Volkswagen

Based on 532 reviews
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$18,000 to $120,000

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MariNSW3 posts
 

Absolutely the worst car that I have owned. I have had numerous electrical issues, oil leaks and dpf problems. I can't express my dissatisfaction… Read more

with this supposedly top of the line ute. Save your self the trouble and never buy a Volkswagen vehicle unless you like to throw money down the pit.

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CameronNSW138 posts
 

Mostly overlooked because of its badge – It’s the V6 twin-turbocharged luxury SUV from Volkswagen, which shares a chassis with many well known luxury SUVs from the likes of Porsche, Audi,… Read more

Bentley and even Lamborghini.

This is the cheapest way to get into the luxury SUV market, but with one major catch: you’re not wearing a luxury brand to match that $100,000 price tag.

The build quality here is next to none. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. This is a German bank vault on wheels; it is as solid as you’d imagine a luxury SUV like this should be. Heavy doors, lush leather and tight tolerances reign supreme here.

This car starts at $108,990 before on-road costs, but with the options fitted to our test car like the Sound and Comfort package priced at $6,500 and premium paint which is priced at a whopping $2,100, you’re looking at a $117,590 SUV.

The premium paint is self-explanatory, but the Sound and Comfort package adds a 360° camera, four-zone climate controls, reverse autonomous braking, parking assist plus, heated rear seats, memory front seats and the Dynaudio sound system.

You’re getting a 5 year/unlimited kilometre warranty with this VW. Servicing will cost you either $1,350 for 3 services or $2,500 for 5 services. Servicing occurs at either 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

You don’t need active sound cancellation in a car that’s this isolated from the road. There’s what feels like the weight of a Volkswagen Polo’s worth of sound deadening throughout this car. The only sounds that manage to peep through include a light amount of tyre noise and the faint whistle of those turbochargers under load.

Powered by a 3.0L turbocharged diesel V6, this SUV produces 210kW (285hp) and 600Nm, and sends its power to all four wheels.You can get from 0-100km/h in just 6.1 seconds, too.

The 8-speed automatic here feels just as every bit premium too. It’s buttery smooth in its operation, and actually a bit of fun to manually operate too. In Sport mode, you get a lively set of gears to really make the most of all that power.

Standard air suspension is always a plus. Offering a relaxed ride around town, the added weight and wide footprint of this SUV makes for a rich ride. With the added benefit of air bags, you can lower the ride for a more reactive Touareg, making it a lot of fun to throw through corners. If you find yourself doing SUV things, the air suspension can be raised to increase ground clearance too.

For a big SUV with a big SUV motor, VW claims a feeble 6.8L per 100km combined. I found it to consume around 8-10L per 100km in my tests. However a 90L tank capacity will see you travel far without needing to fill up often when out on a road trip.

All your key controls are available within arms reach from the driver's seat, in both physical, digital and haptic form. The latter proved to be a controversial inclusion in Volkswagen cars.

A way to hint that the Touareg is related to more expensive siblings is the 12.3-inch drivers display and 15-inch centre touch screen. I haven’t seen a screen this big outside of the Tesla Model 3!

The usability of that centre screen is fine, but it does take some getting used to, as it’s just a tad bit complicated.

Lacking a third row of seats is a great way to add boot space. You’re getting 810L of space and a total of 1800L with the 40:20:40 split seats folded. This car offers supreme comfort in all of its seats. Sure, the rear middle seat is a little tight, but it’s fairly generous for a car in this class.

For most, they’re going to want to spend the same or more on a similar brand affiliated with being a luxury brand.

Volkswagen is offering you a better value premium SUV with the same build quality and features as brands twice as expensive.

I’d highly recommend this SUV, but it's for those who don’t want to stand out from the crowd. It’ll fly under the radar and it's a perfect “quiet wealth” car.

*Disclaimer - I work for ProductReview as their independent car and motorbike expert. I borrow new cars and motorbikes from manufacturers and owners to review. I am not paid or incentivised by these brands to post reviews. I write and create content to provide insight and information about any new or used vehicle I can get my hands on.

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VWA
  Verified

EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION & POOR SERVICE Volkswagen why has my 2022 Tiguan Allspace been burning so much oil that I have to top it up min 1L per… Read more

MONTH since purchasing it new? Even within 3 weeks of a full service it’s fault light has come on.

Its consistently high oil consumption is excessive! It is now even blowing smoke intermittently. The service centre FINALLY made warranty repairs after nearly 3 years of me raising the issue and being brushed off and told it’s normal for these cars. The problem was not resolved and they want to charge me $230 to even look at the car to reassess why their repairs didn’t work.

