It’s amazing what motor manufacturers can do with a single platform design. Take the Volkswagen Touareg, subject of this road test, for instance.
It comes off the same underpinnings as the Audi Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne. But like siblings in a family, it’s as different from the others as butter is to cheese, water to wine, or fine bone china to a cheap coffee mug.
The Cayenne and the Touareg were in fact developed in unison, although their purpose in life is totally different, the Porsche being punted as the ultimate on-road 4WD, while the VW doesn’t mind getting down and dirty.
The Q7, the late lamb in the family, is rather a different story, being more of an A8 station wagon on steroids and stilts than a serious off-roader. A bit more precious than the other two.
Both the Touareg and the Cayenne were first launched to the world in 2003, and since then each has fitted well into its mantle.
However, every vehicle gets a mid-life crisis, and for both the Porsche and the Touareg 2007 was that year, and both have been in for upgrades, mainly to their engines.
In the case of the Touareg VW claims a total of 2,300 parts was changed, although many of those parts are bits of plastic and aluminium involved in its styling upgrades, as well as for the new engines.
And in fact much of the “nip and tuck” has been done to the face, where the Touareg has been given the latest VW corporate look, with a completely modified front end incorporating a deep-plunging chrome-look grille and “eagle eye” headlamps.
There are more changes at the rear, too, with the latest Touareg getting darkened taillight lenses, exposed exhaust pipes and a larger roof edge spoiler.
However, it’s under the bonnet where the things that matter have happened, and both petrol engines fitted in the Touareg have big power increases thanks to the adoption of VW’s FSI direct injection technology.
In the case of our test vehicle, this was to the 4.2 V8 FSI.
This is the first Volkswagen eight cylinder direct-injection engine, and it’s 13 percent more powerful than the outgoing version, with an output of 257 kW, while torque is lifted 7 percent to 440 Nm.
At the same time both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions have been cut back, by 6 percent and 7 percent respectively.
The latest Touareg also gets a number of technological upgrades, most significant of which is the new ABSplus braking system which was developed and patented by Volkswagen and fitted as standard to all new generation Touaregs.
One of the things I learned as a rally driver was that the quickest way to stop on gravel was to stomp hard on the brake pedal rather than tippy-toeing around.
This locks up the front wheels, which then bite into the road surface and build up a wedge of gravel in front of the tyre, effectively stopping the vehicle rapidly.
The same thing works with fresh snow – the thicker the better.
However, one day I was driving – quite quickly – on a gravel road in an early BMW 728i with first generation ABS, hit the brakes hard because we were approaching a main intersection – and the car sailed on, right across a main tar road, stopping just before a fence.
I’d felt the pulses from the ABS – that was in the days when they were very strong – and it was this, of course, that stopped the wheels locking up, and effectively doubled my normal braking distance on gravel!
Later the first Audi quattro was launched, and although this had ABS brakes as standard (not a lot of cars had it in those days) there was a button to turn it off, just for the reason I’ve mentioned, and especially for use in snow, where many of these cars were used.
Since then there have been many advances in ABS technology, and the latest VW ABSplus does allow the wheels to lock in certain situations, and as a result can shorten the braking distance on loose surfaces, especially in off-road duty, by up to 20 percent!
All Touaregs except the range-starter R5 (which comes with steel coil springs) get air suspension as standard, and this plays a big part in the vehicle’s off-road ability, providing ground clearance of up to 300 mm.
Our test vehicle was equipped with the optional Driving Dynamics Package, which supplements the existing “Sport” mode of the air suspension by stiffening the suspension. It also lowers the car an extra 20 mm when driving on tar seal or smooth gravel.
The system counteracts body when cornering by actuating electronically controlled dampers, and costs an extra $1,000.
Although there have been lots of changes to the outside of the latest Touareg, the inside has remained pretty much true to the original. Which is not a bad thing, since its beautiful combination of walnut and aluminium trim is, to my mind, unsurpassed in the automotive world.
However there is a new instrument cluster with a large multifunctional multi-colour display. This is situated between the revcounter and the speedo, which are large black-faced dials with bright trim rings, and above the smaller dials for engine temperature and speed. There are additional dials at the outside of the panel for oil temperature and battery condition.
The display includes time, fuel consumption, range, and outside temperature.
The rest of the interior is pretty much as before, with, on this top-line model, lavishly applied leather upholstery, heated front seats with full electric adjustment, electric mirrors and windows, and climate controlled aircon/heating which can be tailored to suit driver and front passenger separately.
There’s also a control and outlets for the rear-seat passengers.
The four-spoke steering wheel is also leather covered, and also includes buttons for the cruise control and the multi-function display, as well as the on-board phone where fitted, and for the sound system.
Those seats, by the way, are extremely comfortable, and with electric height and tilt adjustment of the steering wheel it’s dead easy to get a comfy driving position, and one which enables you to pretty much see all four corners of the Touareg from inside the vehicle.
Although it doesn’t look it, thanks in part to its great proportions and lower-than-average overall height in its class, the Touareg is quite spacious, with lots of room back and front for five adults.
And at the same time it retains the ability to swallow an inordinate quantity of stuff in the back, with a 60:40 split fold-forward rear seat which also has a “ski hatch” for longer objects. There’s a big luggage cover.
