Volkswagen Touareg

Design & Quality

Inside, the Touareg feels like a luxury atmosphere. With premium materials like leather seats, soft-touch plastics, and metallic accents, it is opulent.  The Innovision Cockpit looks stunning, a treat to the eyes, and so the design gets a thumbs up. There is a 12-inch digital instrument cluster and a 15-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Something today’s car owners love, both the tech and the seamless user experience. Furthermore, the ambient lighting with multiple colours gives the cabin an upmarket vibe.

This German-built car gives you confidence as far as the quality is concerned, as the quality of material is visible across the cabin, and it feels long-lasting. The dashboard and doors are a lot softer and luxurious, but on some lower panels, they used harder plastics, which may feel a little disappointing for a car in this price range. But what is clear is that the layout appears to be driver-friendly, with all buttons and screens within quick reach, and so you feel a comfy place for daily commute or long road trips.

Front Seat

After sitting for a while, we don’t see any reason to complain about the front seat. There is a lot of support for long drives and adequate access for spirited cornering. Higher trims like Atmosphere and R-Line come with leather seats with heating, ventilation, and massage functions, which further boost the cabin comfort and luxury. The driver’s seat comes with the standard power adjustments with memory.

Electronic Parking Brake

The electronic parking brake at centre console is easy to use and comes with hill-start assist.

Rear Seat

The back seats are spacious, with reasonable legroom and headroom for two adults or three kids. The seats slide and recline, adding additional comfort, and rear AC vents make the cabin cool instantly.

AC Vents

The Touareg’s three-zone climate control (standard on higher trims) is strong enough to keep the cabin cool, with separate settings for the driver, front passenger, and rear seats.

Storage Options

The Touareg has a big glovebox, door pockets that hold 1-litre bottles, a centre console with cupholders, and a rear armrest with storage.

Armrest

Both front and rear armrests have cupholders, making long drives more relaxing. The front armrest is padded and spacious, while the rear one is a bit smaller but still handy for passengers

Charging Options

To keep your devices charged and offer easier charging options wherever needed, the Touareg has two USB-C ports in the front, two in the back, a 12V socket, and a wireless charging pad (optional on higher trims). For the rear passengers, a USB-C port is provided.

Boot Space

As far as the boot space goes, the Touareg with 810-litre size, takes the top spot in its segment. This should be sufficient for family needs, during trips, grocery shopping, or outdoor gear. Fold the rear seats (40/20/40 split), and you get 1,800 litres of space, for those occasional needs of high luggage space.

• Six airbags (driver, passenger, side, curtain)
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
• Adaptive Cruise Control

• Lane Keep Assist

• Front Assist with pedestrian detection
• Blind-Spot Monitoring
• 360-degree camera

• Park Assist and parking sensors
• Intersection Assist 

• Tire Pressure Monitoring System
• ISOFIX child seat anchors
• Night vision (R-Line)
• Traffic Sign Recognition

The Touareg is bold, and the overall exterior is sleek with the elements of modern design. Some visible highlights are the sharpened and wider grille, attractive LED headlights, and sporty touches for an imposing road presence. 

Measuring 4,878 mm long, 1,984 mm wide, and 1,756 mm tall, and a 2,899 mm wheelbase, the Touareg is sizable and so has a handsome personality. High ground clearance of 180 mm ground clearance is great to navigate all types of terrains, and it also gives a superb posture to the car.

Front

The front of the Touareg is not attractive but quite distinctive, which gives it a modern appearance. Especially the large, chrome-accented grille and a clearly visible VW logo glows bright in the night. The IQ. Light HD matrix LED headlights (standard on Atmosphere and R-Line) enhance the car front fascia and also adjust automatically to light up the road without distracting other drivers with shiny lights, and so perfect for late-night drives. The bumper gets stylish air intakes and optional fog lamps, which give it an athletic vibe, all of which make the Touareg look both classy and tough.

Side

From the side, the Touareg impresses with its bulk and rugged, at the same time elegant profile. With smooth lines and chrome trim along the windows looks quite stylish. The alloy wheels, body cladding and other design give a perfect look that makes an impressive stance on the road. The roof rails (silver or black, depending on trim) bolster practicality for carrying extra gear.

Alloy Wheels

The Touareg gets 18, 20 and 21-inch alloy wheels based on variants, which look stylish and also attractive. The wheel sizes are 255/55 R18 and 265/40 R21.

Rear

At the back, the Touareg has a nice- looking sleek LED taillight with animated graphics, a subtle spoiler, and a chrome-accented bumper, all of which give the car a cool vibe when you glance at the rear. The R-Line further boost a sporty diffuser and dual exhaust tips for a more bold appearance.

