VW Touareg: imposing off-road conqueror
Content
The general public was able to appreciate the mid-size crossover Volkswagen Tuareg for the first time in 2002 at an auto show in Paris. Since the days of the Kubelwagen jeep, which was produced back in the years of World War II, the Touareg turned out to be only the second SUV created by the specialists of the Volkswagen concern. The new car was conceived by the authors as a model with increased cross-country ability and capable of demonstrating the qualities of a sports car. About 300 engineers and designers of the concern, headed by Klaus-Gerhard Wolpert, who today leads the group responsible for the Porsche Cayenne line, worked on the development of the VW Touareg project. In Russia, until March 2017, the SKD assembly of the Tuareg was carried out at a car plant near Kaluga. At present, a decision has been made to abandon the production of these cars at a domestic plant, due to the fact that the profitability of imported and assembled cars in Russia has become equal.
European with an African name
The authors borrowed the name for the new car from one of the Berber peoples living in the northwest of the African continent. It should be said that Volkswagen later once again turned to this African region when choosing the name of another SUV - Atlas: this is the name of the mountains, in the area of \uXNUMXb\uXNUMXbwhich all the same Tuareg live.
During its 15-year presence on the market, the VW Touareg has repeatedly lived up to the expectations of its creators: three victories in the Paris-Dakar rally in 2009, 2010 and 2011 can serve as a vivid example of this. The first restyling of the Tuareg happened in 2006, when the modification of the VW Touareg R50 was first presented and then went on sale.. The letter R in the coding means the completion of a number of additional options, including: the Plus package, the Exterieur program, etc. The 2006 version of the Touareg received modified ABS and cruise control, as well as warning systems about the dangerous approach of a nearby car from behind or from the side . In addition, the flaws in the automatic gearbox that took place in the basic version were eliminated.
In 2010, Volkswagen introduced the next generation Touareg, which included one of three turbodiesels (3,0-liter 204 and 240 hp or 4,2-liter 340 hp), two gasoline engines (3,6 .249 l and a capacity of 280 or 3,0 hp), as well as the first hybrid unit in the history of the concern - a 333-liter gasoline engine with a capacity of 47 hp. With. paired with a XNUMX hp electric motor. With. Among the features of this car:
- the presence of a Torsen center differential, as well as a spring suspension providing 200 mm ground clearance;
- the possibility of completing the Terrain Tech off-road package, which provides for a low gear, rear and center differential locks, air suspension, thanks to which the ground clearance can be increased up to 300 mm.
After restyling in 2014, the Tuareg was understaffed:
- bi-xenon headlights;
- Multi-collision brake system, which includes an automatic brake after impact;
- optimized cruise control;
- the Easy Open option, thanks to which the driver can open the trunk with a slight movement of the foot when both hands are occupied;
- upgraded springs;
- two-tone upholstery.
In addition, the V6 TDI diesel engine with a capacity of 260 hp was added to the engine range. With.
The presentation of the third generation VW Touareg was scheduled for September 2017, however, for marketing reasons, the debut was postponed to the spring of 2018, when the new Touareg T-Prime GTE concept will be shown in Beijing.
VW Touareg first generation
The first generation Volkswagen Tuareg is an all-wheel drive SUV with a self-locking center differential (which can be hard-locked by the driver if necessary) and several low gears.. Hard blocking is also provided for the rear cross-axle differential. These off-road options are complemented by a controlled air suspension that allows you to change the ground clearance from 160 mm on the highway to 244 mm off-road, or even 300 mm for driving in extreme conditions.
Initially, it was planned to collect 500 "pilot" copies of the Touareg, despite the fact that half of them were pre-ordered, mostly from Saudi Arabia. However, due to increased demand, it was decided to open mass production. The first diesel version of the Tuareg was not environmentally friendly enough for the American market, and deliveries of the SUV overseas resumed only after improvements in 2006.
The production of the first Touareg was entrusted to the plant in Bratislava. The PL17 platform has become common for the VW Touareg, Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7.
