Test drive Volkswagen Touareg 2002 - 2007 SUV

For flags

It was a long time ago: we rode on the lands of the El-Montagni jueper school fenced flags in Spain, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. And such a brutal excitement took me, so I wanted to jump out for the flags ... Remember the hunt for the wolves of Vysotsky? Or someone else's track? Well, in general, I moved from the highway. He drank on the forbidden virgin lands. Paid his track. Hoiled the grass. To which the intelligent instructor Ramon beat (then twice Dakarischik; now, probably, with blindfolded eyes, it can reach) erupted in an unprintable Catalan tirade. In English, the following was said: you see that man with binoculars, on the hill? This is a huntsman. Be sure that he has already recorded the car number. You will dump you to your Moscow tomorrow, and they will drag me to court ...


What is pleasant to Djeper Haughty Russia here is still possible for flags. And so far, everything is in order with the ruts. There is where to be cursed on four leading people, but on low, and with locks ... Grass is, of course, not good, but ... But it is good that we are not entirely driven into the reservation. That's why, one wonders, the European in his broken and regulated Europe is a full -fledged SUV? So that once a year, according to the promise, to go to the 4x4 club and for a certain amount of euro to make a dirt there. A legal desire to satisfy the legal order. This is understandable, but what to do with all these reduced and locks the remaining 364 days? To carry with you just like that, idle. And an off -road transmission she has weight. And the SUV itself is not the dimensions of it. In some of their Paris, even on Corsa, a problem to come to the curb. And on the SUV ... In general, I feel sorry for these tortured Eurodzhipers. Whether we have a matter with our freemen. The off -road transmission will forever be useful to us, it is not for us for show -offs, but so as not to drown in the rut. After all, we have all the life of a continuous Off-Road. In direct and figurative.


By the way, can Volkswagen Touareg be considered an SUV? It depends on what meaning to invest. For example, I have, for example, the term classic SUV causes such associations: mud, boletus, dust, sweaty cowboy, weekly bristles, sand on the teeth, weathered hary with mosquito bites, a flat flask of a whisk in a breast pocket, three days on deer to the nearest housing. You can continue the row as your discretion. If you dance from him (I, however, do not insist), then Touareg is not an SUV at all. Firstly, mosquito-pile attributes of romance here are almost irrelevant. The level of comfort is such that you wander at least on the go, do not open the windows at all, and the back will not get soak. Secondly, in three days on deer before housing, it is desirable that the car is simple like a nail. So that if God forbid what, one could fix it right there. I remember that at Camel Trophy I saw how a combat bridge (!) In the field four, a full-time instrument, for some hour or a little more, was changed to a combat SUV. And the Touareg machine is far from a simple. Okay there, what a piece of iron will fly in half a bastard. And if you have no important chip in the brains? What to do? Catch the passing deer? No, on such sophisticated in electron-technical sense, it is better not to break away from civilization. At least alone.


Well, it turns out, Touareg SUV? Yes, nothing like that. Its off -road abilities are such that it is possible even in the jungle, it would be someone to insure. Here is some of the declared by the manufacturer. Let's start with the clearance. It varies from loading and unloading 160 mm to maximum-university 300 mm (!), And inside this range can change steps up depending on the mode of movement. The depth of the overcoming ford is 580 mm, but this is what the company guarantees, but in fact, as practice shows, you can climb deeper. In the transmission, everything is honest. There is a reduced mode. The full-time inter-axial differential is blocked both automatically and forcibly. And optionally, you can order an interventure block. Electronics is capable of throwing to each wheel to 100% torque: if you find at least one paw of the clue. Plus the angle of overcoming rise of 45 degrees! Plus the angle of possible side roll 35 degrees! Plus ... okay, enough. In general, this is a SUV, although not classic, but very full -fledged. There are no such solarmates.


