NtandoN
///Member
Thought I should do a short review of the Touareg on here.
It is a 2018 3.0 TDi V6 Executive with 8 speed auto transmission. It’s got quite a few bells and whistles but it’s not the R line.
It’s been driven a lot! Took delivery in December 2023 with 63k km and it’s now on 91k km.
Performance
Firstly, sitting in the Touareg feels like a sedan. It is so planted on the road and 19” wheels (rather than the 20/21” on the R) really make the drive comfortable. The pairing with the active air suspension is really something on corners, you don’t feel the weight. The 190kw coming off the V6 is responsive and the 600nm makes it easy to overtake.
We did some driving on beach sand and the 4motion made it a breeze. Also have done some dirt road driving with ease. Select the drive mode and the drivetrain will take care of the rest. Dirt road driving is the main reason I did not go with the R line, the wheels would have taken a beating. Height adjustable air suspension is a winner - Disco had the same but this is more refined.
Fuel consumption is discussed above.
Rear axle steering makes turning a breeze with a small turning circle. Where others do a three-point turn this will do it once. Gimmick, possibly. Something else that could go wrong, probably.
First thing was to change the tyres and fitted Continental Cross Contact. They are on-road bias but performed well on the Disco off-road as well. I don’t like the space saver spare wheel on the Touareg, I would prefer a full-size spare especially when going offroad.
Tech
The Touareg comes with quite a bit of tech. The two screens included 12” driver screen and 15” infortainment screen. I did not like that there are no physical buttons (only a volume button next to the gear lever) but to be honest it is something one has gotten used to.
The active cruise control is really good but spoils me as when I get into another car I forget that I now have apply the brakes myself. Coupled with the lane assist and boom you have a self-driving car. Well almost, the lane assist will warn you after 15 seconds that you have to take over to the steering wheel - meh. The annoying thing is the lane assist is constantly on and if you do not want it you have to switch it off with every start.
What I really took as gimmick is the night vision. It identified a person on the road at and warns you before you even see them, it really works like the night vision goggles in movies. It was actually extremely great to have the night vision when I had to drive at night in Botswana and here cattle and donkeys walk/sleep on or on the side of the road. Even before I could see the animals on the road, they show up on the night vision screen – this is next level!
It comes with an inverter so a laptop, camping fridge or portable power station can be plugged in. Was always thinking about a dual battery setup for the Disco. Don’t need it now. Although, I only use this while driving so the power then comes from the alternator not the battery.
It’s got all the rest like Carplay, heads-up display, wireless charging, TPMS, etc. What I don’t like is Carplay doesn’t fit the full screen.
Interior
The seats are very nice and comfy. As I said before it feels more like a sedan. Heated and cooled seats are nice and a first for me. Ambient lighting is also cool.
The seats can be adjusted into a million positions through the infotainment, so cannot complain about being uncomfortable. I do not like the piano black interior. I do miss the fridge in the centre armrest of the Disco – nice life problems, I know!
VW
The Touareg was purchased from We Buy Cars. Even though the maintenance plan expired a month before, VW happily extended by two years or to 100k km. The plan is to extend again to 120k km. VW service has been excellent with no issues.
Overall
To be honest it’s the car I never searched for but I’m glad I found. There's not many on the road, so the Mrs and I had an ongoing game of counting how many we can spot daily.
We’ve taken the Touareg to Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. It has been a breeze and comfortable to drive on and off road.
It is a 2018 3.0 TDi V6 Executive with 8 speed auto transmission. It’s got quite a few bells and whistles but it’s not the R line.
It’s been driven a lot! Took delivery in December 2023 with 63k km and it’s now on 91k km.
Performance
Firstly, sitting in the Touareg feels like a sedan. It is so planted on the road and 19” wheels (rather than the 20/21” on the R) really make the drive comfortable. The pairing with the active air suspension is really something on corners, you don’t feel the weight. The 190kw coming off the V6 is responsive and the 600nm makes it easy to overtake.
We did some driving on beach sand and the 4motion made it a breeze. Also have done some dirt road driving with ease. Select the drive mode and the drivetrain will take care of the rest. Dirt road driving is the main reason I did not go with the R line, the wheels would have taken a beating. Height adjustable air suspension is a winner - Disco had the same but this is more refined.
Fuel consumption is discussed above.
Rear axle steering makes turning a breeze with a small turning circle. Where others do a three-point turn this will do it once. Gimmick, possibly. Something else that could go wrong, probably.
First thing was to change the tyres and fitted Continental Cross Contact. They are on-road bias but performed well on the Disco off-road as well. I don’t like the space saver spare wheel on the Touareg, I would prefer a full-size spare especially when going offroad.
Tech
The Touareg comes with quite a bit of tech. The two screens included 12” driver screen and 15” infortainment screen. I did not like that there are no physical buttons (only a volume button next to the gear lever) but to be honest it is something one has gotten used to.
The active cruise control is really good but spoils me as when I get into another car I forget that I now have apply the brakes myself. Coupled with the lane assist and boom you have a self-driving car. Well almost, the lane assist will warn you after 15 seconds that you have to take over to the steering wheel - meh. The annoying thing is the lane assist is constantly on and if you do not want it you have to switch it off with every start.
What I really took as gimmick is the night vision. It identified a person on the road at and warns you before you even see them, it really works like the night vision goggles in movies. It was actually extremely great to have the night vision when I had to drive at night in Botswana and here cattle and donkeys walk/sleep on or on the side of the road. Even before I could see the animals on the road, they show up on the night vision screen – this is next level!
It comes with an inverter so a laptop, camping fridge or portable power station can be plugged in. Was always thinking about a dual battery setup for the Disco. Don’t need it now. Although, I only use this while driving so the power then comes from the alternator not the battery.
It’s got all the rest like Carplay, heads-up display, wireless charging, TPMS, etc. What I don’t like is Carplay doesn’t fit the full screen.
Interior
The seats are very nice and comfy. As I said before it feels more like a sedan. Heated and cooled seats are nice and a first for me. Ambient lighting is also cool.
The seats can be adjusted into a million positions through the infotainment, so cannot complain about being uncomfortable. I do not like the piano black interior. I do miss the fridge in the centre armrest of the Disco – nice life problems, I know!
VW
The Touareg was purchased from We Buy Cars. Even though the maintenance plan expired a month before, VW happily extended by two years or to 100k km. The plan is to extend again to 120k km. VW service has been excellent with no issues.
Overall
To be honest it’s the car I never searched for but I’m glad I found. There's not many on the road, so the Mrs and I had an ongoing game of counting how many we can spot daily.
We’ve taken the Touareg to Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. It has been a breeze and comfortable to drive on and off road.