Bought in December 2007. Before that, it was simpler: on springs. It has everything (pneumatic, heating everything, electric everything, xenon, etc.) Mileage 42000 km. At 25000, the rear door lock was changed under warranty. At 30000, a low-tone signal was replaced for money (the warranty is over). I was surprised to read in the reviews about replacing the pads at 15 thousand, I changed both the front (sensors began to signal) and the rear (it was already close) at 40 thousand. Everything else: either he is to blame (he touched the stump with the cardan traverse, in side sliding he caught the curb with the rear wheel, he did not fill the “anti-freeze” in the washer in time), or the crooked hands of the servicemen.
Table: specifications VW Touareg different trim levels
| Technical specifications | V6 FSI | V8 FSI | 2,5 TDI | V6 TDI | V10 TDI |
| Engine power, l with. | 280 | 350 | 174 | 225 | 313 |
| Engine capacity, l | 3,6 | 4,2 | 2,5 | 3,0 | 5,0 |
| Number of cylinders | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| Number of valves per cylinder | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Cylinder arrangement | V-shaped | V-shaped | inline | V-shaped | V-shaped |
| Torque, Nm/rev. per minute | 360/3200 | 440/3500 | 500/2000 | 500/1750 | 750/2000 |
| Fuel | gasoline | gasoline | diesel | diesel | diesel |
| Maximum speed km / h | 234 | 244 | 183 | 209 | 231 |
| Acceleration time to a speed of 100 km / h, sec. | 8,6 | 7,5 | 11,6 | 9,2 | 7,4 |
| Fuel consumption in the city, l / 100km | 19 | 19,7 | 13,6 | 14,4 | 17,9 |
| Fuel consumption on the highway, l / 100km | 10,1 | 10,7 | 8,6 | 8,5 | 9,8 |
| Consumption in "mixed mode", l / 100km | 13,3 | 13,8 | 10,4 | 10,7 | 12,6 |
| Number of seats | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Length m | 4,754 | 4,754 | 4,754 | 4,754 | 4,754 |
| Width, m | 1,928 | 1,928 | 1,928 | 1,928 | 1,928 |
| Height, m | 1,703 | 1,703 | 1,703 | 1,703 | 1,726 |
| Wheelbase, m | 2,855 | 2,855 | 2,855 | 2,855 | 2,855 |
| Rear track, m | 1,657 | 1,657 | 1,657 | 1,657 | 1,665 |
| Front track, m | 1,645 | 1,645 | 1,645 | 1,645 | 1,653 |
| Curb weight, t | 2,238 | 2,238 | 2,238 | 2,238 | 2,594 |
| Full weight, t | 2,945 | 2,945 | 2,945 | 2,945 | 3,100 |
| Tank volume, l | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Trunk volume, l | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 555 |
| Ground clearance, mm | 212 | 212 | 212 | 212 | 237 |
| Transmission | 6АКПП Tiptronic | 6АКПП Tiptronic | 6АКПП Tiptronic | MKPP | 6АКПП Tiptronic |
| Drive unit | full | full | full | front | full |
Body and interior
Any driver who has experience driving a VW Touareg will confirm that driving this car practically eliminates all kinds of incidents and surprises associated with flaws or defects in any unit or unit: a sense of reliability dominates over other feelings when driving on the highway or off-road. Already from the first version, the Tuareg has been equipped with a fully galvanized body, a luxurious interior and many options that ensure driving comfort and safety. Air suspension with four body level sensors, as well as a special sealing system, allow you to move not only in bad road conditions, but also to overcome the ford.
The safety of the driver and passengers is ensured by front, head and side airbags, as well as a large number of other devices and systems, such as: course stabilization, anti-lock brakes, brake force distribution, additional brake booster, etc. Standard equipment includes front fog lights, heated mirrors, a steering column with 8 adjustments (including height), manually controlled air conditioning, a CD player with 10 speakers. At the request of the customer, the car can be additionally equipped with dual-zone climate control, automatic dimming rear-view mirrors, even better finish using natural wood and aluminum.
