Volkswagen Touareg TDI Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Volkswagen Touareg range
Prices: £30,415-£62,440 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 16-19
Emissions: 219-355g/km
Performance: [V10 TDI] 0-60mph 7.6s / Max Speed 140mph
Fuel Consumption: [2.5 TDI] (combined) 28.8mpg
Safety: Twin front/side/curtain airbags / ABS / ESP / Brake Assist/ hill descent assist / hill start assist
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height mm [air suspension], 4754/1928/1726

TRIBAL BASHER

Our Rating: 7.7 / 10

Volkswagen’s Touareg Diesel range offers you a mouthwatering choice between adequate power and ridiculous power. Andy Enright prepares to be corrupted.

Torque is a concept many motoring enthusiasts discuss but few understand. Ask the next bar room expert to define the difference between torque and power and you’ll usually be greeted by a stumbling mix of hearsay and GCSE physics. If you need to understand what torque is all about, forget the formulae and get behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Touareg TDI.

Three mainstream diesel versions of the Touareg exist. The first, the 2.5 TDI, uses a five-cylinder 174bhp 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine. The second, the V6 TDI, uses a 3.0-litre turbo diesel powerplant developing some 240PS but it’s also available with 222PS in BlueMotion guise. The third bolts two 2.5 TDI engines together to form a V10 cylinder 5.0-litre powerplant of quite stupendous pulling power. Mind you, you’ll be expected to pay almost twice the price for the privilege. If you find yourself wanting even more power, there is an R50 range-topping unit that employs a 345bhp version of the V10 diesel. All the TDI powerplants feature Volkswagen’s Pump-Duse unit injector system.

Given that the 2.5-litre engine is effectively half the 5.0-litre unit, most of the basic technology is the same. Neither engine offers the common-rail architecture many manufacturers crow about, but given the results Volkswagen have achieved, you won’t feel hard done by. Sales figures show the 2.5-litre TDI to be the most popular model in the entire Touareg line up and it returns some excellent figures. Although it’s not quite got the mumbo of a 3.0-litre BMW X5 diesel, it’s a good deal cheaper and feels a more modern package. It will accelerate to 60mph in 12.2 seconds and run on to a top speed of 114mph on the standard steel spring suspension. Plump for the optional air suspension and top speed falls to 111mph. A combined fuel economy figure of 28.8mpg is fair return for such a huge vehicle. Both standard and SE versions of this model can be ordered, then there’s the option of the menacing Altitude with its bigger wheels and body styling accessories or the R50 with even bigger wheels and more extrovert styling accessories.

The 240PS V6 TDI has more than enough engine for the task of dealing with Mercedes, Land Rover and BMW rivals. Suddenly the asking price doesn’t seem quite such an obstacle. It’s also an agreeably muscular engine, generating some 369lb/ft of torque. It’s broadly sim

The overall fuel consumption figure of 30mpg is a reasonable showing given the Touareg’s enormous all-up weight, and the acceleration to 60mph of 8.3 seconds is also firmly on the right side of acceptable. Top speed is quoted as 127mph, so motorway cruising shouldn’t see the engine being flogged too hard. The emissions of 294g/km are hardly stellar but if you’re buying this sort of vehicle, that’s not likely to be a prime criterion. The engine is a good deal more advanced than either of its other diesel siblings, using an advanced piezo electric injector capable of making up to four fuel injections per cycle. The BlueMotion model is only slightly slower but return 34mpg.

As for the V10 TDI, well perhaps this diesel should be called The Diesel Engine. It’s a monster. This 313PS 5.0-litre V10 TDI turbodiesel generates 542lb/ft of torque. What does that mean in the real world A V8 turbodiesel Range Rover develops 472lb/ft, whilst a diesel BMW X5 manages 369. Pitiful! Lamborghini Murcielago – a limp wristed 479lb/ft. A Ferrari Enzo hawks up 484lb/ft. The Touareg V10 TDI is a true leviathan amongst cars and what that makes the 345bhp R50 is anyone’s guess.

So what’s the car like in the metal? In a word, big. At 170cm high it’s not lacking in road presence. The range-topping V10 TDI sits a couple of centimetres higher still on its air suspension, the other models relying on more conventional steel springs. Unless, that is, you want to hit the options list.

The current car is a good deal better looking, adopting the latest Volkswagen family face with the bold grille and also adding some rather sleek headlamp units that are fluted along the bottom edge. This means new front wings and bumper assemblies to make everything fit, so this hasn’t been a low budget exercise. Revised door mirrors also feature as do new lower profile rear light clusters, with a beefier spoiler and exhaust pipes also evident if you know what you’re looking for. The interior styling is pleasantly r