2008 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI offroad review
April 11, 2008 by Karl Peskett
The ESP couldn’t be switched off completely, which seemed a disappointment, however there was never any complete stops which would bury the Touareg. With full power, the 4WD system kept some of the wheels going, so that no matter how much slip there was, there was always some forward movement. Sure, there’s a fair bit of chattering and grinding, however it’s not intrusive, and although you can feel it, it didn’t overtake the purity of driving this car.
And that’s the key to the V10 Touareg. It’s a luxury car, yes. But don’t make the mistake of shelving it in that category. It will keep up with the best of them in just about all conditions.
It’s a whole fairytale wrapped up in the one car. The Touareg V10 TDI – a Beauty and a Beast. Now, where’s my bucket and sponge?
2008 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI
Engine: 5.0-litre V10 twin turbo
Power: 230kW @ 3750rpm
Torque: 750Nm @ 2000rpm
0-100: 7.3 seconds
Top Speed: 231km/h
Drive: Four Wheel Drive
Transmission: 6sp Auto
Kerb Weight: 2532kg
Length: 4754mm
Off-road Dimensions:
Approach angle 33.2º
Departure angle 33.6º
Break over / Ramp angle 27.2º
Wading depth 580mm
Climbing ability 45º/100%
Lateral slope angle 35º/70%
Seat Capacity: 5
Fuel Tank Capacity: 100L
Fuel Consumption Combined: 12.6L/100km
Built in: Germany
*****PRIMO!*****
Nice, but [very] silly money!
Cheeers
F-0
i don’t think its silly money. If you want a luxury off roader than its great! Theres the Audi Q7 for cheaper which also has great capability but somehow I wouldn’t want to take an Audi offroad – or a Range Rover (almost the same price). I could take this one offroad. I would get a Discovery 3 though. A friends had one since 2 weeks after they came out and the reliability seems to be fine now. Not once has it broken down and its much cheaper with more offroad capability.
Nice luxe off roader. And 750Nm at 2000rpm…whoa. oh and is that 2nd last pic showing 2 and a half tonnes of bogged VW…Haha
silly money but no doubt better value than the lexus landcruiser.
if depreciation doesn’t matter then go for it!!!
Nice review.
Great car, but it’s no oil painting. Not sure how suited to offroad the Bridgestone RE050A tyres are.
Hehe what a beast. If i forked out 120k for this car the last place i would be taking it is into dirt :P
Very nice Karl. Soft sand with with street tyres and still made it! Go thru mud next time, its much more slippery and it’ll take a bit longer to clean :-)
This or a Lexus? Mmmmmmmm…only joking. This.
This is one nice luxury (good off roader) SUV. Yes you’ll need to wash that beauty well!
If I was looking at buying a 4WD for $120K I would be looking at a manufacturer that has a history of producing capable cars that perform well off road. What heritage does VW have in off roading?
^^^^^^Today, maybe Andrew. If u dont believe the article Andrew Test drive one for yourself. Its one god 4×4.
^meant good.
VW has a long history of off-roading, Andrew.
The 1943 KdF-Wagen 82E was a high riding version of what became the Peoples’ Car – The Volkswagen (a wagen for ze volks, ja?)Beetle.
The 1944 Kubelwagen was equally effective in North Africa’s sand dunes and on the muddy Russian front.
Also from 1944, the Schwimm-Wagen that was commissioned by the SS went not only all wheel drive but, courtesy of its ancillary propellors, was amphibious as well.
Transporters, Kombis, Golfs and probably a whole range of other stuff I’m not aware of has been available in 4wd since at least the eighties (Quadra-trac, I think they called it), whether it be for off roading or just helping Jurgen and Inge reach their garage at the top of a winding, snow-filled driveway.
I hope that answers your question for you.
I’m sure it is good but it doesn’t give you much prestige that you would expect for the price. It’s the same for any class.
For $120K you should get more than something that works, you should get the experience the manufacturer has by building this type of vehicle over years, decades or centuries. You should get the feeling you are buying into something that has had passion and soul put into it. When you buy a BMW M3 you get this, a Porsche as well. A VW 4WD? I’m not so sure. A VW fast hatch? Definitely.
Golf, stop kidding yourself, VW has vitually no past credibility in off roading. The “Synchro” 4×4 system that appeared on T3 transporters in the eighties was horrendous! ie unreliable, fragile, incapable and expensive to repair. Thats not to say that their current offerings aren’t exceptionally well built and capable vehicles in their own right, but just that they don’t have a heritage of offroad capability that others do. Notably Land Rover, Toyota, Jeep, Suzuki ect. Even Mercedes has been selling G wagens for almost 30 years!
Hehe, “toorak tractors”…. I was driving there today, fits so well.
I won’t contest your opinion of the “Synchro” system, as I actually know nothing of its reputation, Dlr1. However, I didn’t write anything that was actually false. When unsure, I say “probably” or “I think” because I can’t be fagged looking up stuff just to win a bout of keyboard warriorism.
