New SUV on the Block Price, Handling Make New Volkswagen Touareg a Market Contender by Karl Ferguson For a split second, the rear tires scrabble for traction and thereís the slightest hint that the Volkswagen Touareg might not make it up the muddy incline in high gear. But then itís over the hump and the big VW is offóno hassle, no fuss. Itís the only indication that this vehicle might not be invincible. Of course, you might be asking yourself, "Since when do VW, muddy inclines and invincible even go together in the same sentence?" The carmaker best known for its solid, small Beetle cars and subsequent Golf models has just upped the ante. Volkswagen has been a little slow to join the SUV juggernaut sweeping the nation, but the companyís version of a sport utility vehicle has finally arrived. And given the plethora of choices available to automotive consumers, Volkswagen knew that when it finally did make it to the party, it would have to come up with something special if it was to compete with the likes of the Range Rover and others in the uber-luxury class of SUVs. Fortunately, VW fans wonít be disappointed with the Touareg. There is nothing more fun than going off-roading in an SUV, especially one in whi ch you have confidence. It gives the driver a sense of adventure and purpose that you just cannot get from driving your standard four-wheel box. And one of the best things about the Touareg off road is that it feels about as indestructible as a bank vault. The Touareg has that go-anywhere feel of the Land Roverís Discovery combined with short front and rear overhangs that lessen the likelihood of the vehicle getting "caught up." Approach and departure angles are 28 degrees, which means that the Touareg can cope with steep angles and inclines without the underbody making contact with the groundóor a sharp rock. Ground clearance is an excellent (maximum of) 11.8 inches. In addition, the Touareg comes equipped with all of the latest off-road technology, including hill descent assist and hill climb assist as well as permanent four-wheel drive. The electronic differential locks on the V8 engine mean that when the off-roading gets rough, the entire engineís power can be directed to a single wheel to ensure the best possible chance of traction. Air suspension (standard on the V10, optional on other models) offers six levels, from as low as 6.3 inches for loading to 11.8 inches for extreme off-road situations. The Touareg is also a lot of fun to drive. All of this is very well except that people spend most of their time (on average 98 percent) driving on the road rather than off it, and thatís where many SUVs come undone. Cumbersome, slow, poor-handling dynamics and generally unresponsive is how many SUVs can be described on the roadóbut not the Touareg. Literally 10 minutes after my off-road stint, I was on the highway and back into the city, where the Touareg could not have felt more at home. Compared to many SUVs, it felt like a veritable sports car. Much of the reason for this lies in the Touaregís heritage. Its low, squat, even muscular appearance may not immediately give it away, but if you have a sneaking suspicion that the Touareg resembles another new hulking German SUV, youíre not mistaken. It shares not only the same basic platform as the Porsche Cayenne, but also the Cayenneís suspension architecture and driveline from the engine back. And although it may not have the lines of a classic Porsche 911 roadster, the Touareg certainly packs quite a punch in the engine departmentóat least in V8 guise. Having Porsche heritage wonít hurt in the sales and marketing campaign either. The Audi-sourced 4.2-litre, 32-valve, 310 horsepower V8 engine is anything but short on power. Expect performance figures under eight seconds for the 0 to 60 mph dash, while the standing-start quarter mile is dispatched in a fairly blistering 15.6 seconds, according to Wheels magazine. Thatís the same time recorded by the BMW X5 and only half a second slower than the Porsche Cayenne S. The Touaregís top speed is a very respectable 137 mph, and if youíre keen to use the Touareg as a tow vehicle, youíre in luck: It can pull 7,700 pounds, making it a class leader. And although itís quick, on the road thereís no need to drive like Mario Andretti if youíre not in the mood. Tread lightly and the Touareg wafts along with hardly a flicker of revs on the tachóthe smooth V8 barely working as the six-speeder slides sweetly from one gear to the next. Hit the gas, however, and itís a different story entirely as the Touareg launches toward the horizon in a near-indecent pace, punching through the close-spaced gears like a large but civilized sports car. In truth, the transmission would be just as at home in any modern sports car as it is in the Touareg. It has immediate response, kicking down instantly at the urging of the driver. For even more spirited driving, the transmission can be flicked to "steptronic mode," or pseudo manual, which allows the driver to select a gear and thus have greater control over the vehicle. The test car came equipped with optional F1-style steering paddles. Flicking the paddles shifted the Touareg into manual mode. Interestingly, with this option the transmission reverts to automatic if the paddles arenít touched in 15 seconds. Although this makes sense on some levels, VWís logic is somewhat flawed because the driver can, for instance, assume that the transmission is in third gear when actually it has shifted back to sixthósometimes right before a tight left-hander. I suppose this is simply the price you pay for ever-increasing sophistication. In handling, the Touareg is largely benign with a tendency toward understeering if anything, while mid-corner grip is pretty impressive, although smooth entry and exits will reap the most from the driving experience. Good feedback from the moderately weighted steering helps give the driver confidence on all on-road situations. Handling is similarly helped by the Touaregís relatively low center of gravity, which also gives a boost to the vehicleís styling. Put next to most competitors, the Touareg has a relatively low roofline, helping it appear a great deal more compact than it really is, although this hasnít led to any compromises in cabin space. Accommodation is also first rate with a spacious interior that comfortably seats five (although with no third bench seat option, some potential purchasers may look elsewhere). Front seats are fine, but I would have preferred a little more bolster to arrest "seat sliding" when cornering hard. Overall the Touareg offers a fairly impressive package. The levels of refinement are first rateócertainly on a par with its BMW and Range Rover rivals. The fit and finish are also excellent, and quality and materials are of high standards. Not surprisingly, the level of equipment is generous and includes dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery, airbags galore, a comprehensive trip computer and a multi-disc CD stereo with 10 speakers. The catch? Youíre probably expecting to pay somewhere in the vicinity of a Range Rover at around $70,000, or at least a BMW X5 at around $50,000. Guess again. The base price for the Touareg starts at an impressive $35,900, although options can take the price up to around the mid-40s, which is still a veritable bargain by most standards. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a free ride. When it comes to fuel consumption, itís as the old saying goes, "If you have to ask, you probably cannot afford it." That for the most part holds true in the case of the Touareg. An average combined cycle of 15 miles per gallon makes the Touareg a pretty expensive proposition to run on a daily basis. Constant interstate motoring will decrease fuel consumption, but when driving around town, the figures can get quite scary. The 25 gallon-plus fuel tank at least ensures that you donít have to fill up too frequently, but at current gasoline prices, when you do hit the gas station, itís going to hit you where it hurts. Nevertheless, although Volkswagen may not be the first brand that jumps to mind when thinking of an SUV, now that the Touareg has made its debut, perceptions will be changing. The Touareg arrives at a time when the SUV benchmark is certainly shifting, but in producing a vehicle that feels almost as much at home on the tarmac as it does on the dirt, VW has achieved quite a featóespecially when the vehicle in question performs like a sports car yet weighs a hefty 5,500 pounds. It would be safe to assumeóin spite of the tricky terrain that is the SUV marketóthat the Touareg is assured plenty of traction. Karl Ferguson is the automotive reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.