VW Australia customer support was rude and unhelpful and offered no solution to this issue. [Name Removed] offered to make a repair appointment and then failed to stating that I needed to do it myself, and pay for the warranty fix again.

Why is the onus being placed on customers of a new car to have a manufacturing fault fixed instead of being handled through warranty? (This same issue is well known in the same model sold overseas with a class action underway…yet no reasonable response from VW.)

This VW Tiguan Allspace has been unreliable and a complete disappointment as a family car used for daily school drop offs. Our family has had Volkswages since the ‘60’s but now I’ve lost faith in the brand - not worth the hassle, even new!

Here’s some of the latest alerts I’ve had to deal with…

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KUNWARVIC6 posts
 

This is worst machine that still exists on this planet....notorious for its transmission, Machatronics , Oil leak, Engine failures and water pump etc… Read more

issues.. Even after issues are rectified and fixed these may reappear anytime, repair costs is in thousands and above all VW post service is pathetic

William M.SA3 posts
 

By far the worst vehicle I have ever owned. Bought a T4 1997 2.5 Petrol automatic camper conversion (Trakka) with 88,000 kms. Consistent service… Read more

history, owner changed oils every 10K and had receipts of parts being replaced such as tyres. Only it wasn't driven much, perhaps on a couple trips a year. The camper conversion was fantastic! Even fridge and plumbing still fine after 28 years. Sadly, that's about the best I can say about the vehicle.

Within two months and less than 1,000 kms of driving, I already had to replace these components as they were malfunctioning or irreparably faulty:

Refrigerant, Alternator, Battery, Drive belt, Fuel pump, Fuel filter, MAF sensor, O2 sensor, Catalytic converter (!), Transmission fluid and filter, Transmission had a leak - why?, Timing belt (and water pump with it)

And now, it still isn't fully driveable, because the torque converter seems to be on the way out! So after spending over $5K (that was meant to be for fuel) on diagnostics, parts and labour, it sounds like I have to have a whole new transmission. And the air-con compressor may be on the way out. After all the above, I could live with that in comparison.

Positives: it is comfortable to drive. Lots of space in the cabin, comfortable seats, armrest, steers well, turns well. It has that good 'driving experience' which is perhaps VW's best asset. It's hard to enjoy your drive when you're constantly worrying if that sound you're starting to hear is yet another $2,000 part breaking down.

In comparison, I've had an 'unreliable' 2007 Ford Focus for three years and have had done nothing to it other than CV joints, battery and tyres! What a world of difference. After this experience I would never recommend a German car to anyone unless you are just after the prestige. But even then you should get Audi or Mercedes. VW has none of the prestige but all of the cost after you factor in the constant expensive repairs you will be doing.

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AJB2 posts
 

Westside Volkswagen sales and service staff including managers like Theo Loutakis only abuse, shout and lie zero customer support, disgusted and with proof

David W.
 

Beware warranty not worth paper it is on – Had issues with new SWB caddy. Injectors and then Catalytic converter. It was new, filled with correct fuel and despite this had to get it towed.… Read more

Dealer claimed it was my fault. Not covered under warranty. Total crap. Despite paying, not fixed. Asked Volkswagen Aust for help with dealer, they just ignored the issue despite shoddy repair and claims of what the issue was. All other warranty issues now invalidated due to this being blamed if anything occurs. Well practiced behavior by Dealer .... and Volkswagen

Tim42 posts
  Verified

There are pros and cons to these vans. Overall in my experience, I would never buy a VW again. I purchased this van (RWD, LWB) to replace my 2020… Read more

Mercedes Benz Sprinter as I change vehicles approx every 4 years.

What attracted me to the VW was the fact it was over $20,000 cheaper than a new merc. It didn’t take me long to realise why…

Cons: - worst turning circle of any vehicle I’ve ever driven - noticeably worse fuel economy compared to the merc despite the same size engine - Apple car play doesn’t work properly & half your callers can’t hear you at all. - worst reverse camera I’ve ever seen - much lower undercarriage clearance than the merc - 8 speed auto transmission can’t work out what gear it wants - service intervals are twice that of merc

Besides that and compared to the merc, they aren’t as comfortable to drive and the engine is noisier. The last merc sprinter I owned (516 LWB, 2020 model) had 200,000km on it and it was still more comfortable and enjoyable to drive than the brand new VW.