There are 5 seats in the standard version, but if necessary, their number is increased to 7 by installing two additional seats in the trunk area. Modifications with a different number of seats in the cabin (2, 3 or 6) are extremely rare. The number of doors in the VW Touareg is 5. The ergonomics of the Touareg is close to ideal: before the driver's eyes there is an informative instrument panel, the seats are comfortable, adjustable, the interior is spacious. The rear seatbacks can be folded down if necessary.
Dimensions and weight
The overall dimensions of all versions of the first generation Tuareg for all versions are 4754x1928x1703 mm, with the exception of the V10 TDI configuration, where the height is 1726 mm. Curb weight - 2238 kg, full - 2945 kg, for the V10 TDI - 2594 and 3100 kg, respectively. Trunk volume - 500 liters, for the V10 TDI - 555 liters. The volume of the fuel tank for all modifications is 100 liters.
Video: getting to know the first generation VW Touareg
Chassis
VW Touareg first generation - all-wheel drive SUV with a 6-speed automatic transmission. On the version with a 225-horsepower diesel engine, a manual gearbox can be installed. Rear and front brakes - ventilated disc, front and rear suspension - independent. The tires used are 235/65 R17 and 255/55 R18. Depending on the type of engine, the car runs on gasoline or diesel fuel.
The advantages of the Tuareg as a whole are easy handling, the presence of all functionality, good off-road patency (if you don’t regret it), a large sofa for everyone, good (not outstanding in the class) sound insulation, and the lack of windage inherent in many large cars.
The advantages of the Tuareg 4.2 are dynamics, the car does not tear, but it piles up. Precious exhaust, seething like a serious beast, pleasing to the ears.
3.2 rained down on the little things, the wipers cleaned the glass abnormally, did not open the trunk after washing, the glass was the same trouble, etc., etc.
Engine
The 2002-2010 Volkswagen Tuareg engine range includes gasoline units ranging from 220 to 450 hp. With. and a volume of 3,2 to 6,0 liters, as well as diesel engines with a capacity of 163 to 350 liters. With. volume from 2,5 to 5,0 liters.
Video: VW Touareg frost test
Before buying Tuareg, namely Tuareg, not Taurega, I chose for a long time between his classmates (budget 1 million): BMW X5, Lexus RX300 (330), Infiniti FX35, Mercedes ML, Toyota Prado 120, LK100, Murano, CX7, Acura MDX, there was even a Range Rover Vogue inexpensive. I reasoned like this: Toyota-Lexuses in Irkutsk are pop and steal at once, FX35 and CX7 are female, Murano is on a variator (reluctance), MDX-just didn’t like it, and X5 is a major-show-off, besides fragile, but Range is expensive to service and also buggy. The choice in Irka for Tours was not rich then, there was 1 (!) In the Worker, and the yellow icon on the scoreboard was on (later I found out that it was on and this was for every 2nd!). I got on the Internet and started searching, and I wanted to buy in the salon, and not from a private trader, because now there are a lot of curves (documents) and credit cars. I found 10 options in Moscow, and immediately swept aside with air suspension (extra hemorrhoids are not needed) and 4.2 liters (tax and consumption are unjustified).
In terms of its concept, the VW Touareg is a rather unique car, due to the fact that its driving performance surpasses most of the competitors representing the mass segment, and even some of the premium class. At the same time, the cost of Touareg is one and a half times lower than, for example, Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5 or Mercedes Benz GLE, which are close in configuration. Finding another car on the SUV market with the same technical characteristics as the Volkswagen Tuareg and a close price is quite difficult. Today, Russian motorists Touareg, in addition to the base, is available in Business and R-Line trim levels. For all three versions, the same line of engines, transmission with an 8-speed automatic, air suspension are provided. If the buyer is not limited in funds, he can order an extremely wide and varied set of additional options for his car: of course, the cost of the car can increase significantly.
