the urge to use it. 

But it’s not all good news. 

There’s disconcerting turbo lag when accelerating, especially under heavy throttle from a standing start. It takes some time to get moving and that can leave you hanging in a busy intersection.

And the road tyres – Pirelli P Zero (255/55 R19) – are fit for on-road driving but leave you scant wriggle room when it comes time to head off-road – but more about that in the next section.

Otherwise, the Adventure is a very comfortable daily driver.

This Touareg has a claimed fuel consumption of 7.4L/100km (combined). 

We recorded 8.6L/100km after almost 400km of driving, including a lot of lightly corrugated dirt roads and some low-speed off-roading.

Our Adventure had a 90-litre fuel tank; 75 litres is the norm in a standard Touareg.

It has a transferable five-year / unlimited kilometre warranty with complimentary one-year membership to VW Roadside Assist.

Servicing intervals are set at 15,000km / 12 months and, under the Assured Service Plan, cost $354, $737, $420, $1232 (at 60,000km / 48 months), and $420.

The 2021 Touareg has a transferable five-year / unlimited kilometre warranty with complimentary one-year membership to VW Roadside Assist.

If you opt for the Care Plan, service costs are $1350 (at the three-year mark) and $2500 (at the five-year mark). Those totals amount to savings of $161 and $663, respectively, over the Assured Service Plan.