Expect to be doing 3 point turns at roundabouts if you own one of these vans. To think a vehicle manufacturer that has been around as long as VW still don’t know how to make a van with a proper turning circle makes no sense to me. It becomes obvious when approaching some of the smaller roundabouts that I won’t make it.. I then have to dangerously hold up traffic as I attempt a 3 point turn to get around it - something I’ve never had to experience on any van before of any brand. Can you imagine doing this with a trailer attached?

I have been told the Renault Master is also bad in terms of turning circle, but I can’t speak from experience as to whether it’s better or worse than the VW. Just know that this is a real and extremely frustrating thing with the VW. I constantly misjudge reversing into driveways even though I drive the van most days - the turning circle is just so bad I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it.

One of the first things I noticed with this van was the fuel gauge going down noticeably faster than the merc. After looking into it, I realised that the main cause is the fact it revs between 100-300RPM more than the merc at any given speed. Over time, this adds up significantly with fuel consumption.

Facts: - At 80km/h, VW sits @ 1800+rpm while the merc sprinter sits comfortably @ 1700rpm. - At 100km/h, VW sits @ 2200rpm while the merc is @ 2000rpm. - At 110km/h, VW sits @ 2500rpm while the merc sits @ 2250rpm. - At 115km/h, VW sits @ 2600rpm while the merc sits at 2300rpm.

Another extremely frustrating thing with these vans is the Apple car play system. Every second caller can’t hear me at all - it’s got to the point where I have to answer the phone asking “hello can you hear me”?. Once I realise they can’t, I’m forced to use the phones loud speaker to take the call. You can imagine how annoying this is. After speaking with other VW owners and VW dealership themselves, I’m told it’s a common problem and they are too dumb to know how to fix it. The mercs apple car play was faultless.

The reverse camera displays a very low quality image. Very unclear. The worst I’ve seen in any branded vehicle. Useless cr#p pops up on the screen every time I use reverse making it even more annoying.

Expect the towbar to scrape people’s driveways or the undercarriage to get stuck on a driveway with a small hump. This causes damage to the van and the driveway. Another problem I never encountered with the merc even when it was loaded heavier than the VW. You also can't open the rear barn doors when a trailer is attached - it hits the hitch handle! Some of the dumb things VW have done in the making of these vans is laughable.

You’d think the 8 speed auto would be more state of the art than the 7 speed the merc has to offer. The VW’s is cr#p. Can’t decide what gear it wants up hills and keeps changing trying to work out what it wants. If I compare this to the Merc, night & day difference. The mercs gear changes are very precise and quick. Knows what gear it needs and wastes no time in getting there.

VW crafter service intervals are 20,000km. Merc sprinters are 40,000km.

I quickly realised the $20,000+ saving I thought I was getting when buying the VW was not a saving at all. By the time I minus the extra fuel consumption & service intervals over the next 4 years, I’m probably worse off.

As for the pros of this van, I can say that mechanically it is better/more reliable than the Merc so far. In each of the 3 sprinters i owned, I had engine issues before the 15,000km point. As I write this, the VW has 21,000km on it and I have experienced no engine issues at all. I prefer the VW dash as it is more simple without all the annoying buttons when all you want is a simple feature.

The VW also has 12v sockets in the cargo area where the merc doesnt.

That’s about it. I will edit & add more to this over the next few years with updated info specifically on the engine & reliability. If I get a lengthy amount of kilometres out of the engine trouble-free, I’ll upgrade my rating to 3 stars max. Due to the major inconveniences mentioned above, the bad outweighs the good in all other areas.

UPDATE FEB 2026 Surprisingly, it's just hit 60,000km and the engine hasn't missed a beat. The only benefit i have found with this van over the Sprinter is the fact it's more reliable. Having said that, i've just ordered another Sprinter i am done with VW. The turning circle & Apple car play is enough for me to get rid of this after just over a year of ownership. The reverse camera too.

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radicon110QLD
 

Great car but get the Automatic, because the Manual gearbox is awful – Positives are that build quality and finish are excellent and ride and handling are also excellent. Negatives are that for some strange reason this… Read more

car feels much larger on the road than it really is, fuel economy isn't as good as you'd expect for a tiny engine (is about same as a 2L 4cyl non turbo engine) - but worst of all the manual transmission is totally mismatched / inappropriate for the 1L turbo engine. The engine itself is actually very VERY good and I suspect the Automatic 1L Polo is an awesome performer, but the manual gearbox ratios are awful - making driver do everything in one gear lower than is normal for a manual - effectively, 1st feels like second, 2nd feels like 3rd etc. Worst of all this means you effectively have no 1st - starting off in 1st FEELS like you're doing it in 2nd...

