Volkswagen Touareg

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The Volkswagen Touareg is a mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by German automaker Volkswagen since 2003. It was the second Sport Utility Vehicle from the automaker, after the much older Volkswagen 181 "Kurierwagen".

The Touareg name is derived from the French moniker for the nomadic Tuareg tribe. The proper pronunciation is TWAH-reg, however it is commonly mispronounced as "Tour-egg".

Development

The Touareg was a joint project developed by Volkswagen and Porsche, who were also looking to add a luxury-type SUV to its lineup, as a cost-sharing initiative. The goal was to create an off-road vehicle that could handle like a sports car. The team, with over 300 people, was lead by Klaus-Gerhard Wolpert, and was based in Weissach im Tal, Germany. The result of the joint project is that the Porsche Cayenne shares the Touareg's Volkswagen Group 7L platform, although there are styling, equipment, and technical differences between the two vehicles.

The Volkswagen Touareg is built in Bratislava, Slovakia. The manufacturing plant shares production with Touareg-cousins, the Porsche Cayenne, and the Audi Q7. Due to the demand, and the exchange rates of euros against the US dollar, as well as different pricing and environmental policies in the USA, the V6 and V8 engine variants make up most of Volkswagen's American Touareg offering. However, a limited number of the V10 TDI diesel were available in the 2004 model year (before being pulled for environmental reasons). They were brought back to the United States for the 2006 and 2007 model years. As a result of their rarity and options, the V10 model's sticker price often exceeded $60,000 (£30,398.28).

Feature highlights

The Touareg comes standard with four-wheel drive system. An automatic progressively locking center differential (with manual override), and a "low range" setting that can be activated with in-cabin controls. Options to make the vehicles more capable off-road include an available air suspension system which can raise the car's ride height on command, and an interior switch allowing the rear differential to be manually locked. At maximum ride height, the air suspension system gives 10.7 in of ground clearance.

Engines

The following engines were or are available:Petrol engines

3.2 L V6
3.6 L V6
4.2 L V8
4.2 L V8
6.0 L W12, 599 N·m (442 ft·lbf)Diesel engines
2.5 L I5/R5 TDI
3.0 L V6 TDI, 500 N·m (369 ft·lbf)
5.0 L V10 TDI, 750 N·m (553 ft·lbf)
5.0 L V10 TDI, 850 N·m (627 ft·lbf)

The 5.0 L single overhead camshaft (SOHC), 20 valve V10 TDI diesel engine pushes the Touareg from 0–62 mph (100 km/h) in 7.8 seconds, and on to maximum. The V10 TDI was offered in the United States for a limited time in 2004, but emissions regulations forced it off the market for a temporary period. Volkswagen fixed these issues, and the V10 TDI returned to the U.S. lineup late in 2006 as a 2007 model year vehicle in 45 states and a 2006 model year vehicle in 5 states. It was the only U.S. market Volkswagen diesel available for the 2007 model year. A new version of the V10 diesel engine is available in Europe for the R50 model, boasting 350 PS, and pushing the car from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in just 6.7 seconds.

The W12 engine version was initially intended to be a limited-edition model, with just 500 units planned to be produced; around 330 were slated for sale in Saudi Arabia, with the remainder sold in Europe. No sales in the United States were made. Eventually, the W12 model became an ordinary model without any production restrictions. Currently it is being sold in Europe. It is estimated to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.9 seconds.

2006 and 2007 models

The Touareg's first facelift was unveiled at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, and debuted in North America as a 2008 model. It now features the shield grille from other Volkswagen vehicles. The updated Touareg has more than 2300 redesigned parts and boasts some new technological features:

ABS Plus, which works in conjunction with the traction control system, and shortens the braking distance by up to 25% on loose surfaces;
Front Scan, an adaptive cruise control system, which can slow or even stop the car depending on traffic conditions;
Side Scan, a blind-spot warning system: it uses radar at the rear of the car to sense another car's presence, and causes LEDs built into the wing mirrors to flash. If the driver indicates to move out, the LEDs flash at an accelerated rate to warn the driver until the other vehicle moves out of the Touareg's field of vision.

The 2007 Touareg, alongside an already lengthy options list, could be equipped with a driving dynamics package, a rollover sensor, a 620 watt Dynaudio sound system, and redesigned comfort seats. All diesel versions now have the diesel particulate filter standard.

In the US and Canada, the facelifted Touareg is marketed as the Touareg 2.

R50

The Touareg R50 is the third VW line after the Golf and Passat to be given the 'R' treatment by Volkswagen Individual GmbH.

The R50 global launch was at the 2007 Australian International Motor Show.

R50 is powered by the V10 TDI producing 350 PS / 258kW with 850Nm of torque.

The R50 comes standard with 21 inch Omanyt, sport air suspension, decorative 'engine spin' finish inlays and 4 Zone Climatic air conditioning system.

Environmental and health concerns

The V10 TDI diesel version of the Touareg was named "Meanest Vehicles for the Environment in 2007" by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for its fuel economy of 17 miles per US gallon city (14 l/100 km) and 22 mpg highway (10 l/100 km). Note that diesel vehicles are judged at a disadvantage - to illustrate, an average North American full-size (gasoline(petrol)-not diesel) SUV usually travels 13 mpg (US) (18 l/100 km) city and 16 mpg (US) (15 l/100 km) highway. This earned the Touareg the low "Green Score" of 14, as compared to the Honda Civic GX, which was the "greenest", at a score of 57.

Awards

The Touareg was Car and Driver magazine's Best Luxury SUV for 2003, Motor Trend magazine's Sport/Utility of the Year for 2004, "Four Wheeler" magazine's Four Wheeler of the Year for 2005, & Overlander's 2003 4WDOTY.

Touareg in motorsport

In the 2003 Dakar rally raid, Volkswagen entered a team of rear wheel drive Tarek buggies. VW claimed 6th overall, driven by Stephane Henrard and co-driver Bobby Willis. In the following year, the 2004 Dakar Rally saw the debut rally for the T2 class purpose built Race Touareg by Volkswagen Motorsport. Bruno Saby and co driver Matthew Stevenson claimed 6th position overall. In the 2005 Dakar Rally, Jutta Kleinschmidt and co driver Fabrizio Pons claimed 3rd spot overall in the Race Touareg.

In the 2006 Dakar Rally, VW driver Giniel de Villiers and co driver Tina Thorner claimed 2nd spot the highest ever for a diesel model in the new Race Touareg 2. It has a shorter wheelbase than the original Race Touareg, as well as increased visibility. For the 2007 Dakar Rally, VW driver Mark Miller and Ralph Pitchford drove the Race Touareg 2 to 4th position overall. In the 2008 Central Europe Rally, Carlos Sainz drove his Race Touareg 2 to victory.

Power Output: VW Dakar Racers

2007 Race-Touareg 2 (T2 spec) 2.5 TDI 285hp/209kW
2006 Race-Touareg 2 (T2 spec) 2.5 TDI 275hp/202kW
2005 Race-Touareg (T2 spec) 2.5 TDI 260hp/191kW
2004 Race-Touareg (T2 spec) 2.3 TDI 231hp/170kW
2003 Tarek 1.9 TDI 218hp/160kW

A modified Touareg dubbed Stanley won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge.

References

External links

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Last updated on Tuesday July 01, 2008 at 16:12:27 PDT (GMT -0700)
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