Road Test: Volkswagen Touareg 4.2 V8

Road Test of the Volkswagen Touareg 4.2 V8 South Africa

This is the most expensive car Volkswagen make. That’s a particularly unsettling way to begin a review but I won’t reveal the price just yet…because you might just stop reading and buy a Cayenne. Who could blame you? Volkswagen Touareg has always battled to carve inroads in the luxury SUV segment – success in the SUV market seems capped at the Tiguan – but at this price the badge shows greater vulnerability.

The Volkswagen Touareg continues to be a discreet offering. It remains tall and creased with subtle chrome inlays and more horizontal lines to make it appear lower and wider. Again the focus is on the lights and grille but remains a predictable shade of vanilla that won’t stir too many emotions, catching one’s attention on the second pass. Still, with the Q5 showing serious wrinkles, the Volkswagen Touareg wins this internal war.

Tucked behind a series of intercoolers is VW’s monumental engineering feat: 4.2-litre V8 twin turbo with 800Nm of diesel churn and 250kW. In its sportiest gearbox setting it will vanquish 0-100km/h in less time than it takes a GTi while exceeding 200km/h on any surface – unfazed by strong winds or pelting rain. If anyone accused diesel of dying (which is happening), this is a big tick back in the diesel defence.

This is one of the finest engines currently on sale. We’re talking mighty, timbre levels of torque sent bolting in the straight-ahead-direction by the cracking of a whip. Partially old-school V8 in the way it thunders across gears, rarely exceeding 3000rpm but sending little vibrations of intent when it does. Turbos do not hold lead roles here but rather the supporting act. You barely notice them. In city, despite spending most of its time tootling around in eighth gear, the Volkswagen Touareg could only manage 15l/100km with a slight improvement to 10.2l/100km on the open stretch.

Trying to modulate the engine’s force at low speeds requires some practice and strong nerves. A rather slack throttle response is the culprit here, requiring you to be a long way down the pedal before a sudden lump of power arrives – without so much as a warning.
If you want more speed, sharper response and a throaty roar, Audi’s 3.0-litre turbo diesel found in the SQ5 is perhaps the only diesel and SUV worthy of higher praise but this still edges it in outright muscle and reveals a deeper passion and ability for towing and off-road. This engine will continue to astonish with unrelenting acceleration. It’s the friendly performance SUV that fares equally well off road.

Floating on optional (and often troublesome) air suspension, the Touareg offers three settings of firmness – unsurprisingly the middle setting being the best compromise between body lean and suppleness. Sport mode turns the higher profile rubber an inch closer to the ground with shorter compression – a directness preferred when the Touareg hits those long strides. Brakes are superb too although the steering slightly heavy at low speed.

Road test of the Volkswagen Touareg 4.2 V8 in South Africa

There’s no seven-seater offering but the Volkswagen Touareg configures its size to the fullest. Rear seats can be slid forwards a fraction to allow for more boot space (sadly not rearwards for passenger comfort) or folded flat (electronically) for even more. The boot is huge (40 litres more than a Q5) and opens and shuts electronically. Ours though was used to demo the long list of available options; heated/cooled seats, area assist cameras, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, panoramic roof, DynAudio 12-speaker system and blind spot indictor. That shatters the million mark.

Overall build quality stood up to the worst roads flattened at V8-type velocity but I’m sorry at this level the cabin is just not luxurious enough, regardless of how many times Volkswagen introduces new dials or interior lighting. We don’t like how the buttons for active cruise control need a separate stalk just like we don’t find much joy in the centre touchscreen with flat black and grey graphics and poor quality reversing camera. The leather is not the softest around (despite new shades) and everything looks replaceable by medium-priced Volkswagen parts.

Mechanically the Volkswagen Touareg is bulletproof and it rides as serenely as any Audi with a V8 that’s superior to the Range Rover’s. In the past I’ve said buy the V6 but the most outstanding feature about the Touareg is the heady 4.2-litre V8 TDi which also colludes neatly with the optional Terrain Tech (low range, 300mm air suspension ride height, lockable centre differential) that’s not available with the smaller petrol engine.

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