Colors

You get to choose from seven available colours of the Touareg, including Pure White, Deep Black Pearl, Silicon Grey Metallic, Tamarind Brown Metallic, Aquamarine Blue Metallic, Sechura Beige Metallic, and Antimonial Silver Metallic.

City Performance

Given the SUV’s premium tag, well-known performance credentials, we noticed the Touareg’s engines are smooth, powerful and highly refined. You’ll find driving on our city roads a delight, no matter what the road conditions, traffic or open. The 2.0L TFSI is sharp and exciting for stop-and-go traffic, while the 3.0L TSI comes across as responsive and a lot punchier. The 8-speed automatic shifts seamlessly, no complaints there, but what you also get is a 360-degree camera and Park Assist to make your driving in the city a lot effortless. On top of that, the mileage is not bad for such a large SUV. 

Highway Performance

On highways, the Touareg is just outstanding. The 3.0L TSI’s 340 hp power gives you what you need to overtake effortlessly, and the 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system helps in stabilising the SUV at high speeds. The 2.0L TFSI is confident but not necessarily the most exciting at higher speeds.

Ride and Handling

Volkswagen SUVs are always known for smooth handling, and the Touareg is no different. This has been a common theme in most of our test rides that we do for the brands. The Touareg comes across as composed, and the suspensions have a big role, as they are well-tuned and do the job perfectly of handling the rough roads well. The optional air suspension (R-Line) allows you to adjust the ride height, and it is superb for light off-roading or a sportier experience.

• 15-inch touchscreen infotainment with Innovision Cockpit, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto

• 12-inch Digital Cockpit instrument cluster

• Leather seats (Atmosphere and R-Line) or leatherette (Trend)

• Three-zone climate control

• Harman Kardon premium audio (optional)

• Keyless entry and push-button start
• Panoramic sunroof (Atmosphere and R-Line)

• Ambient lighting with multiple colors

• Power-folding side mirrors

• Wireless charging (optional)
• Head-up display (optional)
• Night vision (R-Line)

Choose the Touareg from 4 different variants in the UAE, prices starting from AED 199,900.

2.0L TFSI Trend AT 

This base variant has a 2.0L turbo petrol engine that produces 248hp of power and solid 370 Nm of torque, and is mated with an 8-speed automatic and comes with standard AWD. The cabin is not bad, although it misses out on key features, but you get all the basic ones.

3.0L TSI R-Line AT

The R-Line’s 3.0L V6 turbo engine has 335hp of power and an excellent 450 N · m, and the same gearbox and standard AWD. But you get portier 20-inch wheels. The cabin feels a lot premium with leather seats, heated and memory front seats, ambient lighting, and unique R-Line styling inside and out. The infotainment is upmarket, and higher safety is what makes this variant quite compelling in the line-up.

3.0L TSI Trend AT

Sharing the same 3.0L V6, powerful 335hp engine as the R-Line, the Trend variant tries to offer you a balance between strong performance and a high-end list of features, but the downside is that it lacks sporty styling.

3.0L TSI Elegance AT

With a 3.0L engine tuned for 340Hp, the Elegance promises luxury. This top-end variant is loaded with all the features that Volkswagen possibly offers with this car; you don’t miss anything. Like, for example, power-adjustable and ventilated leather seats, panoramic sunroof, advanced safety assists, and the highest-grade interior/exterior details which define your opulent experience.

Zigwheels Recommendation: Our recommendation is the 3.0L TSI R-Line AT, which comes with a blend of performance, prestige, and best-in-class features, most likely appreciated by customers, at a very fair price. The highly capable and refined V6 engine, AWD, high-end, spacious cabin with superior interior touches, and exclusive R-Line characteristics make it ideal for your everyday city or highway drives in an equal manner.  And, the adventurous weekend fun trips are also not ruled out, because this variant offers you all the features. In a nutshell, the Touareg is impressive in the luxury midsize SUV segment that offers technology, space, and contemporary style.

Frankly, there is hardly anything to complain about the Touareg; it is a well-rounded, full-size SUV. Volkswagen is offering this tried and tested SUV for the UAE buyers a choice of a luxurious, powerful, and practical one. There is a lot to this capable SUV that should fulfil the needs of families or professionals.

Anyone looking for a premium SUV that has the stylish, upmarket feel, comfortable and spacious cabin, along with fun to drive character with a proven driver powertrain, the Touareg is tough to beat. Put against any of its rivals, be it the Audi Q7 or BMW X5, it has similar luxury at a lower price, while its off-road capability is similar to mainstream competitors like the Toyota Land Cruiser. So, what you’re you waiting for? Head to a Volkswagen showroom in your city and check it out.

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