KC5 posts
 

Still going strong, at approx. 230000kms, we will have this for hopefully another 100,000kms, converted for wheelchair van access and has outlasted… Read more

many other models that people I know have i.e. Kia, it's excellent on diesel fuel as well, very important given the current fuel prices

First_time_mum9 posts
  Verified

Do not trust Volkswagen – Many issues but biggest concern is the blatant denial of warranty. Do not ever buy a Volkswagen. We had a warranty issue with the air conditioning… Read more

vent (it came off when we went to move the vent). Car was 5 days old and we didn’t for a second think there would be any issue as it was obviously installed correctly. However, when taken to the dealer the request for repair was denied because the head office didn’t believe it could have been a manufacturing fault. This was despite the dealer mechanic saying it was and us having brought the part with us that was undamaged just not attached anymore. We hope nothing more serious happens with the car because clearly the warranty isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. Buyer beware, Volkswagen cannot be trusted. We will never purchase from them (or any of their subsidiary companies) again.

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Kelly H.QLD2 posts
  Verified

Bought a $45k VW T-Roc new. Under 5 years old, 80k km. Major head gasket failure. VW Australia refuses warranty as car came from NZ. Clear breach of Australian Consumer Law. Left with undrivable car. Volkswagen need to remedy this immediately!

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shanexu3WA366 posts
  Verified

Considering the price range of this little vehicle, it doesn’t represent value for money. It is very basic inside and out. The stop start feature is… Read more

jerky and causes your brain to slam into the back of your skull when it finally kicks in and gets going. Even with it turned off the T-Cross still hesitates to accelerate off the mark. By the time it gets off the mark it jerks forward and then you must hit the brakes to avoid slamming up the back of the car in front of you. These jerky movements make you look like a learner driver.

There are no lights in the sun visor mirror, there are no air conditioner vents for passengers in the rear seats, the driver and passenger seats upright backrest adjuster is controlled by an annoying time consuming turn wheel, there are no side reading lights in the rear, my ice coffee bottle doesn’t fit in the centre console cup holder, it takes expensive 95 petrol and is expensive to service.

Now for the things I like about the T-Cross, I like the conservative look of the exterior, it doesn’t stand out and crave attention. I like the analog air conditioner controls, I like the ride height, the front seats are hard and comfortable and the car feels spacious inside.

I also like how the rear window control locks still let the driver operate them the driver side master switch when engaged. That way I can wind them up without my children overwriting me from their switch in the back. It could probably be considered child abuse in the middle of summer due to the T-Cross not having A/C vents in the back.

All in all, the T-Cross is an overpriced for a car in this range, there is much better value from Korean and Japanese equivalents. The T-Cross could have been great car but unfortunately it is not.

GarryVIC14 posts
  Verified

A great car with some unfortunate niggles – Almost everything about the car is great, stunning looks great performance and comfort and it has almost every comfort and safety feature you could… Read more

want. But it had an annoying noise coming from the drivers door. It sounded like the window was rubbing on the door seal, especially on concrete roads and roads with tram lines. The VW techs could not find what was causing it, the car also developed a clunk in the suspension which the service team could not find.

One other issue is the way the car jars when you go over those small sharp speed bumps like in Bunnings car parks, this may just be a penalty of 20" wheels.

It was my daily drive going to work etc. and a few road trips, serviced regularly.

Caroline S.3 posts
 

Absolutely shocking service. Called with a flat battery on an MY23 Tiguan (all original paperwork to show this in the glovebox, let alone the hope… Read more

they would send someone who could tell the difference). But their system shows MY18, so they advised the replacement battery would be at my own cost, unless the dealership updated the information, then call back. It's the weekend. I'm now without a car with no offer of an alternative until the dealership opens on Monday, just to have to call back and deal with their disgraceful customer service again.

PrueQLD3 posts
 

Perfect for Family Daycare!! – Great size for family daycare, having the 9 seats makes it a perfect size.. I use it daily carrying up to 7 children. The car gets its services when… Read more

they are needed.. The only thing I’d change would be the carpets on the floor, as we all know what children are like..

nino
 

Excellent for trips and business, not the best choice in city traffic (diesel models) – Used everyday, in business and as a family car, my 2.0 Diesel (2018) is fast, silent and low cost. Service maintenance after 30k kilometers. Too bad… Read more

they put start-stop system, a stupid idea for the engine, battery, belts, etc. The assistant for gear shifting is totally useless and causing clogging the particle filter. Overall, a good and reliable car, well made, despite new EU regulations.