What are requirements for the flagship model of one of the world’s largest automotive bands?
From 2002 to 2016, Volkswagen’s answer was provided by a luxury saloon called the Phaeton. It needs some introduction because it was never offered as part of VW’s New Zealand model range, and because it was, in international sales terms, a bit of a flop.
With the Phaeton quietly dropped, the flagship mantle for VW passes to the Touareg. More specifically, the new, third-generation Touareg.
Sharing its MLB platform design with various vehicles carrying the Audi, Bentley, Porsche and Lamborghini nameplates, the latest Touareg certainly has the structural underpinnings needed to scale luxury heights. And perhaps because that fact is in the mix, this model shapes up quite differently to the generation one and two models of years gone by.
Still off road-capable for sure, but now with an understated elegance to its lines and a luxuriously-trimmed high-tech interior that speaks more of posh suburbs and trendy city streets than the back-of-beyond.
Smart styling makes this latest Touareg look smaller than its predecessors, and it is indeed fractionally lower. However, it is appreciably longer (by 77mm) and wider (by 44mm) too. Thanks to a clever mixing of aluminium and steel in its body construction, extra size is achieved with a reduction in weight.
Two versions are on offer: the $94,190 TDI V6 and the $109,390 TDI V6 S. Both feature 3.0L turbo-diesel engines tuned to deliver 170kW of power and 500Nm of torque in standard guise and 210kW/600Nm as the S.
It was the S model that Drivesouth tested, albeit fitted with almost $13,000 of extras in the form of air suspension ($6000), a night vision camera ($3000), an uprated Dynaudio 13-speaker sound system ($3000) and ambient interior lighting ($750).
As flagship for the Touareg and the entire Volkswagen range, the S edges the base version for standard fare.
So, 20-inch rather than the usual 19-inch alloys, and special matrix LED headlights (with intelligent auto-dipping and cornering functions) making their first appearance on a Volkswagen.
Accessed via a power-operated tailgate, the boot’s 810L capacity will delight those with plenty of kit to haul. On the other hand, the absence of a third row of seats rules the new Touareg out of consideration for those looking for a vehicle capable of accommodating more than five.
For five or fewer, though, the cabin impresses with hugely generous head and legroom. The interior look and feel is also pleasing, with leather trim, soft-touch surfaces, and judicious brushed metal highlighting.
Up front, the driving position is car-like without sacrificing the command feel that comes from sitting relatively high on the road.
In having 30 different colour options to background light the interior, the test car’s extra-cost LED ambient lighting system was fun. However, the serious talking point of the Touareg S cabin is the Innovision Cockpit, in which a large 12-inch screen for the instrument cluster is seamlessly integrated with an even bigger 15-inch touchscreen to provide a vast sweeping digital display across the dashboard.
Tech savvy types will surely delight in the scope to customise displays, and handle key functions — navigation, audio, phone, ventilation being the main ones — in a sweep-tap-and-swipe environment free from conventional switches and buttons. Gesture control, that allows certain functions to be activated merely by sweeping a hand at the screen, is particularly nifty.
Yet, despite its obvious cleverness and welcome button decluttering effect, the Innovision Cockpit may induce tech-overload among those used to old-school controls. This is especially likely given the absence of a master rotary or haptic controller as provided by Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes in conjunction with their equivalent systems.
Easy ticks on the standard features list include heated front seats, a head-up display, auto stop-start with regenerative braking and dual-zone climate control. The test car’s premium audio system provided outstanding sound, although the normal 8-speaker unit would probably have been fine, too.
The Touareg boasts a strong safety specification, including pedestrian monitoring, forward collision warning, adaptive radar cruise control with traffic jam and emergency assists, lane-keeping, assist and rear traffic alert and a driver fatigue prompt.
The extra-cost night vision thermal imaging camera fitted to the test car is a safety first for Volkswagen. When activated it identifies animals or people on, or beside, the road and marks them yellow or red depending on the safety threat the system believes they pose. If that threat is judged high, the driver is specifically warned, and the braking system primed so maximum braking power is immediately available, if required.
Performance-wise, and entirely in keeping with is size and general character, the test car was strong and measured rather than sharp and sprightly.
Accelerating from rest there was initial driveline hesitation before the vehicle fully engaged in delivering power and torque to the wheels. Even in sport mode, there is a distinct slurring between gear changes along with a hint of turbo lag, but while this costs in terms of raw acceleration times, it is compensated for by very strong pull within each gear.
The net effect is a laid back yet purposeful feel that makes for relaxing open road progress, and would also serve well when utilising the vehicle’s 3500kg towing capacity. Nor, objectively, is the Touareg S in any ways slow; the 0-100kmh dash is still covered in a shade over six seconds, which isn’t bad for a two-tonne plus turbo-diesel SUV, and its top speed of 235kmh is way in excess of what is required here.
Economy is rated at 8.lL/100km on the standard combined cycle, with Drivesouth achieving a decent 9.0L/100km on test.
The addition of optional air suspension, which includes adaptive chassis control and four-wheel steering, gave the test car greater ride and handling finesse that would be case on a standard Touareg S.
The four-wheel steering reduces the Touareg’s turning circle from 12.2m to 11.2m, a feature that proved very handy around town along with the various cameras and parking sensors.
At the other extreme, the air suspension allowed the test car’s ride height to be raised to 258mm for off-roading. Drivesouth explored this capability on a steep and heavily rutted dry-weather track, during which full use was also made of the vehicle’s excellent hill-descent system.
The vehicle’s various drive modes are selected via a large drive controller knob that sits on the centre console behind the gearshift. For off-roading they consist of the standard setting, used on test, and a further option for sand and snow. Insofar as anyone is keen to take a premium SUV off the beaten track, the new Touareg — at least when fitted with air-suspension — was up to the task.
The test car was also surefooted on gravel and showed great composure, albeit with limited dynamic flair, when hustling down winding tarmac back roads. Selecting one of the car’s dynamic modes for such motoring is the obvious choice, although the test car was also very well-mannered when pushed in comfort mode.
The test car really took main highway driving in its stride, due in equal measure to its excellent open-road ride and impressively low levels of cabin noise when cruising. These qualities combine with the studied nature of its power delivery and well-appointed cabin to make the new Touareg an especially fine and relaxing long-distance cruiser.
As such, it covers both the key luxury and more traditional SUV bases pretty well.
- Copy and photos by David Thomson
