Volkswagen Touareg 2012 review

Volkswagen has announced styling changes to the 2013 model Touareg and at the same time has significantly upgraded the equipment levels of its medium-large SUV.

VALUE

Entry level Touareg 150TDI now has a standard Rear View Camera (RVC Plus) that improves reversing safety by displaying static and dynamic guidance lines on the display. This is an important safety features as their can be no worse feeling than reversing into a child hidden behind a large vehicle. 

The petrol powered Volkswagen Touareg V6 FSI was never a big seller in Australia so has been discontinued to make space for more turbo-diesel models on the importing ships.

TECHNOLOGY

All Volkswagen Tuoaregs are powered by V6 engines that drive through a sophisticated eight-speed automatic transmission. The entry level Touareg is powered by a 3.0 litre, six cylinder engine with an eight speed sports automatic transmission. This results in 150kw of power and 400Nm torque.

DESIGN

The Touareg V6 TDI 4Motion body now has the same exterior design as the other variants, incorporating the body coloured lower side and bumper trims with chrome mouldings as well as dual chromed triangular exhaust tips on either side. The previous styling of grey and silver coloured lower body side and bumper trims as well as oval chromed exhaust tailpipes is now being offered as an option at no charge for those customers intending to put the Touareg’s off-road credentials to the test.

The Touareg 150TDI has bi-xenon headlights, LED daytime driving lights and Karakum 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside the cabin, there’s now a luxury look provided by Vienna leather seat upholstery. The driver and front passenger seats have 12-way electric adjustment and electro-pneumatically adjustable backrest side bolsters. The new design of safety-optimised front head restraints permit height and longitudinal adjustment.

The rear backrest now provides the convenience of split-fold 60:40 that can be operated from within the luggage compartment creating more convenient solutions for transporting bulky items.

SAFETY

The biggest news is on the safety front with all 2013 Volkswagen Tuaregs getting Volkswagen’s clever Driver Fatigue System (DFS). At the start of each trip the system analyses the driver’s characteristic steering behaviour, their use of pedals and transverse acceleration. If the monitored parameters show a significant deviation from the steering behaviour recorded at the beginning of the trip, warning lights and buzzers alert the driver and recommends they take a break. 

If the driver does not take a break within the next 15 minutes, the warning is repeated. Which seems rather too long a gap to us, but hopefully Volkswagen’s engineers have considered this. 

The optional Driver Assistance Package now also contains the added City Emergency Braking function. The City EB function is active below a speed of 30 km/h and also reacts to stationary vehicles; if necessary, it automatically initiates a braking manoeuvre, thereby contributing to avoidance of an impending front end collision or at least minimising the resulting damage.

DRIVING

Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI has received 20-inch Pikes Peak alloy wheels with 275/45 R20 tyres that team with air suspension with adaptive dampening control. This gives the benefit of the looks of the big wheels without the harsh ride that can be created by low profile tyres on rough Australian backroads.

The complete 2013 Volkswagen Touareg range is:

150TDI 3.0-litre turbo-diesel five-door wagon: $62,990 (automatic)
V6 TDI 3.0-litre turbo-diesel five-door wagon: $78,990 (automatic)
V6 TDI 4MOTION 3.0-litre turbo-diesel five-door wagon: $83,990

Volkswagen Touareg

Price: from $62,990
Warranty: 3 years roadside
Engine: 3-litre, 6-cyl, 150kW/400Nm
Transmission: 8-speed diesel, AWD
Safety: n/a
Body: 4898mm (L); 1965mm (W); 1732mm (H)
Thirst: 7.2L/100km, 190g/km CO2