Test drive VW Touareg 3.0 TDI: who is the boss

Testing the new flagship in the Volkswagen product line

The new version of the Touareg is a great car for a number of reasons. The first and, perhaps, the main among them is that in the future the full-size SUV will become the top for the portfolio of the brand from Wolfsburg, that is, it will synthesize all the best that the company is capable of. The best both in terms of the proposed technologies and in terms of quality, comfort, functionality, dynamics. In a word, the best of the best. And this, of course, gives rise to already high expectations from the Touareg.

Confident vision

An elongated body length of almost eight centimeters, while maintaining a wheelbase of 2893 mm, gives the new edition more dynamic proportions. The car's muscular shape is paired with a generous chrome front end that definitely stands out from the crowd and sets the Touareg apart from its many competitors in the top SUV segment. What can be said about the exterior and interior design, in fact, epitomizes the overall evolution of the character of the car - if the previous model relied on the brand's typical restraint and restraint, combined with the proverbial perfection of details, the new Touareg wants to impress the presence and emphasize the image of its owner.

It is in this direction that cardinal changes have taken place in the interior of the new Touareg. Most of the dashboard is already occupied by screens, and a 12-inch display of steering wheel controls is built into a common surface with a 15-inch multimedia terminal located on the center console. The classic buttons and instruments on the dashboard are kept to a minimum, and functions are controlled via a large touchscreen in the center. For the first time, the model is also available with a head-up display that concentrates the most important information in a high-resolution color widescreen image in the driver's immediate field of vision. Both the display and the head-up display are subject to individual settings and storage, and the selected configuration is activated automatically when the individual ignition key is connected. There is a constant connection to the global network, as well as the entire modern arsenal for connecting to a personal mobile device - from Mirror Link and an inductive charging pad to Android Auto. Against this background, it is unnecessary to list all the abundance of electronic auxiliary systems, among which there are even such avant-garde accents as Nightvision with infrared sensors for roadside hazards and matrix LED headlights.

Impressive opportunities on and off the road

The Touareg III is available as standard with steel springs and an optional multi-stage air system that, depending on the conditions, helps to increase flotation, improve aerodynamics or improve access to the load compartment, which increases its capacity by more than one hundred liters. A very effective measure for optimizing the behavior of a large off-road vehicle is electromechanically actuated active anti-roll bars to minimize body sway in corners and thus achieve more wheel travel and better ground contact when overcoming large bumps. The system is powered by supercapacitors in a separate 48V mains. A wide range of tuning options for the chassis, drive and electronic systems, as well as adjustable ride height in versions with air suspension, allow you to realize extremely serious opportunities for solving difficult tasks on rough terrain - if, of course, a person is ready to subject such a magnificent car to such experiments. At least as remarkable is the travel comfort worthy of a high-end limousine.

The new edition's 6-litre diesel V600 delivers solid traction - delivering 2300 Nm of torque at 286 rpm helps the nine-speed automatic virtually eliminate the sensation of over two tons of weight and provide very enviable dynamics. By the way, with a reasonable driving style, the Touareg boasts an almost unusually low fuel consumption for a car with similar parameters - the average consumption of 3.0 horsepower XNUMX TDI is about eight percent.

Text: Bozhan Boshnakov

Photo: Melania Yosifova, VW