Volkswagen is very serious about the capabilities of the new Touareg, and so flew us south to Queenstown so we could sample the vehicle in as many situations as possible. And boy did we!
It started with lunch at the old Main Town Pier and I watched as the famous steamboat TSS Earnslaw left port to take its cargo of tourists and daytime revellers to cruise on Wakatipu, the beautiful serpentine-shaped lake Queenstown is built beside.
I felt a bit envious, but little did I know what was to follow, for after a light salmon lunch we were whisked off on a brisk walk – 50 metres!
Yes, despite that it had started to rain we were going for our own cruise on the lake, and in a jet boat powered by not one, but TWO turbo-charged V8 engines pushing out a total of 522 kW!
We quickly donned lifejackets and water-proof ponchos and settled ourselves in for the ride of our lives.
The wind and the speed were driving rain hard into our faces, but pure adrenalin kept us warm as we ducked and dived over the clear water, sometimes no more than a few cm above the river bed, brushing against trees on the banks, seemingly slivers away from disaster.
Then we turned around to run with the wind, and I saw the speedo hit 90 km/h before our pilot suddenly cut power – and there they were, lined up along the river bank. The new Touaregs.
Our guide Mark Warren, of Hillseekers, had arranged a special test session in a farmer’s field beside the lake.
But the rain had made the grass as slick as sheet ice, and Mark was more than once treated to a leisurely waltz as the road tyres lost traction. The point was made, and traction control DOES work, even on wet grass, one of the most treacherous surfaces you’ll encounter on your 4WD travels.
By now the sun was going down, and it was time to retire to our bivouac at the Millbrook Golf resort, later than planned.
The next day, bright and early, we trudged through morning hoar frost for breakfast, followed by the business session.
It was interesting to learn that the local company is far and away the top performing European marque in New Zealand, and now figures in the top 10 of all imported new cars. Going strong.
And so were we as we set off for the snow fields.
No, there hadn’t been an early fall, but VW’s sponsorship links with two of the major fields, Remarkables and Coronet Peak, meant we could go to places others aren’t allowed to.
The Remarkables is a true alpine ski area and is said to have New Zealand’s best views and chutes. We headed out to find out and soon started to climb, the roomy Touaregs now in 4WD Low ratio as the surface was smooth but slippery in places, with un-guarded drop-offs on one side and sheer rock wall on the other.
There was some mist as we got higher, and I wondered if we would miss the view we so wanted – then suddenly bright sunshine. We had climbed through the mist, and it now lay below, beside and behind us, the peaks of the mountains around Coronet Peak on the opposite side of the valley poking their heads proudly above the mist, sitting on a fluffy white blanket.
A sign saying no-one must go PASSED (sic) was in fact passed, and we headed on up, the road now much rougher and less travelled.
Eventually we reached the top of the ski lift, and were treated to a sight to die for, a view that goes on forever.
And a little lake reflecting the lichen-covered rock walls. I HAD to go down for a picture, but it meant clambering the Touareg over large rocks. Another test, of both traction and articulation, this one not on Mark’s menu.
We headed back, but not for the resort, for first we would have a look at another of Queenstown’s attractions, the remnants of the gold-mining boom which started in the early 1860s and went on right into the 20th century.
Arrowtown has been well-restored, but we wanted to go beyond the tourist route to a less-known spot, Macetown, accessed along a narrow track above, along and sometimes across the Arrow River.
Just one stone cottage remains, actually the old trading store. It’s clean and renovated.
But it’s an interesting bit of New Zealand history. First named 12-Mile, then Macetown, reputedly after two brothers who lived there and were famous cricketers, the town was built on gold, and a very large quantity of the mineral was taken from the area over the years.
When the gold ran out, so did the reason for the town’s existence, for it was remote and the occupants sometimes ran out of food and coal to heat their meagre dwellings during the harsh winters.
So we headed back as the sun set, ready for our first beer of the day and dinner in picturesque Queenstown.
