Volkswagen Touareg

Originally purchased to tow a pop top caravan. Now primary transport. Tows the van effortlessly.
Because the car was already some 9 years old when originally purchased second hand and 220 k k's I have had to replace many things. Alternator, starter motor, water pump ,prop shaft, air-con blowers and suspension bushes, still a bargain. Shopping for engine mounts now, but still love the car, Dragging the van for >21 k k's average fuel consumption was 15.8 l/100 km! Has all the bells and whistles and a unique badge I wish I had 5 bux for every v8 LC dragging a a 'van' we over took. I could buy beer for a year!

We have upgraded our Brand new Nissan Qashqi as it was a bit small for our family car because having our second child new born. We traded this at VW dealer as the car was second hand/demo. Not after two months the car brake lights came up and when took back to the dealer said the brake pads are worn out after two months driving less then 5000 km so had to pay $1600 to replace the brakes. So my wife drive the car the same routine 4 days of the week same routine when she drop of my two year old daughter at childcare and pick her up in the afternoon. So two weeks ago when she pickup my daughter from childcare the car got locked after she put both of my kids in their seats but she couldn’t get it as the key was on the driver seat. She called me panicking that she can’t open the car by using the childcare manager phone coz her bag and phone was inside the car. So my 4 months old son and 2 year old daughter inside the car locked in. I left work to go help her out and while driving to her called the RACV road side assistance to send someone to open the door. The RACV driver got there within 25 min and I got there 10 min after him. So the technician tried to open the door by inserting a hook but couldn’t open in as the door handle release was disabled. He tried for more then half hour couldn’t and advised to call the locksmith professional and they can do it. So I did that and he came same thing couldn’t open and by now it’s almost two hours my kids in the car crying and lucky the weather wasn’t that hot. Then noticed VW road side assistance sticker on the front screen called them and said will get the Technician as a matter of urgency because of the Children in the car. So they technician arrived two of them in separate trucks. By now it’s been 3 hours and 15 min. So the technician new what to do by dismantling the driver door handle from outside and had the master key alike but still couldn’t open the car. Tried to pick the key with the hook but dropped it and went under the driver seat. So at that time they decided to break the driver door glass to open. So the both technician said the car deadlock is the issue as it should be removed. So luckily the kids were falling asleep by crying and we had them back. So called the VW dealer the next day explained the situation and advised us to bring the car and they can replace the glass and check the car. They had the car now for two weeks and told us today they can’t find any issue with the deadlock and it will cost us $1800 to fix it. Does anyone else have any issue with this type of car?

Traded in our VW Transporter and couldn't be happier. Wanted something a bit more off-road capable and to tow a very large camper-trailer, which the Touarag does effortlessly. Potters around town daily with the low urban consumption and 100L tank for commuting and on the open road you can go forever as relaxing to drive and very spacious and sporty. Pulling a loaded 1,700 kg trailer plus equipment and passengers and getting 11L/100km while cruising at 110 km/h uphill is just mind-boggling! Beyond powerful when needed and all the bells-and-whistles you'd want from a luxury SUV. Adventure pack included roof racks and air suspension (drool). No complaints or issues except missed out on LED running lights but the price was too good. Knew the model was on its last legs with the third-generation version in 2019, but will happily upgrade when the time comes.

So this is my second Touareg ( see my earlier two star review) and after all the grief I had with the last one was so hopeful this one would be fine. After two and a half years no issues, great car. Apart from the Bluetooth which will drive a man to drink and the outdated navigation screen and crap stereo sound. Now this week at 90k it’s done the main oil seal at motor gearbox junction. Six to eight weeks off the road. Yep under warranty but this is the second one in three years that has this problem. Dealer said there were four in front of me to get repaired with same problem. Hence the long wait. This is an issue vw. I love the car almost everything about it. Wednesday morning I was asking the dealer about when the new model comes out as I’d do a trade cause I liked it so much and wanted the new model. By the afternoon after the news I don’t want another one. Have to look further afield now. My fear is that this is the beginning of the crap fight like I had with the last one. Fault after fault once the first issue occurs. They are such a great value for Money car all the reviews testimony to their attributes but two Touareg in three years with same issue is just not good enough. Plus time to fix is ridiculous.
My wife noted this morning that her wee Skoda yeti , six years old , 126 k , has seen off two Touaregs and hers hasn’t had an issue.

Others here have written glowingly of the Touareg. On that I can't disagree.

The downside of owning a 7P Touareg are;

1/. VW itself. The agents / service centres I've had dealings with leave much to be desired. I now go to an independent service centre (with better results).

2/. When things go wrong, prices are expensive. It's a high-tech car, imported from Europe, so the costs will naturally be higher. But, the prices of parts in Australia are almost double what they are in Germany. That, again, says much about VW Australia.

3/. The RNS850 sat nav is a heap of junk. On a recent trip from Brisbane to Sydney along the Pacific Hwy, almost one third of the trip was 'off road'! By that I mean the road corridor has shifted and the VW maps are just so out of date. Worse still, once one leaves the bitumen, the sat nav rarely has mapping. One would imagine roads in a National Park adjacent to a main highway would be included - not so!

