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Vehicle Tests > Strategic re-alignment
Strategic re-alignment
Issue: December 2006
Words by Mathieu Raudonikis
Two new engines and better value for money pricing are designed to attract more buyers to Volkswagen Touareg.
It seems Overlander 4WD jumped the gun with our Hotline piece on the 2007 Touareg in the November issue. We knew that VW was doing a Touareg launch in October and we assumed it would be the second-generation vehicle recently shown in Paris. So imagine our surprise when we arrived to drive the car in Canberra and the vehicles looked the same as ever.
There is a new Touareg on the way with fresh front end styling and it will be on sale in Australia around the middle of 2007, but due to the flagging sales of the model here, VW Australia found it necessary to give the vehicle a major realignment in the local market.
The big changes are the inclusion of V6TDI diesel and V6FSI petrol engines, the dropping of the V8 petrol engine and adjustment of pricing. With three of the four models now diesel powered VW Australia expects up to 75 percent of Touareg sales to be diesel equipped. All three diesel powered Touaregs are now fitted with a diesel particulate filter in order to meet the latest emissions regulations.
The Touareg range starts with the five cylinder R5TDI, which at $64,990 is $5000 cheaper than previously yet adds more standard equipment such as the exterior chrome pack, rain sensing wipers, auto on lights, CD changer and auto dimming rear view mirror.
At the other end of the range the awesome V10TDI Touareg has dropped $15,000 in price but loses standard equipment such as sat-nav, power sunroof and the wood/leather steering wheel. These items are now optional across the range for $4490, $2190 and $590 respectively. The price drop on the V10 was to close the gap to the mid-spec models now that there is no V8 petrol engine model. The two V6-engined Touaregs are both priced at $74,990 and each has a new engine.
The pick of the pair is the V6TDI, which is the same engine we've sampled in the Audi Q7. It's a 3.0 litre, intercooled, turbocharged, piezo injected, common-rail turbodiesel that puts out 165kW at 4000rpm and 500Nm from 1500 to 1800rpm. Like other new-breed diesels this engine is quiet, smooth and very torquey, delivering V8 petrol-like performance with the economy of a modern diesel. Audi's claimed ADR fuel consumption figures are 10.9L/100km and on test we averaged an indicated 11.1L/100km.
While the TDI engine is exceptional there's nothing wrong with the petrol FSI either. FSI is VW/Audi's direct fuel injection system meaning that the petrol is injected directly into the combustion chamber and not into the inlet tract as on conventional EFI systems. This achieves more efficient combustion resulting in more performance and better economy. Figures for the 3.6 litre FSI V6 are 206kW at 6200rpm, 360Nm at 2800rpm and combined ADR fuel consumption of 13.8L/100km. Our highway test average was an indicated 14.2L/100km.
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As you would expect the petrol V6 is smoother and quieter than the diesel and it delivers its best performance up high in the rev range where it is sweet and rewarding to drive. But it can't match the TDI for low rpm torque, drivability and economy.
All engines in the Touareg range are backed by a six-speed auto transmission with VW's 4xMotion constant 4WD system that uses an auto-locking computer controlled clutch pack to distribute drive front to rear. The clutch pack can be manually locked by a console dial and is locked when the 2.7:1 low range is selected. A rear differential lock is optional.
Suspension is independent via double wishbones and coil springs. The top-spec V10 gets height and damper adjustable air suspension, which is a $5,490 option on the three lower-spec variants.
Both the V6TDI and FSI vehicles Overlander drove on the launch rode on the standard coil spring suspension, which we found to be fine when on good sealed roads, but easily unsettled over broken and corrugated roads. On potholed dirt roads the suspension delivered sharp loud bumps through to the cabin and the calibration wasn't suited to these conditions at all. Interestingly, the Audi Q7 rides on a modified version of the platform that is shared by Touareg and Cayenne yet the coil sprung Q7 showed none of these faults over the harsh conditions on the Birdsville track when we drove it there just a month earlier.
The new pricing and engines of the Touareg range should make it more appealing to a wider range of buyers. At $65 to $75K it becomes a serious alternative to the likes of Toyota LandCruiser and Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee for some one who doesn't need the seating capacity and offroad ability of the traditional 4WDs. It also has the Touareg priced below most of its European luxury SUV competition while with its excellent 2.7:1 low range and optional height adjustable suspension, the Touareg is more offroad capable than some of the softer Euro SUVs.
As attractive as the pricing may be, a facelifted model is as close as six months away so many buyers may wish to wait for the latest version and could hold off on a Touareg purchase. The facelifted model was launched in Europe with a new 4.2litre FSI petrol V8 and VW Australia says it hasn't ruled our reintroducing a petrol V8 to the Touareg range if the market demands it. There's also a turbodiesel V8 within the VW group that could be slated for Touareg possibly as a replacement for the V10 a few years down the track.
So while these latest revisions should see Touareg sales tick along nicely, any significant rise in sales may not be apparent until next year.
