Strong impression

Touareg - queer name but great comfort

Volkswagen has entered the 4x4 market with a strong contender, in the shape of the Touareg. It's a strong looking vehicle, has all of the VW strength appeal and huge comfort advantages. Michael Moroney reports on his time with Touareg

What does VW know about the 4x4 market having come, as it did, into the sector as one of the late arrivals? Whatever the German car company does know, it has put to good effect in the new Touareg 4x4, which arrived on the Irish market this year.

The biggest challenge with the new VW is the name, the Touareg a difficult one to pronounce. But the Touareg is a shear comfort driving machine, with loads of space and real go-anywhere ability. I've had the five-cylinder turbo-diesel version on the road in recent weeks, and I came away well impressed.

The engine has all the power features of the Volkswagen TDI heritage, with additional smoothness achieved by good sound dampening. In power terms, it's more impressive than the Volvo XC90, which has a similar size and configuration engine arrangement.

The Touareg also wins out on torque comparison, both of which should deliver a more impressive acceleration figure for the VW. In fact, it equals the acceleration time of the Volvo XC90. The big size and weight of the Touareg impact on the acceleration ability - you expect a bit more - but once moving on good roads, the smoothness of the diesel power kicks in. For faster acceleration action, you need to look towards the BMW X5 - and pay a higher price too!

The Touareg comes with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. The clutch pedal is a little on the hard side, so I would opt for the automatic version, at an extra €3,000.

This automatic system worked well in the Volvo XC90 that I drove last year, and the five-cylinder diesel engine was smooth in the combination. The high torque from diesels suits the automatic gearbox system, and my experience is that they can deliver smooth yet powerful driving.

The Touareg is a full-time 4x4 vehicle, which means the engine is providing drive to all four wheels all the time. For tougher off-road driving, there is a low-speed adjustment with the option of using a centre-mounted differential lock. This locks the front and rear drives to ensure an even flow of power to each axle. This is not a limited slip differential, so you have to engage it yourself. However, this is hardly an effort, as the engagement is by means of a simple dial, located beside the gear lever.

The Touareg looks strong enough to cope with many off-road conditions. Driving across rough ground seems steady, and all wheels kept contact with no wheelslip obvious.

The ground clearance of the Touareg is among the highest on the market, at 235mm, which VW says allows the 4x4 to wade through up to 500mm (20in) of water. That part I didn't try!

One of the most outstanding features of the Touareg is the comfort. VW has used a double-wishbone-type suspension for front and rear axles, and achieved a high level of comfort as a result. This is especially noticeable on the road, where it cruises, even if it's a little low on power for its weight - which is over two tonnes.

The test car came with a removable hitch, which I put into action. The Touareg has a good towing ability, of 3.5 tonnes, and an impressive hitch loading of 140kg. That puts it into the big league for trailer users and makes it competitive in performance terms and also in price, with the likes of the Toyota Land Cruiser in long-wheelbase format.

The Touareg controls are well placed, the ignition key is now mounted to the left of the steering wheel and higher up on the dash. The controls are VW style, with a black background, and are easy to see at night.

Seat adjustment is superb, and this adds to the comfort provided by the suspension. There is room for three adults in the rear and loads of boot space to match. Under the boot floor is the surprise... a very, very compact and temporary spare wheel, which must be inflated when needed. Granted, there is a small electric motor-powered pump included, but I have a feeling that this is not the sort of job that you need to face into when you've had a puncture in the outback.

On price, the new VW Touareg is better value than the Volvo XC90 and the BMW X5, both of which use similar-powered diesel engines. It is competitive with the Toyota Land Cruiser, even though many would not consider them in the same league. This VW is making a strong impression, and it deserves to - but look more closely at the automatic choice for that extra driving comfort.

Prices start at €57,105 before delivery charges, and add another €3,000 for the automatic choice. Nothern buyers get a better deal, at Stg£29,065, still more competitive than the Volvo XC90, which raised its price following its introduction last year, and now needs to be more competitive.