For those interested, there are two different versions of the 7P - 4MOTION (an all wheel drive SUV) and 4XMOTION (the 4 WD).

I give a four star due to its dated interior. My Touareg is 2015 edition , 40000km on the clock now, no issue at all. Top class handling and comfort as a suv in this size.
Recommended!

Looking forward to the new Touareg, it looks more handsome than the Q7 in my opinion.

What a great car, in the real tradition of Volkswagen. I had a BMW X3, this is a significant class above. Smooth 6, same ZF 8 speed transmission, 100 liter fuel tank and the Adventure series has virtually all options included. No wonder it was such a popular seller. It cruises both in town and country effortlessly does not feel big and cheaper than same platform Audi or Porsche. Looking fwd to many happy miles around Australia.
Only negative things is dealer and VW have no idea how to do a vehicle handover for a vehicle that has so many features, you are left on your own to figure it all out via one very complex user manual. They should learn a lesson from Apple.

This is an awesome luxury SUV. It drives very well, great steering, handling and accelaration. It is a nice solid big car but doesn't feel big at all to drive. The interior is very luxurious, especially for the price. I haven't gone off road but it seems properly equipped to manage most terrain.

I have been driving my Touareg for three months and cannot find anything I am not happy with, this is an upgrade from a Tiguan and Golf Comfortline before that, so I am familiar with a lot of the VW technology, yet I am still finding many extras in Touareg. Easy to drive with only minimal noise, the air suspension smooths out the ride, good response from the V6 and reasonable economy of 9L/100 on long trips. The all round camera system is a bonus for parking. The parking sensors can be a bit frightening at first but you soon get to understand them in conjunction with the camera display.

I found this site very helpful to help my wife and me to decide on which SUV to buy. (There are some pretty unflattering reviews of other SUVs that we had on our shortlist!). We took delivery of a new V6 TDI180kw/550nm Touareg a couple of weeks before Christmas. We then loaded it to the gunwales with gear for our new apartment in Adelaide and set off from Brisbane on New Years Day. Having just arrived in Adelaide, after 2100km in three days, I am delighted to say it was the most comfortable long trip we have ever done in a car. Even with such a heavy load (including a 56kg roof top camper), it drove beautifully; the air suspension on ‘normal’ soaked up the very average road surfaces incredibly well, and there was minimal body roll on bends; passing B-doubles was a cinch - just planted the foot, and the rolling acceleration with the 550nm was terrific- very safe to be able to spend the minimum amount of time on the wrong side of the road. My wife has lower back and upper leg problems but she found the seats gave her very good support and made the trip quite comfortable; the multitude of electric adjustments to the seat, and the memory, made it very easy for us swapping drivers. Being brand new, and so heavily laden, we were reasonably pleased with the 10l/100km fuel consumption. Based on our experience with an Audi A4 with a similar engine, we anticipate that rate will drop over time as the engine frees up. We are transitioning into retirement this year and intend to do some real off-road work with our new toy. I very much appreciated being able to read about other owners’ longer term experiences on this site and intend to provide an update of our experience further down the track.

January 12th 2018 Update: Return trip

I turned around and drove this wonderful vehicle back to Brisbane this week. How many cars can you drive for 8 hours a day for three days straight and not have a numb bum? The Touareg is incredibly comfortable. The 100 litre tank means you do a whole day’s driving without refuelling - so you have to develop other excuses to stop, for safety. I was a bit surprised that having dispensed with my huge load in Adelaide, it only dropped to 9.5l/100km. But the roof top camper is a drag, so that probably limited the potential for a drop in consumption. It used a bit of oil on the 4500km round trip, but other review sites indicate this is to be expected with a new car, and it should settle down with longer term use.

problem with adaptive cruise control at random turns off then at random turns back on
always works when car first starts then goes off other items change as well ie mirrors dont close
service centre no help been twice and they say there is nothing wrong that they can detect

Purchased this vehicle with a view to tow a caravan. Having only one vehicle in the house it had to be all things for all purposes. Great around town vehicle even though it is on the large size, fuel economy, comfort, handling is great, performance is excellent. Adaptive cruise is very nice feature & encourages one to use it more then standard cruise control.
Towing a caravan weighing over 2 tonne it performs beautifully. The air suspension is extraordinary. Space in the seating area is generous even for tall people, cargo space is good. The "Adventure" edition comes with a larger fuel tank which is very handy when travelling in out of the way places.
Downsides are space saver spare. It is not a skinny thing like many of these but does require inflating with the supplied compressor. So for remote travelling I would recommend a full size spare be carried, either in cargo area or the supplied roof racks fitted with a cage.
Only 1 bag hook in the cargo area. Last vehicle had 4 so I miss them when shopping. Overall very happy with the vehicle.

Excellent drive, loads of room for our young family with 2 small children. Very reliable and runs like a dream. For a 2004 model it feels very modern.
My only dislike is fuel usage but as we don’t take a lot of long trips it’s great for us. The car feels very stable on our country roads.

