Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 V6 Review: Torque monster

What we like:

Excellent road holding

accurate steering and raspy exhaust note.

What we dislike:

Drab interior.

Gone is the nutty 5.0-litre V10 diesel unit we used to love raving about. In its place now is a 4.2-litre V8. Though the one tested here is ‘only’ the 3.0-litre V6, it still carries a respectable amount of grunt under the bonnet.

While the 245 ponies it whinnies up isn’t impressive by petrol standards, the amount of torque available and when it becomes available is. At 550Nm of torque from as low as 1,750rpm, this Touareg will have no trouble pulling the pants off 'The Hulk'.

With so much torque available from such low revs, the Touareg gets off the line quickly. Completing the century sprint in no more than 7.6 seconds.

Coupled with the significant weight loss, the new Touareg sees a vast improvement in its dynamic abilities. Despite its large size, the handling doesn’t betray the girth it carries. On the road, this big SUV felt nimble and eager to change direction.

Steering is remarkably accurate which makes placing the car a breeze even though it lacks steering feel. While most large SUVs tend to suffer from abundant body roll due to their height, the Touareg keeps it controlled in the bends and gives the driver greater confidence to follow through much faster than he normally would.

The engineers managed to balance the limited body roll with a comfortable ride. Damping is excellent in this SUV with most bumps and undulations neutralized effectively.

Cruising at speeds higher than our national limits on the North South Highway, the Touareg continued to impress with its composure over expansion gaps and bumps. And every prod of the throttle was rewarded with a raspy growl from the V6 under the bonnet.

While most Touareg owners will hardly see the rough stuff, they’ll be glad to know the big VW has a pretty decent 4MOTION 4WD system. Twisting a knob on the centre console just aft of the gear lever sets the car up for better traction over shifting terrain by altering the ABS, EDS (electronic differential) and ASR (stability) systems to better handle the rough terrain.

While most would scoff at the lack of seven seats, the few who can look past it will love the Touareg’s excellent handling, comfortable ride and a smooth shifting 8-speed Tiptronic. The best compliment that anyone can lay on the Touareg is that it handles like a larger Golf.

Furthermore, the SUV is laid with Volkswagen’s Bluemotion technologies that help keep its carbon emissions to a mere 189g/km.

With over 500 kilometres covered in the course of this review, the Touareg has proven to be a very comfortable place to be and the perfect road trip companion.

Credits: Story and Photos by Benjamin G. Kline