The Volkswagen Touareg is a practical, stylish, well-equipped SUV that ticks all the right boxes for any adventurous family. It’s bold, rugged design, along with 4x4 capabilities, make it ideal for camping adventures and it can tow a 3.5 tonne caravan.
The cabin is well equipped and, although the Touareg feels a little tired in places, it still features all the modern tech that we demand these days. It’s the sort of vehicle that the camping community in my neck of the woods think about buying after trading in a long-running Land Rover Freelander (fact).
But, whereas the full-sized SUV sector was once limited to a handful of models, customers now have a wealth of choice, so the VW really needs to stand out in that crowd. And the high-end price-tag won’t exactly work in its favour. While most rivals will also be above the government’s £40,000 Expensive Car Supplement threshold, the Touareg is now entering the Porsche Cayenne’s domain for costs. So, if badge snobbery is your thing, will it be a Porsche or a VW?
And, just in case you’re wondering, the Touareg is named after a nomadic tribe from the Sahara.
How I tested
I spent a week with the VW Touareg clocking up more than 600 miles. We looked at how it performed on motorways, country lanes and in bustling town centres, as well as exploring its practicality and technology.
VW Touareg: From £71,390, Volkswagen.co.uk
Independent rating: 7/10
VW Touareg specs
Battery, range, charging, performance and drive
The VW Touareg combines a 3.0-litre TSI petrol engine with a rather small 14.3kWh battery to deliver plug-in hybrid motoring. The EV range is just 31 miles, but you will be very lucky to get close to that as the vehicle weighs in at just over three tonnes. While the ‘claimed’ driving range is 120mpg, this figure would only ever be achievable if the car was plugged in regularly and the somewhat limited EV-only range used to the max.
With 462PS and 450Nm of torque at your disposal, the high-end Touareg R, as tested, can complete the 0-62mph sprint in a very rapid 5.2 seconds and tops out at an electronically-limited 155mph. That’s not bad for a vehicle that can tow a large caravan and also boasts four-wheel drive capabilities for when the going gets tough.
We covered more than 600 miles during our week-long loan and tested the Touareg R on a mix of roads to see how it coped. It’s a very competent motorway cruiser with swift, smooth acceleration through the eight-speed automatic gearbox. Joining traffic from a slower-moving slip lane is easy with instant pace at your disposal, and it will sit effortlessly at 70mph with the adaptive cruise control making longer journeys stress-free.
When faced with twisting lanes, the car feels a tad over-sized and cumbersome. A little more agility would be nice, but at least you have a great view across the hedgerows thanks to the elevated driving position. Good driver visibility is also a plus factor as the car will likely feature on the dreaded school run with cyclists, children and other motorists darting out from all angles.
Steering wheel paddles add to the driver engagement as you can flick through the gears manually and there are drive modes to change the characteristics of the car, as well as settings to tackling difficult terrain.
Air suspension helps to smooth out uneven road surfaces and the cabin is well insulated against noise. That said; wind sound is more noticeable at higher speeds due to the large door mirrors.
Interior, practicality and boot space
Despite regular updates and the introduction of new technology, the VW Touareg’s interior is starting to look a little jaded. Yes, the seats are nicely upholstered in black quilted leather with neat blue contrast stitching and there are soft-touch surfaces throughout the cabin, alongside subtle ‘R’ badging. But, some rivals look more inviting so to speak.
However, comfort levels are good and the seats are powered, can be heated or cooled and even offer a massage function which is nice on longer trips.
Light floods the cabin through the panoramic sunroof and creature comforts include 4Zone air conditioning, ambient lighting and an advanced parking assist set-up that includes remote parking. This is a great feature if you need to park the two-metre wide Touareg inside a narrow garage as the manoeuvring can be controlled remotely from outside the vehicle.