I traded a V8 Landcruiser for my VW Touareg V8 TDI R-Line. The Touareg in all models is considered the German Jeep. Have now done over 30,000kms of country driving with some heavy towing. Have not regretted purchase for a second. This is the most amazing car I have owned. We use it mainly for long drives from our farm to Melbourne about 1100kms round trip. I really can't think how a large luxury SUV could be better. It is basically the same car, except for the bling and a bit of tweaking, as the Porsche Cayenne S V8 and the AUDI Q7 V8 but much less $. If you don't mind the VW badge (that for me is a plus since it does not attract as much attention). For a luxury high performance German built SUV it is amazing value. To get similar cars with similar power and inclusions in BMW, Mercedes, Range Rover, Porsche or AUDI, you pay MUCH, MUCH more $.

Driving this car is superb. Effortless power. VERY quiet. Smooth as silk. VERY comfortable. Huge interior space. VERY safe. Car has every conceivable safety feature and lots of airbags. An absolute pleasure to drive. Excellent fuel economy. Fully laden with 2 persons regularly get between 7.8 and 8.1 litres/100kms cruising at 100kph using cruise control. Pretend it is a sports car or towing and considerably more.

The specs on this car are amazing. 800Nm torque, adjustable air suspension (can raise as high as my 200 Landcruiser), 6 piston ventilated 360mm Brembo brakes at front (4 piston at rear), 8 speed auto, sport, normal and comfort modes, off road settings, centre diff lock, superb adaptive cruise control, heated seats, heated steering wheel, 360 degree cameras and parking sensors ......

Of course nothing is perfect. I wish it had speed limits on the excellent sat nav - amazing for a car at this price it does not (nor does the AUDI or PORSCHE). Even the base model GOLFs have this? It comes with huge 21 inch wheels. Excellent cornering but not much good off road or if you hit a deep pot hole (an expensive mistake). Also the tyres are hard to get and are expensive but again this is a high performance German SUV so it is part of the deal.

I have a 6 year extended warranty and fixed price servicing. Excellent. No issues or problems. One light globe in rear luggage area was replaced and that is it. I am still running the original tyres (maybe I will get 40-50,000kms?) and have the original brake pads (Last service suggested I replace them and the disks next year. Let's wait and see).

Servicing all good however the dealer was not very familiar with fitting electric brakes for a breakaway trailer (I tow a 2.2 tonne boat). I had to take it back to get it properly wired for the breakaway brakes. I found this surprising considering this is a very good 3.5 tonne rated towing car and over 2 tonnes you need breakaway brakes that require special wiring.

Amazing how much you can fit in the back with the seats down. A real plus it does NOT have a 3rd row of seats. I have never had 5 people in car let alone 7! For long distance cruising it is as good as it gets. It must be the most under rated luxury high performance SUV in Australia. I love it.

The Touareg is a fantastic car to drive, so smooth on the road and very economical. It has plenty of legroom and boot space. It gives you so much information about the car and the navigation system is great. I love the seat heaters couldn't live without them in winter.

The breaking system of this vehicle is the best. It has its own style and elegance. It's smooth for a long drive and the speed this vehicle picks up at the signal is that it flies. It is comfortable and its quite spacious. There is easily a lot of space in the trunk in which I keep my bicycle. I'm driving this beast for the last 3 years and hardly any issues. Whatever the road it is the best because I have drove it even in rocky roads this is the best because there is a mode for different terrains. If you're planning to buy and in a confusion go for this because its performance on the roads makes it the best and its not so common in the roads. Even the parking sensors are really effective and its quite compact and it has a top speed of 280km/hr. I have drove upto 180km/hr and it was just too comfortable.It's too smooth which makes you get a ticket. Its fantastic and a all in one.

Great vehicle a pleasure to drive extremely comfortable tows our 2.7 tonne caravan with ease, has been averaging around 700 klm per tank of diesel city driving and around 800klm's highway driving.
I would highly recommend this vehicle for towing or general commuting to date I have had no mechanical issues.

Absolutely one of the best vehicles I have owned and driven. A fantastic vehicle to drive, especially around our rough country roads, the potholes are no longer a problem. Its early days yet but have completed a number of long distance trips and step out of the car feeling relaxed and comfortable. Heaps of legroom and head height for my 1920mm frame, even in the back seat.... a driving luxury

Good things:
The car are solid and handing excellent.

Bad things:
after two months we notice the rear window trim start to fade on both side.
we brought it back to Volkswagen dealers, they said we using abrasive product. so warranty won't cover for it.
now all around the other trim start to fade too. showing bare plastic.
poor quality trim.

Great car to drive. Outstanding features and value for money. Leading driver safety systems, top end comfort and tier one fuel efficiency with ability to still provide a dynamic driver experience. Stereo and sound system provides quality outputs with ability to source from iPhone, radio, CD, and USB as well as a hard drive. I wouldn't consider going back to a BMW.