Andrew queried whether VW had a long history in off-road vehicles. I assured him they did. Have another read. Sorry, but I wasn’t kidding myself.
You know you can’t take someone seriously when they say a Porsche has passion and soul put into it, but the Touareg doesn’t.
The Porsche Cayenne (gets a plus) is the same chassis and drivetrain as the Touareg (doesn’t get a plus) – how does a thinking person reconcile this?. Yes, the VW doesn’t have the Porsche v8, but to even try and imply that the V10 diesel has no soul is falling into the bottom of the stupid pit.
“You should get “centuries” of manufacturer experience” – you can’t buy a Land Rover, Jeep, Toyota or any Jap car if that’s your criteria – what a stupid comment.
I also thought VW had an extensive Dhaka rally program with heavily modified touareg’s…
Reckless says :The Porsche Cayenne (gets a plus) is the same chassis and drivetrain as the Touareg (doesn’t get a plus) – how does a thinking person reconcile this?”
When I said Porsche I did not mention Cayenne, you have assumed this. I wouldn’t buy one either and think it deserves the same respect as the VW. I meant if I were looking at a rear engined sports car Porsche would be what all cars are are compared to in my eyes. Same with a M3 if I was looking for front engine rear drive sports car.
Reckless says: “You should get “centuries” of manufacturer experience” – you can’t buy a Land Rover, Jeep, Toyota or any Jap car if that’s your criteria.”
I was speaking in general terms some manufacturers have gone over the 100 year mark designing a certain type of car. It makes sense to think they are good at it because they have been doing it so long.
Reckless says: “what a stupid comment.”
Because it is different from your own? There’s a wise saying I heard once “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” At least I’m provoking people to think, and hey we might even learn something including me.
OK, Andrew, which manufacturer meets your criteria?
Name one that has made off-road 4×4 vehicles for over a century.
Land Rover and Jeep have maybe chalked up 60 years each, and both have been capable, until perhaps recently, of making unbelievably UNRELIABLE vehicles.
Now, to question the credentials of the VW/Cayenne off Road packages, indicates a severe lack of Googling.
Touareg holds the altitude record for a standard vehicle car-reviews.automobile.com/news/vw-sets-altitude-record-with-stock-touareg-v6/1282/ , Porsces competed in a Cross-Siberia Rally, The R5 touareg is used in the Paris-Dakar, and various other off-road challenges.
So, since you like to be provoked to think, I suggest you do some research on the vehicle before you bag it.
“Name one that has made off-road 4×4 vehicles for over a century.”
I was speaking in general terms of car manufacturers. I also mentioned “decades” so I guess, yes, Jeep, LR, Nissan and Toyota would fit into this. All these have a strong 4WD history.
“Now, to question the credentials of the VW/Cayenne off Road packages, indicates a severe lack of Googling.?”
I never said it wasn’t good and did not “bag it” again you are assuming things I have not said. I was questioning the heritage of VW and 4WD and that $120K should buy you some heritage with regards to any class of car. I don’t believe the VW Toureg offers this. To some people I’m sure this is not important. For me it is, not for a $30K car but for a $120K car it is.
May I suggest the reason VW are competing in various events is because they too realise heritage and history is important when trying to shift $120K 4WDs? They understand by having a strong involvement in a particular field of motor sport is good for the brand. It builds trust, respect and integrity. But it is built over time, maybe even 60 years as you mentioned.
Karl,re your review comments:
‘Linked to the steering is an angle sensor, which alerts you to your wheel offset in relation to the straight ahead. I’m not exactly sure why that’s necessary’
If I understand this feature correctly, I can see geat advantage in its use.
As a semi-professional vehicle recoverer on Nth Straddie I can’t tell you the number of paniced 4wd’ers I’ve seen trying to push a mountain of soft sand because their front wheels were not in alignment with their car. Usually as a result of paniced driving or trying to reverse out of trouble. This of course ensures they bog themselves up to the axle. It can be quite difficult to feel where your front wheels are pointed in very soft sand.
This sensor would be of great benefit to these drivers in ensuring the maintain maximum momentum.
I would like to see it as a standard feature on all 4WD’s.
…excellent review, isn’t powder soft sand adrenalin enducing! And that stuff looked soft!
Steve,
Thanks very much for your comment. That makes sense, and in some cars you can’t feel what the steering is doing – too true.
However the Touareg doesn’t have that problem, and we failed to get it bogged, even on road pressures, therefore it’s probably only necessary in conditions that most owners will never experience.
Cheers. And if you did get bogged, at 120k you could probably afford to get out and stick wads of $5 notes under the wheels for traction.
Karl isn’t lying when he says it takes off hard from the lights.
It’s scary fast off the line….it has soooo much torque!
I have a V6 Diesel Touareg, and I take it off road.
