Volkswagen Touareg Design
Volkswagen definitely took their eye off the ball when they launched the Touareg. Fitting the 5.0-litre TDI diesel engine was a canny move, garnering plenty of column inches and giving the Touareg something that none of its rivals could match.
The 2.5-litre TDI diesel was also a worthwhile addition for those who were looking to take a less ambitious bite at Touareg ownership. Unfortunately that left a huge, yawning gulf in between. A gulf that BMW, Volvo, Land Rover and Mercedes weren't exactly shy about capitalising upon. Two distinct niches in the luxury 4x4 sector have emerged in recent years. The big V8 petrol engine and the 3.0-litre turbo diesel market. With only a 2.5-litre oil burner to campaign with, the Touareg was, if such a thing is possible, looking a little lightweight. Volkswagen thankfully rectified this issue by launching the Touareg V6 TDI, a model which makes heaps of sense in its current facelifted form.
Our request to VW's PR chief Jon Dawe was simply to supply us the most commonly purchased Touareg at a spec level commensurate with most owners' final order.
Thus our Touareg is essentially stock. That doesn't mean it's a stripper, however it might not have satnav or air suspension, but our V6 TDI still arrived with sunroof ($2190), heated leather seats, a decent sound system, park assist, full low-range capability with centre diff lock and our favourite piece of equipment -- the auto rear tailgate ($1390).
Volkswagen Touareg Engine
It is literally as the lion's share of Touareg buyers order their own cars. Including a $1450 charge for metallic paint (still one of our pet hates), the as-tested price of our Touareg is $80,020.
By way of comparison, three other Touareg variants are currently on offer to Aussie buyers. The range kicks off with the five-cylinder R5 turbodiesel priced from $64,990 and there's a 3.6-litre FSI direct-injected petrol V6 priced at the same $74,990 as 'our' TDI. The range-topping 5.0-litre V10 turbodiesel arrives at $121,990.
No comments:
Post a Comment