Volkswagen Touareg road tests and consumer car reviews

Volkswagen Touareg TDI 2.5 2006

I’ve owned my Touareg from new since 2006. I can assure you that it is absolutely a reliable motor, yes its quite heavy on fuel, but comfort and space its a luxury vehicle, I will definitely buy a second. I’ve driven a two year old Range and it rattles, which I found out from a Range Rover owner it’s a common fault with all models that their drive shafts are not that good.

Volkswagen Touareg 2008

Having driven a Freelander for the past 6 years I thought the Touareg would be a nice change. How wrong. Visibility in this car is awful and road holding (as proven in the recent bad weather) is poor.

Volkswagen Touareg SE Auto 2007

The Touareg replaced a 5 year old Nissan Patrol that I loved. I was worried that I would miss the Patrol but after a few days I had been completely converted. The Touareg was better in every way, quicker, more comfortable, much better road holding and more like a big sports car than an off road 4x4. If you get the chance do a VW Touareg off road and race track day as the abilities of this car will amaze you. The VW dealer in Guildford, Colbournes, are excellent and not just for Touaregs. It only has one disadvantage and that is the incredible road holding does come at the price of tyre wear but what price your neck? The Patrol would be off the road on every tight bend that the Touareg does not even notice but the Patrol tyres lasted for 23k miles and I have had 2 sets of tyres in 23k miles in the VW. Buy the maintenace and tyre package, I did. A great car, a pity that the current model has stopped production and the new one is not due until the Autumn. Not sure what I will do when my one goes back in July. I may buy this one at the end of the 3 years PCP or very possibly a Suzuki Grand Vitara. A difficult choice.

Volkswagen Touareg 2.5 tdi auto

Although I find the Touareg a joy to drive, with all driver comforts, I find the engine a little under powered. I should have opted for the v6 or above and sacrificed some mpg. At present the car returns 34mpg on a run, not bad for a vehicle of this size!! The car has been dealer serviced from new, however, now that it’s 4yrs old plus I am starting to encounter problems I would not have expected considering a mileage of 60000 miles. Recently the rear drive shaft mid bearing failed - a new shaft being £650 + VAT!! as a replacement bearing is not available. Items of interior trim are starting to break, eg - underseat drawer facia and centre console lid catches and guess what they have been modified with replacement parts costing a small fortune. Wiring problems with airbag system is another gripe although the system was modified under a dealer rework programme. Needles to say all this happened after the manufacturers warranty and extended warranty expired, so beware.

Responses to this review

My Touareg is just under 5 years old and I’m also in the process of having the prop shaft replaced after only 70K miles. My husband says he has never seen one go after so little mileage and in a reasonably newish vehicle. Other than that I love it but this has really shocked me into thinking it may be time for a change..... Sounds like the prop shaft could be a weak point then - Victoria Roberts from Conwy

Just had the propshaft replaced by VW on 55 plate 2.5 se Touareg £1,030! Average mileage, no towing or offroad history serviced and repaired by main dealers. I was told by the dealer that they are always replacing this complete part when in fact you can purchase the centre bearing and not the whole propshaft for around £60 plus a good garage to fit and balance for around £200-300, it’s a con. The dealers keep this part in stock at over £650, why? I asked for a goodwill gesture from VW UK and pointed out they could replace just the centre bearing. Unsurprisingly, no joy but was informed that the Touareg is apparently not an offroad vehicle! I can’t remember that in the sales pitch - Kevin Stiles from Warwickshire

Volkswagen Touareg 2.5 2008

This is my second 2.5 Touareg. Very comfortable on and off road BUT... the tow bar is terrible. On the last car the towbar was changed because all trailers rattle unbearably. Replacement tow bar was no better. New car I arranged with dealer only to buy a Touareg if they would guarantee the tow bar would be OK. Guess what? Towing is unbearable. We have a Discovery and Mitsubishi L200 both of which tow the trailers without a sound. My none engineering opinion is that the towing ball has been machined off too high at the base ie the ball is not deep enough and the ball is positioned about 1" too low.

Responses to this review

Read your post about the rattling trailers. Tow hitches are made in different sizes. I am guessing that your Touareg has a towhitch ballsize smaller than your trailers (and other vehicles). That causes the combination to not lock tightly and cause the loose rattling noise - John from South Africa

Volkswagen Touareg V10 2004

I have always been a VW fan, ever since my A reg blood red Mk 1Goldf GTi through to a V6 Mk4. But the Touareg is a stormer. Maybe it does not have the badge kudos of Porsche or BMW but I chose the V10 as it offers everything from comfort (hydraulic suspension) to high equipment levels to a friendly badge that means you get let out at junctions. Fuel consumption is average for a 2.6 ton SUV but if you want big mpg, get a moped. One tip when buying, get it in black. You won’t regret it.

Responses to this review

Is this a review or a declaration of personal tastes? - Icky Haq from Flintshire

Volkswagen Touareg 2.5 TDI 2006

This is my 2nd Touareg. Owned for 2 weeks only. Fantastic to drive. Just got 30MPG on a run to North Wales. The most comfortable 4x4 I have owned by far and great trim and accessory levels.

Volkswagen Touareg 2005

I have had my VW Touareg 2.5 TDi for a year and have been very pleased with its performance. It is a solid, sturdy vehicle, extremely comfortable, a little heavy on fuel, but the quality of the car makes up for it. The finish is excellent, the accessories exceeded my expectations. Having driven various VW models over the past 18 years or so, my entire family is a VW fan and the VW Touareg has certainly been my favourite to date.

Volkswagen Touareg 2.5TDI ALTITUDE 2006

I have had my company Touareg now for two years and done 34000 miles. Superbly put together and quite economical: 26 around the houses and almost 30 on a run down the motorway. Only problem is a sticking rear door handle. I could have had a Range Rover Sport but have not regretted my choice. Going for its second expensive service now but not too heavy costs to service when you consider the servicing intervals. I will be buying another.

Volkswagen Touareg 3ltr V6 2008 2007

Leased through main dealer Gilbert Lawton in Trafford Park. Supplied with wrong disc, SatNav was in German and all controls on touch screen were unintelligible. Dealership wasn’t familiar with new touch screen due to it being 08 model! iPod doesn’t not work with the £155 glove box dealer fitted kit. Dealership just offered a refund no apology. Rubbish service considering it’s listed as one of their flagship vehicles. VW have not written the software for it despite it being released to public. Tailgate rains in, in buckets when opened, soaking anything nearest the boot lip. Great to drive, excellent motorway cruiser.

Volkswagen Touareg Volkswagen Touareg 2.5 TDI DPF

I’ve only had this car for two weeks so this really is a review of my first impressions and I have to say so far so good. Okay the fuel consumption is a little steep but I expect this to improve as the car settles down and I was aware of this before I bought it. The interior is spacious and certainly comfortable and the performance and handling of the car are excellent. Yes there are other 4x4’s on the market and some might argue that they offer a higher level of luxury but I have no complaints and the Volkswagen trustworthy reliability gets my vote every time.