Excellent – The Touareg V10 is a great touring vehicle with excellent power and fuel economy. I would recommend it for anyone who travels a lot, but would keep it for the highway where it excels and use a town car for the city. You will pay for what you get wrt maintenance costs - servicing and tyres are more expensive than a run of the mill 4WD/SUV, but after experiencing this car on a trip, it's worth every cent. Have had the V10 since June 2007 and travelled mostly around Vic, country NSW and outback Qld, with trips across to SA and WA. This is a magnificent touring vehicle with tons of grunt yet returns 10km/l average highway cruising @ 110kph; best has been around 12km/l on motorways and worst 8km/l around town/gravel/mountain roads. Great handlng on the highway but tyre grip can be a problem if you decide to go exploring off road, especially in the wet - recommend a set of 18" AT's for snow and off road work. Brakes are absolutely unreal - direct comparison with Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne - this car is effectively a Cayenne (same parts!) where you get to pocket the extra cash instead of flashing a keyring. My wife and I have spent many 12-14 hour days travelling in this car and have arrived at our destination feeling fantastic and ready for business. Overall, an excellent vehicle! I have the full size spare wheel carrier - why any vehicle which ventures into the real Australia does not have an effective spare tyre is beyond me - space savers should be banned. Servicing originally was expensive, but the costs are inflated somewhat - the bane of European marques in Oz. The vehicle has had no problems apart from those caused by the OEM service network - I found a great mechanic (Master Automobiles in Burwood Vic) who have several V10s in their stable and know the vehicle far better. As at April 2019, have done 490,000 km (just got it run in!). Have some Porsche 18" wheels with Pirelli ATR+ ready for the next trip to see Lake Eyre (Kati Thanda) in flood. Although it is extremely capable off road (hi/low range transfer case and front/rear diff locks) and will go where any other 4WD can venture, the lack of various 4WD bits for this vehicle (e.g. bullbar and snorkels for the two airboxes/turbos) in Oz means that you can get into trouble without the means to get out again. This is the only regret I have - currently setting up a Disco 4 for expedition type work.