We got a Touareg for the test, alas, in the not most charged version. Sitting in the car, of course, the first thing I first began to grope at what he was in charge of non -resistance in the transmission and in the chassis. On the central tunnel, closer to the driver, there is such an exciting/recessed rotating hilt. It looks somehow frivolously (terribly similar to the modes switch at the washing machine of the popular Italian brand), but its function is more serious: rotating it, you turn on the reduced transmission and blocking of the center differential. Immediately, in the central tunnel, but closer to the passenger, there should be another twist for manual control of the air suspension. But she is not. And there is an empty nest, decorated as a cup holder. This means that it will not be possible to play clearance, it will be necessary to avoid especially deep ditches and especially thick logs across the road, and, in addition, it will not be possible to lower the body up to 160 mm above the ground to facilitate loading/unloading of a particularly heavy expeditionary belongings. It's a pity. Anyway. Not going to the jungle, but only in the suburbs. Slightly behind the flags ...


Go. We are drawn by a gasoline 3.2-liter V-shaped six, issuing 220 power horses at 6400 rpm. and 305 Nm of torque at 3200 rpm. The motor is good. Acceptable, responsive, quite powerful in any modes of his work is not felt any in kind, there is always a reserve, which is nice. This motor, in principle, is enough for all things. But he is far from the coolest of the Tuareg gamut, so, a middle peasant, one can say. There are also more abruptly.


Here, for example, a 4.2-liter eight gasoline it produces 310 hp. at 6200 vol./min. and 410 Nm at 3000 rpm. Nes -blessed, right? But these are also flowers: there is a most perfect ten -cylinder (!) Turbodiesel with a volume of 5.0 liters in the gamut. His characteristics are really impressive. Okay, there is a power of 313 horses at 3750 rpm., Although for a car diesel engine, this, as they say, is more than. But the torque! At his peak, the engine reaches at 2000 vol./Min. This is just two times more than the idle speed. A little touched the gas pedal and you are already at the maximum of traction. Do you know which maximum? 750 Nm. Seven hundred fifty! The draft capabilities are directly tank, and (attention!) Up to hundreds, the car with this diesel accelerates in 7.8 seconds. Hmm, the armor is strong and our tanks are quick. True, the tank is not ours ...


Against this monstrous background, a quiet shy modest look looks like the last engine in the range of a 2.5-liter turbodiesel. How did he get into a powerful multi -liter family? Looks like a barrel stuck in the status of a poor relative. Although in itself (without a background) he is very good 174 hp. And 400 Nm and it should not be underestimated. Especially for those who are concerned about fuel economy. (However, are there such among users Touareg? In the West, yes, but we are unlikely.)
 
In general, we go by car with a 220-horsepower six and enjoy. The only thing that slightly annoys a certain thoughtfulness of a 6-speed machine. In cruising mode, it is quite high, but not torn everything is fine. But if you need to rush the machine gun slightly lacking efficiency. Obviously, he is configured for the top engines with their tank traction (then he checked the gear ratio of the same, only in the third gear differ by 0.01, which can not be paid attention to). By the way, orientation to large torments, the main reason for the refusal of the creators of Touareg from the traditional ZF machine for VW: according to representatives of the concern, ZF does not have such powerful boxes yet. Therefore, there is a Japanese Aisin automatic machine here.


But what's the problem? Need to rush from the heart? Please. The Tiptronic machine has both a sports mode S and the gearbox mode manually. I transfer the selector lever to the appropriate provisions and the car is beast. There are almost no thoughtfulness, the delays are minimal. I recall written in the company avenue: they say, a Touareg car is off -road and even for movement along the highway in the left lane. Well, I get up in the left row, gas on the floor and ... and only frightened Lada jump from under the wheels.


No, I'm not a roller boor at all. I don’t blink by the headlights they just see in the mirrors, as something formidable is approaching them, and are inferior. Sometimes, however, I allow myself to turn on the left turn, and many understand this signal. You see, there were in Germany. It is so accepted on the auto -wings there. There, blinking with headlights in the mirrors of the very prominent rudeness. And blinking with the left turn signal in the left row, a polite request to give way.


