Test drive Volkswagen Touareg 2002 - 2007 SUV

Finding the peaks

January 29, 2005, Volkswagen Touareg Expedition, created in the Volkswagen Individual studio, set a new height record for cars, rising by 6080 meters, about which a corresponding entry was drawn up in the Guinness Book of Records.
 
If Moses had a dozen three Volkswagen Touareg Expedition, then the journey known from Scripture could end in forty years, but in just a couple of weeks. We would also have time to go on the coast - to swim ... And seriously, then the release of a special version of its popular SUV company Volkswagen at once crossed out all the questions about whether the Touareg SUV or not. There was nothing revolutionary, however, it was invented, but what was added in the configuration and design allows Volkswagen Touareg Expedition to enter the club of exclusive machines, where until recently there were only a few members, like Land Rover G4 and Camel Edition, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and Grand Cherokee Orvis, some versions of Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol/Safari. These are SUVs who are already ready to go on the assault on the off-road to one degree or another and almost do not require modifications in specialized off-rock tuning studio. At the same time, fundamentally, the design of cars does not undergo changes, which allows it to be operated daily, without entering into conflict with the rules of the road. Apart from the Red Sufferns, of course, but Touareg has an order with this.
 
AROUND THE WORLD
 
Those who are not too close to Volkswagen Touareg should read a brief overview of this model, complemented by our conclusions. Presented in 2002 at the Paris Motor Show, Touareg opened a new page in a large book about SUVs, collecting all the achievements of a modern automotive under one iron roof at once. A fully independent suspension with the ability to change clearance and stiffness of shock absorbers, a constant all-wheel drive with automatic and forced blocking of the center and inter-long differentials, a 6-speed automatic transmission, a 10-cylinder turbodiesel with a breathtaking torque of 750 nm. The declared technical characteristics forced us to assume that the new Volkswagen could make serious competition both on roads and off -road. However, the first tests, including ours, showed that the protection of the bottoms is clearly insufficient, the potential for additional equipment is limited - say, it is not easy to fix the winch, it is not easy, the worship places are not enough ... In short, the Volkswagen Touareg took the honorary place of premium -class SUVs, And its habitat was limited to yacht clubs and ski resorts.
 
In Wolfsburg, at the Volkswagen headquarters, they thought a little differently. And if the car prepared to participate in Dakar nevertheless enters the category of super-distribution, that is, it has little in common with the standard machine, then the Touareg Expe-Rence 360 \u200b\u200bround-the-world trip organized last year says a lot. Experience turned out to be a real expedition, its route passed through all climatic zones, from Arctic to African deserts, in mountains and off -road. The start of the trip was given on July 18, 2004. On this day, five Volkswagen Touareg R5 TDI cars with a 2.5 liter engine and a capacity of 174 liters. With. We hit the road from Alaska for five continents. Having finished on October 31, 2005 in Wolfsburg, cars overcame 76,451 km after 26 countries and five continents. The first stage passed through the United States. The next was Transamazonika in South America. After that, the Touareg path ran through the Andes and the Ottakam Desert. Then there was Patagonia, Fiery Earth, Australia, Asia and, finally, Africa. In total, the 13 stages of the world tour differed as much as the countries were diverse in the territory of which the journey passed. The route selected by Volkswagen could only be held on full -fledged SUVs. And Touareg proved that he occupies a firm position among them. Here you should make a small footnote - in order to successfully overcome all the obstacles, Volkswagen modified its Touareg a little. And this is what they did.
 
Normal heroes
 
As a basic version, Volkswagen uses a Touareg with a gasoline 3.2-liter V6 engine or with a 2.5-liter turbodiesel. We came across gasoline, which is not bad, given the frosts standing in those days. The transmission can be selected mechanical or automatic, both six -speeds. We took the machine, which is again good - do not be distracted while moving to extra operations. The suspension for Volkswagen Touareg provides one - spring, but with a 25 mm clearance, which in total gives 292 mm of a road clearance. The enhanced move limiters and the double seal of shock absorbers will add confidence when driving on bumps and fords. A constant all -wheel drive with a blocked interdose differential is supplemented by a locking rear axle. A transparent film, glued on board the body and door, is very appropriate in our latitudes. Sometimes small scuffs from the protruding branch can spoil the mood for a long time ... Finally, the crown of creation is a multifunctional box on the roof. The luggage of Wolfsburg designers does not dare to name the trunk. Two spotlights are installed on the box, the power of which is controlled by a highlight switch. The solution is controversial, usually a separate block of switches is made for working and exchange rate of additional light so as not to load the main wiring. But the spotlights shine perfectly, the angle of coverage of almost 180 degrees, and the range reaches 680 meters.
 
As usual, we saw the most interesting thing by lifting the car on the lift. That's what Volkswagen can be proud of is the protection of the Touareg Expe-Dition bottom. Profiled sheets cooked from a light alloy up to 6 mm thick, extend from the front edge of the motor compartment to the rear suspension. Everything is covered, including the rear levers, rapids and a gas tank. Outside, only pipes of the exhaust system remain, and even that is not all, and the muffler. Protection is screwed with screws to the power elements of the body. It is only strange that the bumpers remained full -time. However, in the front on the original integrated bracket, the Warn electric winch is mounted.
 
The Expedition conveyor is equipped with rubber category AT - not the best choice for our winter. Nevertheless, we boldly moved into the snow virgin lands, on the slides and pits of the empty cross route. But first, a few words about the daily operation of the modernized Toua-Reg. Riding around the city and in general on asphalt did not reveal any obvious changes in the behavior of the car. It is clear that due to the additional weight of the protection and equipment, the increased road clearance and universal tires, the brake and acceleration characteristics, as well as handling in critical modes, were somewhat deteriorated, but during normal driving, this is practically not felt. Comfort was not injured at all. This applies to both the configuration and decoration of the salon and the smoothness of the course. However, it should make a reservation, for the version of the Expections, the manufacturer offers one of the simplest equipment options, albeit with climate control and with a 6-disk chainer. But the adjustments of the chairs are manual, although who looks at it when Touareg takes another rise in the snow in the snow.
 
We must be honest - if it weren’t for the rear differential blocking, then in some places we would probably have stuck ... I had to set it over ... however, there was never an extraneous help or, say, a shovel. Others would clearly have to dig out, and so, by swinging, slowly, using our own track, we took all the obstacles that we planned. Sometimes there were not enough tenacious tires, and electronic locks behaved strangely, but the strict connection in the intends and inter -axial differentials solved these problems. For the first time, I was not afraid to hit the frozen fracture of the relief with thimble, although the length of the wheelbase still remained the number one problem in our off-road exercises. However, recalling the bulletproof protection of the bottom, I much more boldly threw experiences at the next hillock.
 
And a small cart
 
In addition to the equipment installed on the test SUV, Volkswagen offers a number of components for an additional, of course, fee. By the way, the box-liner with removable sidewalls is also included in the option and costs $ 2,475. You can order special mounts with a pair of canister of 20 liters each. And the tent on the roof, with an awning and a folding table? Dopsvet is also an option, like a special aluminum box with 8-ton slings, mugs, a shovel and a pneumatic bag-coat. If everything is folded, including the winch, protection and the mentioned table, then we will get a well -equipped expedition car. It remains to add only a nicer sense of road and ... 50,800 euros, from which the price of Expections begins in Russia.
 
Text: Igor Gubar
 

Source: Magazine 4x4 [March/2006]