Space inside the Touareg is generous with oodles of room up front for the driver and passenger. A couple of adults will fit in the back too – add a third and it gets a little too cosy, but it’s ideal for a trio of youngsters. And the elevated seating makes it easy to access child seats with Isofix anchors to the outer rear seats.
Storage is good with a boot accessed via a powered tailgate, and this can swallow 665 litres of kit, increasing to 1,675 with the 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats folded flat. That’s plenty for bikes, camping gear and any extra luggage requirements too.
And there are plenty of practical storage compartments scattered throughout the car.
It’s very practical, but could do with a modern touch. It sounds like we are being a little harsh, but there are several hard plastic fixtures and fittings that lower the standard and could prove prone to scratching. And we need to remind ourself that this sector is a competitive arena these days.
Technology, stereo and infotainment
The Touareg’s cabin has been well thought-out with all dials, controls, switches and readouts well positioned for ease of use. The seats are supportive over a long journey and we loved that massaging function after a few hours behind the wheel.
The car’s nerve centre is a 15-inch infotainment touchscreen featuring crisp icons. From here you can connect your smartphone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, as well as control the navigation set-up, DAB radio, Bluetooth and lots more besides. At the bottom of the screen are short-cut controls to the climate settings which work well, although we are a little old fashioned and prefer physical dials for such simple tasks.
The touchscreen graphics are easy to operate on the go, while the software feels intuitive. There’s nothing more frustrating than constantly jabbing at the screen to carry out a simple task and then all the delayed inputs catch up in a flash resulting in something totally irrelevant. Thankfully, that isn’t the case on-board the Touareg.
This central screen merges into a smaller configurable 12-inch digital display where all the vital driving data can be viewed. Additionally, a head-up display makes keeping a watchful eye on speed that much easier.
The chunky gear lever looks great and there are dials to control the drive modes called Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, Individual. There are additional settings called Off-Road and Snow for harsher conditions, along with a separate dial to adjust the car’s ground clearance. This is really handy if driving over uneven trails with tree roots jutting out.
Prices and running costs
The Volkswagen Touareg has two plug-in hybrid trims with the Elegance costing £71,390 and the Touareg R, as tested, priced at £82,950. A Black Edition fits neatly between these two specifications but is powered by a 3.0-litre diesel engine.
As is the way with most premium-priced vehicles, customers can peruse an extensive list of optional extras to put their individual stamp on the car. Our test model featured a head-up display, park assist, massaging and ventilated seats, a tyre pressure monitoring system, Night Vision and special upgraded paint – those add-ons increased the cost by £6,290.
Day-to-day running costs are okay, but not great as the official 120mpg figure would only be possible if the EV range was used on a regular basis. Owners will also face an Expensive Car Supplement of £425 from years two to six because the Touareg costs in excess of £40,000.
VW Touareg rivals
FAQs
How long does it take to charge?
The VW Touareg’s 14.3kWh battery can be charged in 2 hours, 30 mins via a 7.2kW wallbox
How much does it cost - is it worth it?
Our high-end Touareg R cost £82,950, a figure that was bumped up further thanks to a number of optional extras. So, it’s anything but cheap. Yes, you get lots of kit, but it’s in Porsche’s price bracket.
Does Volkswagen replace batteries for free?
There’s an eight year or 100,000-mile warranty for the hybrid battery pack, with three-year 60,000-miles cover on the rest of the car.
Why trust us
Our team of motoring experts have decades of experience driving, reviewing and reporting on the latest EV cars, and our verdicts are reached with every kind of driver in mind. We thoroughly test drive every car we recommend, so you can be sure our verdicts are honest, unbiased and authentic.
The verdict: Volkswagen Touareg
The Volkswagen Touareg has been around since 2002 so is well established as a full-sized family SUV. It instantly made its mark amongst the caravanning community thanks to its excellent towing capabilities, alongside bundles of cabin space for all the family. Yes, it has moved with the times, but these days competition is fierce and we’re not sure the VW is still a front runner.
