From the first time I rode in a Touareg, I’ve had an affinity for Volkswagen’s brawny SUV. I had spent a considerable amount of time in VWs growing up, all manners of Jettas, a few Passats, a GTI here, a Fox there. But the Touareg, the Touareg was something completely different from what I was used to. Every bit of it felt solid, it had presence, style, panache. Everything about it was overboard, from the air conditioned glovebox that housed an owners manual as thick as War & Peace, to the finely stitched leather bits covering nearly every visible surface.
In the United States a Touareg sighting generally conjures up images of soccer practice, or tackling the treacherous terrain of an unplowed mall parking lot. Globally they’re seen in a much different light, and frequently pop up as the go to vehicle in some of the more extreme environments on the planet. Whether you’re looking to conquer dunes in remote parts of Africa, tow a 7,716 lb load, or just make a run to the grocery store, the Touareg V10 TDI is up to the task. What sets it apart from other SUVs is that it allows you to do all of the above, and do it from the comfort of a first class cabin.