It has steel springs, so a little less ground clearance, and doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the V10, but it’s fuel ecconomy is much better and it cost a fair bit less. The Torque is 550nm not 750nm.
It’s very capable off road, especially with AT tyres.
You’d want to order the full sized spare option.
VW did invest heavily in highly modified race touaregs for the dakar rally (which was canceled last year) but also used stock cars as support vehicles.
If you want the most capable 4wd, I think you could find better for less. There are few accessories for the Touareg, such as winches, bull bars, lights and importantly snorkels.
If like most of us you drive on the bitumen most of the time (including the 100K+ trip from the city to you favourite off road site) then I think you’ll appreciate the all terain nature of this car. It does everything well.
A great review, thanks.
I always get a chuckle when I hear people try and can the Touareg by using lack of history in 4wd or that it does not have the prestige of BMW etc.
I own this model Touareg with the V6 diesel (same colour etc as the pics above).
It has been taken to out-back NT, Mallee deserts etc.
It performs extremely well.
I have driven the Cayenne S and the BMW X5 in V6 and V8 trim.
Value for money the Treg wins hands down.
The X5 is terrific on the highway but is not a ‘real’ 4wd, BMW agree that it is not an offroader.
The Cayenne is great fun but you are really buying the same car at a more expensive price (the differences are less than people would think).
The beauty of the Treg is that it is not the brand aware tossers that buy it, it is for a different market segment.
You cant compare it to Jeep, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mercedes and Toyota as the Touareg is multi faceted (compare the first 4 on the highway) and does not rattle and leak dust.
The Land Rover is the nearest comparison and to be honest I think both are very good cars. Land Rover think the Treg is the only real threat to their market segment… that speaks heaps.
I should also mention that I would have more concerns in regards the ML’s and X5’s come resale.
There are too many on the road and this will hurt the second hand market as we move forward.
Interesting comments on here. I have owned 3 Landcruisers over about 15 years. 2 80 series and 1 100 series. All have been petrol manuals. I have done thousands and thousands of off-road kms (Cape York, Gibb River Road, Simpson Desert, Stockton Beach, Fraser Is). Needed to update the 100 series. Test drove the new Landcruiser and thought it was like driving a ship or a house around. Want to talk about feeling sea sick – drive one, it floats around like you wouldn’t believe.
Bought a V6 Touareg instead (air suspension option, sport setting is fantastic around the streets – sometimes i even prefer it over the VY SS). I can tell you this car is fantastic so who cares whether VW has a long history of making 4wd. I just can’t imagine why you would base a decision on history? (sure if they have a history of building crap, then that makes sense) It’s your choice I guess but I reckon you are going to miss out on some great vehicles. Sure 120K is alot but in reality its probably pretty cheap compared to other similar cars, especially when you look at the included options if you buy the V10.
I guess the only concern I have is when I take the VW out to the outback will I find someone who can work on it??? One of the advantages of the Toyota is it seems easy to find someone to work on it… although maybe even the newer Landcruisers might be getting a bit too high tech??
I have a ‘07 3.6 liter V6 w/out the locking rear diff. All I want to know is will my vehicle make it on soft beach sand like my brother’s ‘04 Ford Explorer!
Hey Scott,
Took my V6 TD to stockton beach a few weeks ago. If you don’t know where that is it is just north of Newcastle and is probably one of the best places for soft sand dunes around. And I am talking some massive sand dunes. I had alot of trouble to start with… i think just basically learning how to drive the car on sand after many years of owning a Landcruiser. Mine also has the 19in wheels so I found I just had to keep dropping the tyre pressure – eventually down to about 12psi. Once I did that and drove the car in tiptronic mode it was amazing. Normally I could get away with 20psi, but i suspect because there is not much tyre to bulge with the 19in wheels I had to go significantly lower.
You should have no troubles at all. Hope this helps.
Hi, I have a Touarag V6 2008 model in Dubai, and have been trying to drive it in the sand, as I need to do a desert crossing to get to my work (shortcut of 45 minutes). I have no time to let tyres down, and then reinflate, and was wondering what is the best setting to use, either leave the car in High, or move to Low, but then which differential lock, the one all the way to the right, or the one in the middle? Also, should I have the differential lock (ESP button) on or off? So, by this I mean, should the little skidding car be shown on the dash display? Thanks for your responses.
I own a 2004 V10 Toureg , have fitted v8 18inch wheels with latest Cooper LTZ tyres for off road work, puts speedo out 10%, goes places my three Nissans and 2 Cruisers will not make. Used as a real off roader in super comfort. Does not have the allround vision of our 2008 3.6 V8 Range Rover , the extra torque of the VW wins hands down , Fantastic pulling a 24 foot off road dual axle caravan.
Bottom line here is that a Touareg IS A REAL 4WD……..
Unlike the X5, ML, XC70 you can go and play with your mates in their P’s (Prado’s, Pajero’s & Patrols) but play in style………You gotta smile.