The frost was thick on the ground as we set out early on our third day. This time we were going to climb to one of the other ski fields, at Coronet Peak, hopefully without mist to block our view of the Remarkables.
First we went on past Arrowtown and up to the Cardrona area, where not only skiers congregate, but many of the world’s car manufacturers, testing their vehicles in the chilly winter temperatures.
Then a U-turn and back to the historic Cardrona Hotel for morning tea and scones. The sign outside advertises Gaelic Old Smuggler Whisky – but if it exists, it will have to wait for another day, when I’m not behind the wheel.
The road is fast and sweeping gravel as you climb up from the Cardrona Valley towards the Snow Farm – it’s actually the same road used for the famous International Silverstone Race to the Sky – and we stopped off along the way to pay our respects at the monument to rally ace Possum Bourne who was killed in a non-competitive accident there four years ago.
Again we went back to Queenstown, then headed off to Coronet Peak. There we went on past the bottom of the ski lift and headed up along a narrow track to the Coronet Peak itself. This time though, the road was slippery as all heck, with a soft mushy mud on top of frozen ground. It would be difficult coming down.
At the top we just marvelled at the views. Not only do you look across to the Remarkables, but you also see those deep-fissured valleys made famous in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
With a plane to catch we reluctantly pried ourselves away, and set off down the steep track.
This time, though, we would need the Hill Descent system to ensure we got to the bottom without skidding off the side, for even though the ‘auto gearbox locks
up in Low or Second gear, it still wouldn’t be slow enough on that treacherous surface.
There are in fact two HDC speed settings on the Touareg. If you select Low gear the speed is very low, and this was my preferred speed in the initial stages. 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.
Far too soon we arrived at our lunch stop, then it was off to the airport for the flight home.
Of all the vehicles we drove, my choice was the V6 TDI; what is surprising, though, is the ability of the lowest-priced model, the R5 TDI.
Though equipped with the lowest power, it’s quite remarkable how it will chug along at low, low revs – under 1,500 rpm – to keep traction in the slippery stuff. And at just under $100,000, it’s well priced. .:
It started with lunch at the old Main Town Pier and I watched as the famous steamboat TSS Earnslaw left port to take its cargo of tourists and daytime revellers to cruise on Wakatipu, the beautiful serpentine-shaped lake Queenstown is built beside.
I felt a bit envious, but little did I know what was to follow, for after a light salmon lunch we were whisked off on a brisk walk – 50 metres!
Yes, despite that it had started to rain we were going for our own cruise on the lake, and in a jet boat powered by not one, but TWO turbo-charged V8 engines pushing out a total of 522 kW!
We quickly donned lifejackets and water-proof ponchos and settled ourselves in for the ride of our lives.
The wind and the speed were driving rain hard into our faces, but pure adrenalin kept us warm as we ducked and dived over the clear water, sometimes no more than a few cm above the river bed, brushing against trees on the banks, seemingly slivers away from disaster.
Then we turned around to run with the wind, and I saw the speedo hit 90 km/h before our pilot suddenly cut power – and there they were, lined up along the river bank. The new Touaregs.
Our guide Mark Warren, of Hillseekers, had arranged a special test session in a farmer’s field beside the lake.
But the rain had made the grass as slick as sheet ice, and Mark was more than once treated to a leisurely waltz as the road tyres lost traction. The point was made, and traction control DOES work, even on wet grass, one of the most treacherous surfaces you’ll encounter on your 4WD travels.
By now the sun was going down, and it was time to retire to our bivouac at the Millbrook Golf resort, later than planned.
The next day, bright and early, we trudged through morning hoar frost for breakfast, followed by the business session.
It was interesting to learn that the local company is far and away the top performing European marque in New Zealand, and now figures in the top 10 of all imported new cars. Going strong.
And so were we as we set off for the snow fields.
No, there hadn’t been an early fall, but VW’s sponsorship links with two of the major fields, Remarkables and Coronet Peak, meant we could go to places others aren’t allowed to.
