The VW Touareg R-Line clad in Pure White paintwork. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe
It’s hard to believe that it has been two decades since the VW Touareg was introduced locally.
The television ad of a father taking his estranged teenage son on an epic road-trip to bond to the tune of Arno Carstens’ Another Universe still makes this writer think about those visuals whenever he hears the song. That is so long ago that that laaitie probably has a teenage laaitie of own in real life now.
A lot has changed in the Volkswagen stable since 2004 as more T-model SUVs have spawned than tadpoles in a roadside puddle after heavy rains. But the Touareg, which was bolstered by its racing version bagging four Dakar Rally titles in its early days, is still the crown jewel in Wolfsburg’s portfolio. It not only heads the family of T-something SUVs, but their entire product line-up.
Now in its third generation, the VW Touareg received a range of updates this year. As the refreshed model arrived in August without the customary media launch drive, The Citizen Motoring had to wait its turn to finally get a drive last month.
Our tester was the top spec R1 763 900 V6 TDI R-Line clad in Pure White paintwork. We thought the white looked stunning in contrast to the blacked-out elements provided by the optional Black Style package. These include black five-spoke 21-inch Leeds alloy rims, black roof rails and black side mirror housings.
Our tester was also fitted with optional Matrix IQ LED headlights. These are made up of 19 216 micro-LEDs in each bulb which provides an unbelievably clear view at night without blinding oncoming traffic.
Apart from the fancy lights, the whole front end has been given a little nip and tuck, while the rear now features a horizontal light bar connecting the taillights.
Inside, the interior is as plush as you can find in a car that doesn’t wear a premium badge. Soft-touch leather with contrast stitching, brushed aluminium inserts and piano black accents combine to create a very luxurious look and feel.
The 15-inch infotainment system and 12-inch digital instrument cluster that make up the Innovation Cockpit under one glass panel in still has been kept. But it has been upgraded to support wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the addition of Type-C USB ports. The wireless phone charger has also been upgraded from 15 to 45 watts.
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Other interior upgrades include standard 30-colour ambient lightning and electric front seats, a revised head-up display and new steering wheel.
There are acres of head and legroom throughout the cabin, while 810 litres of boot space should even be big for a teenage girl on a parent-bonding road trip. Be sure to take note of that virtue when penning the long-overdue sequel to the Another Universe ad, Volkswagen.
In addition to a long list of standard safety features, the updated VW Touareg can also be ordered with optional Night Vision, Travel Assist and Area view camera.
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The cherry on the cake in our opinion is found under the bonnet. Here the peach of a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel mill has been kept. It sends 190kW of power and 600Nm of torque to all four corners via butter smooth eight-speed Tiptronic transmission. It’s the same superb engine that featured in the previous generation Amarok and is also used in the Audi stable.
Every time we get to sample this mill, we realise what a pity the whole Dieselgate affair was. Wolfsburg had a knack for producing excellent oil-burners and while we wish the scandal never happened, we do appreciate the ones that are still offered.
We did not take the VW Touareg for a formal performance test. We believe VW that it sprints from 0-100km/h in 6.5 seconds on its way to a top whack of 228km/h. Power delivery is exceptionally smooth, with the generous torque on tap providing enough oomph when you need it for overtaking.
Our fuel consumption worked out at 10.7L/100km. We thought that was excellent for a 1 927kg large SUV with little open road driving.
Volkswagen has done well to preserve the Touareg’s status as its figure head. It is an excellent all-round offering that carries wears the crown with pride. Ultimately, it’s the car every T-something wants to be when it grows up.
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