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4X4
On the road, the Touareg drives very well, albeit with the emphasis on comfort and smoothness, whereas the Porsche Cayenne (the Touareg's sister car) or BMW X5, for that matter - is more sporty. It can’t quite match the superb blend of ride and handling in a Land Rover Discovery, but it’s not far off, which is praise indeed.
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It’s also good off-road, and much better than cars such as the X5 and Volvo XC90. The Touareg’s sheer size also makes it a decent family car, although it’s strictly a five-seater, without the third row of seats you get in a Discovery or XC90. The boot is huge and, even though the rear isn’t as big as in some rivals, it’s large enough to take three six-foot adults in comfort.
Running Costs
In this market, the VW badge doesn’t have the same prestige as, say, BMW or Volvo, and that’s good news, making the Touareg a little cheaper to buy than an XC90 or X5. However, with limited supply, prices are far from cheap, and the Discovery is cheaper still. This is a big car, though, and will cost a lot to run. Even the most fuel-efficient engine, the 2.5 TDi, returns just 28.8 mpg, and you’ll be lucky to see more than 20mpg out of either petrol engine in everyday driving. It’s true that these figures are not bad by the standards of the class, but both petrol and diesel Touraegs are worse than the equivalent XC90. On the other hand, insurance costs are par for the course, and routine maintenance on the VW will be less than on its rivals from BMW, Volvo and Land Rover.