The Remarkables is a true alpine ski area and is said to have New Zealand’s best views and chutes. We headed out to find out and soon started to climb, the roomy Touaregs now in 4WD Low ratio as the surface was smooth but slippery in places, with un-guarded drop-offs on one side and sheer rock wall on the other.
There was some mist as we got higher, and I wondered if we would miss the view we so wanted – then suddenly bright sunshine. We had climbed through the mist, and it now lay below, beside and behind us, the peaks of the mountains around Coronet Peak on the opposite side of the valley poking their heads proudly above the mist, sitting on a fluffy white blanket.
A sign saying no-one must go PASSED (sic) was in fact passed, and we headed on up, the road now much rougher and less travelled.
Eventually we reached the top of the ski lift, and were treated to a sight to die for, a view that goes on forever.
And a little lake reflecting the lichen-covered rock walls. I HAD to go down for a picture, but it meant clambering the Touareg over large rocks. Another test, of both traction and articulation, this one not on Mark’s menu.
We headed back, but not for the resort, for first we would have a look at another of Queenstown’s attractions, the remnants of the gold-mining boom which started in the early 1860s and went on right into the 20th century.
Arrowtown has been well-restored, but we wanted to go beyond the tourist route to a less-known spot, Macetown, accessed along a narrow track above, along and sometimes across the Arrow River.
Just one stone cottage remains, actually the old trading store. It’s clean and renovated.
But it’s an interesting bit of New Zealand history. First named 12-Mile, then Macetown, reputedly after two brothers who lived there and were famous cricketers, the town was built on gold, and a very large quantity of the mineral was taken from the area over the years.
When the gold ran out, so did the reason for the town’s existence, for it was remote and the occupants sometimes ran out of food and coal to heat their meagre dwellings during the harsh winters.
So we headed back as the sun set, ready for our first beer of the day and dinner in picturesque Queenstown.
The frost was thick on the ground as we set out early on our third day. This time we were going to climb to one of the other ski fields, at Coronet Peak, hopefully without mist to block our view of the Remarkables.
First we went on past Arrowtown and up to the Cardrona area, where not only skiers congregate, but many of the world’s car manufacturers, testing their vehicles in the chilly winter temperatures.
Then a U-turn and back to the historic Cardrona Hotel for morning tea and scones. The sign outside advertises Gaelic Old Smuggler Whisky – but if it exists, it will have to wait for another day, when I’m not behind the wheel.
The road is fast and sweeping gravel as you climb up from the Cardrona Valley towards the Snow Farm – it’s actually the same road used for the famous International Silverstone Race to the Sky – and we stopped off along the way to pay our respects at the monument to rally ace Possum Bourne who was killed in a non-competitive accident there four years ago.
Again we went back to Queenstown, then headed off to Coronet Peak. There we went on past the bottom of the ski lift and headed up along a narrow track to the Coronet Peak itself. This time though, the road was slippery as all heck, with a soft mushy mud on top of frozen ground. It would be difficult coming down.
At the top we just marvelled at the views. Not only do you look across to the Remarkables, but you also see those deep-fissured valleys made famous in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
With a plane to catch we reluctantly pried ourselves away, and set off down the steep track.
This time, though, we would need the Hill Descent system to ensure we got to the bottom without skidding off the side, for even though the ‘auto gearbox locks
up in Low or Second gear, it still wouldn’t be slow enough on that treacherous surface.
There are in fact two HDC speed settings on the Touareg. If you select Low gear the speed is very low, and this was my preferred speed in the initial stages. 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.
Far too soon we arrived at our lunch stop, then it was off to the airport for the flight home.
Of all the vehicles we drove, my choice was the V6 TDI; what is surprising, though, is the ability of the lowest-priced model, the R5 TDI.
Though equipped with the lowest power, it’s quite remarkable how it will chug along at low, low revs – under 1,500 rpm – to keep traction in the slippery stuff. And at just under $100,000, it’s well priced. .:
