Review
As part of the package for buying a Touareg, Volkswagen is offering buyers a day's off-road training to better understand what their new purchase can do when the going gets muddy.
That's all well and good and I'm sure the Touareg will cut the mustard off-road but that's not the car's raison d'etre. As with all such vehicles, the Touareg will spend the vast majority of its time on the road and it is here that the big Volkswagen is most impressive.
Despite having the traditional off-roader attributes of big chunky tyres and a high centre of gravity, the Touareg rides and handles so well that it feels more like a conventional saloon than a big 4x4. In fact the only clue you have that you're not driving a saloon is the fact you can peer over roadside hedges.
On main roads the ride is very smooth and the high seating position affords a panoramic view. When the roads get more twisty you would expect the Touareg to feel like a fish out of water, as most off-road vehicles do.
But it is here the Volkswagen springs a surprise. It is fairly easy to maintain a decent turn of speed on B-roads because the handling is so good. There is no pitch and roll when entering a corner, meaning a sea-sickness bag is not a pre-requisite. In many ways it shouldn't be a surprise that the Touareg is so good on the road because it was developed in conjunction with Porsche's new Cayenne, which has staggered those who have driven it with its handling.
Our test model, a 3.2-litre V6, was fitted with an optional six-speed automatic gearbox which provides seamless shifts but using the steering wheel-mounted paddles allows you to change gear manually and this improves acceleration.
With 220bhp, the Touareg is the least powerful car of our test quartet, out-gunned by the BMW X5 (231bhp), Mercedes-Benz ML350 (232bhp) and the Volvo with a healthy 272bhp from its turbocharged engine.
But it doesn't feel particularly slow. Part of my drive home involves accelerating on to the fast-moving A1 from a standstill along a very short sliproad and the Touareg easily gets up to cruising speed quickly.
Once at motorway speed the Touareg rides confidently and noise levels are well suppressed, which is surprising as you would expect a high, wide off-roader to generate plenty of wind noise.
What must help is the smooth lines of the Touareg's styling, which manage to disguise the car's bulk. Surprisingly, the Touareg is taller than the BMW X5 but the extra few millimetres of width it has make it appear far more squat.
However, there is an awful lot of air between the tops of the wheels and the wheelarches (a trade-off for off-road ability where wheel articulation is important), which gives it the impression of being on stilts.
And while we're talking minus points, the cabin is not especially roomy. While shoulder room is fine, rear seat leg-room is pretty poor for a vehicle of this size. To give the Touareg a more mean look, the optional air suspension may be worth investigating. This lowers the body for on-road driving and improves ride and handling. However, on roads that are not particularly smooth, it impacts on ride quality.
Since its launch the BMW X5 has been hailed as the best compromise between off-road ability and on-road comfort in this price bracket. But the Touareg can rightly claim to match it and even better it, despite having a badge that would count against it when compared with prestige models in any other sector.
Volkswagen Touareg 3.2 V6 auto
Delivered price, standard car (P11D value): £30,545
CO2 emissions (g/km): 331
BIK % of P11D in 2003/04: 35%
Graduated VED rate: £160
Insurance group: 16
Combined mpg: 20.5
CAP Monitor residual value: £13,650/45%
Depreciation (26.90 pence per mile x 60,000): £16,140
Maintenance (3.50 pence per mile x 60,000): £2,100
Fuel (18.62 pence per mile x 60,000): £11,172
Wholelife cost (49.02 pence per mile x 60,000): £29,412
Typical contract hire rate: £639 per month
Three rivals to consider
P11D price
ALL four vehicles on test here are entry-level models with an automatic gearbox specified as an option in the case of the Volkswagen and BMW (auto is standard on the Mercedes and Volvo). The Volkswagen is clearly the cheapest, nearly £2,000 less on P11d value than the Mercedes and £4,000 cheaper than the BMW. But for the money, all four disappoint in terms of standard equipment. Leather is an option on all four while even a single-slot CD player is a £100 option on the BMW.
Volkswagen £30,545
Mercedes-Benz £32,500
Volvo £32,685
BMW £34,990
SMR costs
A VICTORY for the Touareg in servicing, maintenance and repair terms, costing 3.50ppm over three years/60,000 miles. Second goes to the Volvo on 3.87ppm while there is a jump of more than a penny per mile back to the BMW in third on 4.95ppm and Mercedes in fourth on 5.25ppm. This is surprising as the latter two both have unlimited mileage warranties, while the Volkswagen and Volvo only have 60,000 mile cover.
Volkswagen 3.50ppm
Volvo 3.87ppm
BMW 4.95ppm
Mercedes-Benz 5.25ppm
Fuel costs
WITH this type of car, fuel economy is never going to be one of the strong points but of our quartet the XC90 and X5 manage to eke the most miles out of a gallon of petrol. They both record 21.0mpg on the combined cycle, equating to a cost of 17.43ppm over three years/60,000 miles. More than a penny per mile more expensive is the Touareg, which returns 20.5mpg, although its 100-litre fuel tank helps its touring range, while the ML350 brings up the rear at 20.0mpg.
Volvo 17.43ppm
BMW 17.43ppm
Volkswagen 18.62ppm
Mercedes-Benz 19.09ppm
Depreciation costs
THE Volkswagen and BMW offer the highest residual value prediction of the cars here, with CAP estimating both to retain 45% of their cost new after three years/ 60,000 miles. But the Touareg records the lowest depreciation cost because of its lower P11d value, meaning less cash is lost. The Volvo is just behind on 43% but it takes second place, again by virtue of its lower front-end price. Unusually it is a Mercedes-Benz which brings up the rear in depreciation terms, with a predicted residual value of 39%.
Volkswagen 26.90ppm
Volvo 30.51ppm
BMW 31.32ppm
Mercedes-Benz 31.48ppm
Wholelife costs
WITH the lowest P11d and SMR costs, allied with by far the best performance in depreciation terms, the Volkswagen seals the running costs victory. It is the only car of our quartet to dip under the 50ppm barrier. While the Volvo is not too far behind, the two German challengers are well adrift – the fourth placed Mercedes-Benz costing six pence per mile more than the Touareg. The Merc suffers by being the oldest car here, as well as the thirstiest in fuel terms.
Volkswagen 49.02ppm
Volvo 51.81ppm
BMW 53.70ppm
Mercedes-Benz 55.82ppm
Emissions and BIK tax rates
NO surprises here then: big, heavy off-roaders with petrol engines will never do anything other than fall into the top band for company car tax. All four emit more than 300g/km of carbon dioxide, ranging from 309g/km in the XC90 to 338g/km in the ML350. And if your drivers are looking at a vehicle like this then tax-efficiency will not be at the forefront of their minds. But for the record, a 40% tax- payer will have to fork out £356 a month in company car tax for the Touareg.
Volvo 309g/km/35%
BMW 310g/km/35%
Volkswagen 331g/km/35%
Mercedes-Benz 338g/km/35%
Verdict
A CONVINCING win in wholelife cost terms, coupled with the fact it is a match for the BMW X5 on road, means the Volkswagen takes a clear victory here. The Touareg is a great car but in V6 petrol format it is not the best bet. Opt for the cheaper 2.5 TDI automatic priced at £29,990 on-the-road and enjoy extra fuel economy and improved mid-range performance.
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