Volkswagen Touareg range and prices
Touareg R5TDI $64,990
Touareg V6TDI $74,990
Touareg V6FSI $74,990
Touareg V10TDI $121,990
Words by Mathieu Raudonikis
Two new engines and better value for money pricing are designed to attract more buyers to Volkswagen Touareg.
It seems Overlander 4WD jumped the gun with our Hotline piece on the 2007 Touareg in the November issue. We knew that VW was doing a Touareg launch in October and we assumed it would be the second-generation vehicle recently shown in Paris. So imagine our surprise when we arrived to drive the car in Canberra and the vehicles looked the same as ever.
There is a new Touareg on the way with fresh front end styling and it will be on sale in Australia around the middle of 2007, but due to the flagging sales of the model here, VW Australia found it necessary to give the vehicle a major realignment in the local market.
The big changes are the inclusion of V6TDI diesel and V6FSI petrol engines, the dropping of the V8 petrol engine and adjustment of pricing. With three of the four models now diesel powered VW Australia expects up to 75 percent of Touareg sales to be diesel equipped. All three diesel powered Touaregs are now fitted with a diesel particulate filter in order to meet the latest emissions regulations.
The Touareg range starts with the five cylinder R5TDI, which at $64,990 is $5000 cheaper than previously yet adds more standard equipment such as the exterior chrome pack, rain sensing wipers, auto on lights, CD changer and auto dimming rear view mirror.
At the other end of the range the awesome V10TDI Touareg has dropped $15,000 in price but loses standard equipment such as sat-nav, power sunroof and the wood/leather steering wheel. These items are now optional across the range for $4490, $2190 and $590 respectively. The price drop on the V10 was to close the gap to the mid-spec models now that there is no V8 petrol engine model. The two V6-engined Touaregs are both priced at $74,990 and each has a new engine.
The pick of the pair is the V6TDI, which is the same engine we've sampled in the Audi Q7. It's a 3.0 litre, intercooled, turbocharged, piezo injected, common-rail turbodiesel that puts out 165kW at 4000rpm and 500Nm from 1500 to 1800rpm. Like other new-breed diesels this engine is quiet, smooth and very torquey, delivering V8 petrol-like performance with the economy of a modern diesel. Audi's claimed ADR fuel consumption figures are 10.9L/100km and on test we averaged an indicated 11.1L/100km.
While the TDI engine is exceptional there's nothing wrong with the petrol FSI either. FSI is VW/Audi's direct fuel injection system meaning that the petrol is injected directly into the combustion chamber and not into the inlet tract as on conventional EFI systems. This achieves more efficient combustion resulting in more performance and better economy. Figures for the 3.6 litre FSI V6 are 206kW at 6200rpm, 360Nm at 2800rpm and combined ADR fuel consumption of 13.8L/100km. Our highway test average was an indicated 14.2L/100km.
read on below advertisement
As you would expect the petrol V6 is smoother and quieter than the diesel and it delivers its best performance up high in the rev range where it is sweet and rewarding to drive. But it can't match the TDI for low rpm torque, drivability and economy.
All engines in the Touareg range are backed by a six-speed auto transmission with VW's 4xMotion constant 4WD system that uses an auto-locking computer controlled clutch pack to distribute drive front to rear. The clutch pack can be manually locked by a console dial and is locked when the 2.7:1 low range is selected. A rear differential lock is optional.
Suspension is independent via double wishbones and coil springs. The top-spec V10 gets height and damper adjustable air suspension, which is a $5,490 option on the three lower-spec variants.
Both the V6TDI and FSI vehicles Overlander drove on the launch rode on the standard coil spring suspension, which we found to be fine when on good sealed roads, but easily unsettled over broken and corrugated roads. On potholed dirt roads the suspension delivered sharp loud bumps through to the cabin and the calibration wasn't suited to these conditions at all. Interestingly, the Audi Q7 rides on a modified version of the platform that is shared by Touareg and Cayenne yet the coil sprung Q7 showed none of these faults over the harsh conditions on the Birdsville track when we drove it there just a month earlier.
The new pricing and engines of the Touareg range should make it more appealing to a wider range of buyers. At $65 to $75K it becomes a serious alternative to the likes of Toyota LandCruiser and Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee for some one who doesn't need the seating capacity and offroad ability of the traditional 4WDs. It also has the Touareg priced below most of its European luxury SUV competition while with its excellent 2.7:1 low range and optional height adjustable suspension, the Touareg is more offroad capable than some of the softer Euro SUVs.
As attractive as the pricing may be, a facelifted model is as close as six months away so many buyers may wish to wait for the latest version and could hold off on a Touareg purchase. The facelifted model was launched in Europe with a new 4.2litre FSI petrol V8 and VW Australia says it hasn't ruled our reintroducing a petrol V8 to the Touareg range if the market demands it. There's also a turbodiesel V8 within the VW group that could be slated for Touareg possibly as a replacement for the V10 a few years down the track.
So while these latest revisions should see Touareg sales tick along nicely, any significant rise in sales may not be apparent until next year.
Volkswagen Touareg range and prices
Touareg R5TDI $64,990
Touareg V6TDI $74,990
Touareg V6FSI $74,990
Touareg V10TDI $121,990