On an unusually empty (lucky!) Novo-Riga highway, I squeeze everything that it can give from the left-bearing SUV. Gas permanent in the floor, noise, of course, increase, but with an increase in speed increases and the volume of on -board music increases, as it should be not annoyed by modern machines and noise. Yes, and the sound insulation of the cabin in Touareg is quite decent ... What are we have on the radio? Some dull Schulbricht on the piano, the concert of Si-Bemol number eight and you need Deep Purple, Highway Star here ... 190 km/h on a speedometer. And according to the catalog, the maximum speed is 197 km/h (with this engine and automatic). How good Novoriga is from Moscow to Volokolamsk, when empty!


... empty, but not quite. On the side of the traffic police with a speedgan. Late I notice, I do not even have time to remove my leg from the gas. But there, apparently, they do not even have time to wake up. Sorry, comrades sergeants, today you will do without my so many. At the post you need to watch -1: 0 in my favor.


Well, what about off -road? Unfortunately, the off-road part of the test drive was strongly spoiled by dry weather. The law of meanness worked. You are waiting for the sun, you are waiting, but it does not come out at all when it is necessary. I fight about the laying, we want to get out of barbecue and would sunbathe and would have chopped down a downpour, and everything would have been dissolved (this is well described by Jerome in the three in the boat). But we wanted to ignite, and what is a pectum without dirt ... Well, and where is dirt, one wonders?


There was no dirt. And there were a quarry (absolutely dry), herbal slides (dry, sometimes slightly diverse), the Moscow river in the upper reaches (knee-deep, maximum, let's say, waist-deep, with a hard bottom) and streams (completely frivolous). In general, a typical picnic option. It's a shame.


Touareg combed all this with directly mocking lightness. Only for immersion in the Moscow River I turned on the reduced (out of respect, still a water barrier). And only for diagonal hanging, he cut down reduced with a lock of the center differential. What for? Again, out of respect for this terrible ginger term (diagonal! Hanging!). Nothing bad happened. As they were hung without problems, they hung back. What is nice, not a single panel in the cabin at the same time even creaked, and not a single door was closed by hanging yourself and open/click as much as you want. Visual evidence of the exceptional hardness of the body ...


This car, in general, does everything itself. I forgot to block it itself and will release the differential when necessary. It is necessary to brake the unnecessary wheel submachine. Electronics ... car is a servant of a person. Still, Cofiy served in bed ...


In the end, we spat on this conditional off -road near Moscow and went to look for a big slope. Found. Alas, there were no marginal for Touareg 45 degrees, but that it was quite seriously. A cool such concrete slope in the place where the automobile bridge is attached to the river bank.


I put the most severe transmission mode reduced with locking. He crawled calmly on Krutyak. Removed legs from the pedals. Standed, photographed. He crawled to even. Turned around. Creeped in reverse. Removed legs from the pedals. Standed, photographed. Slooded.


That's all the things. In the process, something was slightly rattled there in the transmission or in the chassis. But, I think, this is not very criminal. Almost two and a half tons after all. On a big slope.


At this, in fact, the meeting can be considered closed. If I had $ 59.870 (that's how much my Touareg costs) I would probably take such a car for myself. And there would be the opportunity to play finances in the base range 39.610-71.040 euros (the price lists are now fashionable to give in the ears) probably, it would have been postponed: the engine or the engine, etc. And he would have added for the options, although the basic charge here is enough even a pretty parish.


This, consider, Phaeton, only off -road. Both the style of the salon is Phaetonon, and a comfortable minced meat. A representative of a representative class. With all pies. Plus with the ability to lightly jump out of the flags. That in our stressful life is very useful for mental health.
 
Sergey Sorokin
 

Source: Motor magazine [July 2003]