Touareg road test: Volkswagen’s desert commando gets sharper


Simon Wilgress-Pipe
  • English
  • Arabic

THE SPECS

Touareg Highline

Engine: 3.0-litre, V6

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 340hp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: Dh239,312

Volkswagen was looking to create a specific impression when it called its 2002 SUV release the Touareg. The name references a Sahara-dwelling nomadic people who survive in some of the harshest conditions on the planet. Message received and understood: this is a car designed to go places you wouldn’t contemplate in your teeny, city-bound Fiat 500.

Those who came up with the concept had high hopes for the new line. The Touareg has a pedigree – it was a car first created using the combined talents of VW and fellow German classmates Audi and Porsche, and the brief was to create a vehicle that could handle the worst off-road conditions imaginable and yet still drive like a sports car. So, no pressure, then.

The model has had three distinct versions in its history, and reached a milestone this year – as of July, a million Touaregs have been sold.

This should come as no great surprise, as the car has a notable history, not least in the sporting arena – purpose-built race versions of the Touareg took on the Dakar Rally (a race that makes your average Grand Prix look as hardcore as The Great British Bake Off) and managed to beat the toughest competition on a number of occasions.

Evidently, competition cars are rather different from their road-going cousins, but these kind of results can persuade you that, should the worst happen and some disaster occur while you’re out in your Touareg, this could just be the car to get you to safety. You definitely feel secure (and comfortable) inside, which, amazingly if you think about it, isn’t always the case with cars of this sort.

Despite the million-seller statistics, in SUV terms the Touareg hasn't quite made it to join the posh kids on the top table. Few have ever doubted its abilities as an off-roader, but the car has never been ranked alongside the traditionally high-grade options on the market.

At rest in the desert twilight.
At rest in the desert twilight.

But change is in the air. This latest model, which has undergone a complete revamp, is arguably one of the most technically competent vehicles to come out of the VW stable. In Touareg terms, it’s certainly the most ritzy. This car has never been basic, but the manufacturer has significantly upped the kit level with the latest models.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II might be a bit sniffy about taking tea in here, but she’d be happy to take a jaunt around Balmoral in it.

The Touareg's outer shell has been streamlined, the designers clearly noting accusations of stockiness compared with some of the competitors in previous versions. You can see how subtle changes have smartened the vehicle up. Accentuated wheel arches pair with prominent shoulder edges at the rear, giving it a muscular yet engineered appearance. From some angles, you might be reminded of a slimmed-down sumo wrestler on his haunches, ready to chuck salt into the ring and get stuck in.

And, in the way modern manufacturers seem to be able to perform magic tricks even Penn and Teller might have difficulty explaining, the car is bigger than its predecessor, yet 106 kilograms lighter. Apparently it’s all to do with shaving tiny amounts of weight off individual components, as well as making full use of light aluminium and high-tech steel.

Comfort levels are high.
Comfort levels are high.

When it comes to speed and power, you can get either a two or three-litre V6 engine. The bigger powertrain will give you 340hp and a top speed of 240kph. You can also get to 100kph from a standing start in 5.9 seconds, which is fast enough to induce a chortle or two from any driver putting his foot down in a vehicle of this size.

Inside the car, VW has installed what it calls an Innovision Cockpit, which consists of two customisable displays on the main dashboard. The company reckons this fascia is the largest in any SUV. It's certainly prominent within the cabin – a distinct positive, as it's simple to read and use, yet doesn't interfere with your view outside when darkness falls.

Unlike some of its competitors, there's no option for a third row of seats in the Touareg, but if you're buying the car happy with its size, you won't notice the decreased passenger space unless you suddenly need to give small groups of hitchhikers a lift. What you will notice is considerably more room in the boot because of the new model's larger frame.

The Touareg has always occupied that vague territory between mainstream and high-end SUVs, but the new versions are shunting it in the direction of the luxury lot, making it a real competitor. VW has now even produced a four-litre V8 version, which is enough to dig a few divots in even the firmest terrain.

It seems like the posh kids on the top table may be forced to make space for an extra guest, one rattling across the sand dunes towards them at high speed in a fashion that could only be described as determined.

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While you're here
The biog

Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
 

LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

Profile of VoucherSkout

Date of launch: November 2016

Founder: David Tobias

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers

Sector: Technology

Size: 18 employees

Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake

Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars” 

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

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Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

THE SPECS

Touareg Highline

Engine: 3.0-litre, V6

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 340hp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: Dh239,312