Traveling distances is made easier by the fact that the glove compartment can also keep drinks cold, and there’s a robust bottle holder in the between seats console. There are no fewer than three 12 volt sockets – one in the centre console, one in the rear, and one in the luggage compartment, so you can keep all your electrical accessories fully charged.

The gearlever is set between the seats, where it belongs, and has both full automatic and Tiptronic functionality, plus a sport setting, but the parking brake is foot operated, and under the dash – not much use for anything else, but, well, parking… 
As with the original Touareg, engine power is distributed through a six-speed Tiptronic transmission, and then through Volkswagen’s 4XMOTION all-wheel drive system.
This includes a transfer case with an extra low ratio gear for enhanced off-road driving capability.
Most 4WD autos have around 3 to 1 low ratios, making them quite difficult to drive in slippery downhill conditions, and heavily reliant on traction control and hill descent systems.
However, at 4.15 to 1, the Touareg’s bottom gear is LOWER than first gear in the MANUAL version of the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, a vehicle which performs extremely well in tough rock crawling and mud plugging. They have similar transfer ratios.
In addition the Touareg can be specified with a locking rear differential (for $1,000 extra) a feature we’d definitely recommend if you’re going to take it seriously off-road.
In standard trim, though, as tested, it has an electronically controlled centre diff. which in normal driving situations splits torque 50:50 front to rear, but as conditions change can put up to 100 percent to just one axle. An electronic differential lock (EDL) acting on all four wheels enables finite adjustment of the distribution of power from the left to the right side of the Touareg.
Switching between high and low ratio is easy, with a rotary switch on the right of the between-seats console. A similar switch on the left controls ride height.
As to be expected from a European manufacturer the Touareg comes with lots of equipment, including heated electric exterior mirrors, an auto dimming interior mirror, phone preparation, a 10-speaker sound system, front and rear Park Distance Control, auto lights and rain-sensing wipers and a 6-disc CD changer
Safety equipment includes six airbags and an Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) as well as those features already mentioned. There are also active bi-xenon head lights.
Volkswagen says the Touareg is designed to be “friendly” to smaller, lower cars in a collision, and it has an aluminium bonnet and flexible plastic front wings to help minimise pedestrian injuries.
However, it only scored one star for pedestrian protection in the Euro NCAP crash tests - a poor result. It redeemed itself (if you’re on the inside) with a full five star score for occupant protection, and four stars for child protection with VW’s approved child seats.
Nicely-styled 19 inch alloy wheels are fitted but the spare is a space saver folding jobbie; however a proper full-size spare can be specified, together with a lockable cover and swing-out mounting point against the rear door.
To aid its reputation for toughness and reliability the Touareg has a 3-year unlimited km warranty, 12-year anti corrosion warranty and 3 years Volkswagen Roadside Assistance.
The Touareg has double wishbone suspension front and rear, with that air suspension offering a high level of ride comfort with its continuous, speed-dependent electronic damping control.
The Driving Dynamics Package makes handling superb on the tarmac, with little body roll contributing to passenger comfort as well as keeping all the wheels firmly on the ground to give lots of grip and higher exit speeds – much like similar systems we’ve encountered on the Porsche Cayenne and the BMW X5.
In those situations the Touareg handles like a big and high sports car, belying its weight and dimensions, and it can be set up in a full power slide like a rally car on the right smooth gravel road.
Take it right off-road, though, and you pay a penalty in terms of ride comfort, the suspension definitely feeling a bit harsher and less forgiving than the standard version.
That said, the air suspension still provides for exceptional ground clearance, and those who want even better off-road performance can opt for a decoupling stabiliser system which increases wheel articulation in extreme conditions.
If you think about it, this means you can probably match the Rubicon when it comes to rock-hopping, extra size and weight notwithstanding!
The Touareg can ascend or descend hills as steep as 45 degrees, and lean more than 35 degrees without threatening to fall over, and one of the features we especially liked on the Touareg was the two-speed hill descent system.
If you select low gear the speed is very slow, and this is the preferred speed for really slippery stuff, such as the wet clay and grass we encountered on our tests at Extreme Park.
However as the surface improved I found it better to change into second gear, at which point the HDC system selected a higher speed for the descent.
Even so at one point the slick road tyres started to break away, and it required a touch of throttle to restore traction and get safely to the bottom.
We also went out to Muruwai Beach west of Auckland to try out the Touareg on the dune access points (not the dunes themselves as these are protected) and it was interesting to see the way the big vehicle coped with loose sand.
In fact the Touareg coped with everything we threw at it, with no signs of bogging down, even with one wheel buried up to the axle stub.
So…a horse of a different colour, the Touareg. On one side (especially with Driving Dynamics Package) it’s a highly competent tarmac eater. On the other, even with tyres designed for high speeds rather than mud plugging, a more than competent off-roader.
Add in the fact that you can specify extras at reasonably low cost to make it into a trail hound of note, and one can be forgiven for thinking the Touareg might well be the “Jack of all Trades” you’ve been waiting for.
The Touareg is up there with the Range Rover and Volvo XC90 for comfort, and it’s a quiet and roomy 4WD with enough head- and legroom for three adults in the back.