Test drive Volkswagen Touareg 2007 - 2010 SUV

Anti -people "folk car"

Now recall that Volkswagen began once as a manufacturer of a folk brand of a car, has become a bad tone.
Take at least Touareg a chic SUV, which is mainly found at the wheel of completely wealthy citizens ...
The car saw the light in mid -2002. He became the first big SUV of the German concern. Moreover, in the full sense of this value on Touareg, you can not only go on asphalt, but also get out of the city.
There are no complaints about the assembly of the salon. All elements are tightly fitted to each other, the skin is stitched with neat stitches, it is pleasant to touch the buttons and levers. However, with the reliability of a huge amount of electrical equipment, problems happened, especially in Touareg in 20022003. Moreover, an electrician is not the worst. Many cars needed a repair of gearbox, handouts, air suspension! Often, electric drives and tire pressure sensors refused, the four-zone climate control began to buggy, the rear view camera or the Keyless Access system failed.
As for the body, there should be no complaints about it: the paint does not exfoliate, but what rust is, Touareg does not know in principle. According to the masters, it is best to buy cars with Russian registration. Then you can track the fate of your favorite copy and check which problematic details have already changed.
In the first months of production, two engines were put on Touareg: a gasoline six of 3.2 liters (first 220 hp, but then the engine power increased to 240 hp) and a 5.0 -liter diesel (313 hp. ). The last motor is simply unique. It is enough to say that it is 10-cylinder and still remains the most powerful diesel engine installed on cars and SUVs. Many cars have a modest 5-cylinder diesel diesel engine with a volume of 2.5 liters (174 hp), as well as a gasoline V8 with a volume of 4.2 l (310 hp). Well, on the now -manufactured Touareg, they already put a slightly different range of power units: gasoline V6 (3.6 liters, 280 hp) and V8 (4.2 l, 350 hp), as well as a 2.5 diesel engine with a volume of 2.5 L (174 hp), 3.0 l (225 hp in the presence of mechanics and 240 hp with a machine) and, of course, V10 with a volume of 5.0 liters (313 hp).
A few words should be said about charged Touareg. Since 2006, Volkswagen has been producing a breathtaking Touareg W12 with a 12-cylinder gasoline engine with a volume of 6.0 liters (450 hp). In addition to the Touareg W12 motor, it has a slightly different aerodynamic body kit and a very rich equipment. There are still few such machines, although they are found in Russia. True, their price is shocking even Volkswagen dealers: for SUVs with W12 we are asking for more than $ 155,000! Well, at the end of 2007, the Germans began to produce Touareg R50 with a V10 diesel engine that issues 350 hp.
Which engine is better? No one will give a definite answer to this question. It is worth starting with the fact that all the engines were reliable and practically do not cause problems. Much depends on how much you are ready to spend on Touareg. Although even a wealthy Russian is unlikely to take a used Touareg W12. Such cars are insanely expensive, and besides, there is no particular sense in them. If you have a decent amount of money, it is better to turn your eyes to the 3-year-old Porsche Cayenne. It will cost about the same money, and it will look more prestigious. To put it mildly, cars with diesel V10 or gasoline V8 are also expensive. They cost almost one and a half to two times more than, say, Touareg with a 2.5-liter diesel engine.
If you discard the show-off, then the mind will tell you that the most optimal Touareg option with a 2.5-liter diesel engine or gasoline V6 with a volume of 3.2 liters. Both diesel and gasoline V6 showed themselves as very reliable and unpretentious units. In addition, they are the cheapest in operation. For example, motors do not have timing belts that need to be periodically changed. The V6 is equipped with a very strong chain, and in the diesel, the drive of the gas distribution mechanism is almost eternal, gear. An important factor also became the fact that such units as a gearbox and a handout, here live longer than on cars with V8 or V10.
In general, the KP and the handout for a long time were considered really weak places in Touareg. The problem with them was resolved only after mid -2004. Therefore, before buying cars made in 20022004, you need to carefully check whether the handout has changed. It is worth paying attention to how the dealer eliminated problems. The fact is that at first Volkswagen wanted to limit himself to low blood and offered to put only servo drive and new software on problem machines. But this often did not help, so the Germans decided to change the handouts at all. The automatic gearbox also sometimes broke, and problems in 90% of cases arose on the most powerful machines. In general, the handout and automatic transmission must be very carefully checked. After all, buying a 35-year-old Touareg, the guarantee for which has already ended, the owner runs the risk of flying on a fantastically expensive repair of these elements (the handout, by the way, costs about $ 5,000).
A few words must be said about the off -road opportunities of Volkswagen Touareg. For daily Camel-Trophy, this car is not suitable. However, it is also difficult to name the city crossover. Touareg can, if necessary, drive on a very serious off -road. In the arsenal, he has not only the already mentioned handout, but also a very decent road clearance, as well as blocking the center differential (automatically when slipping of the wheels or forcibly when the lower gear is turned on). Well, if you need to go to nature more often, it is better to take a car with an installed rear differential lock (went like an option). Or look for a Touareg in the Expections configuration. It is equipped not only with two differential locks, but also with reliable bottom protection, as well as a winch.
The Touareg suspension can be either simple, on springs and pneumatic. In the latter case, you get an incomparably higher level of comfort, as well as the ability to adjust the road clearance (up to 300 mm). But for this you will have to pay a tidy amount. After all, cars with a pneumatic suspension give their owners a lot of trouble. Especially when the mileage reaches 100,000140,000 km. I must say that on the cars of the first years of production, the air suspension could break down after 30,000 km. The cause of the breakdown was usually worn out compressor valves. In addition, sometimes a swelling cylinder refused, and sometimes pneumatic resistance itself also failed. The latter cost very expensive about $ 2000 apiece! The new compressor is also insanely expensive, but it is usually subject to restoration for only $ 400,500. In general, it is clear that the pneumatic Touareg may require decent investments.
However, many buyers of not only new, but also used cars are ready to risk money for comfort. And perhaps they do the right thing. In addition, the spring Touareg do not differ in ideal reliability. At least the front levers here, until recently, failed too often active drivers changed them annually. And the cost of levers, by the way, is about $ 400,500 apiece. The rear suspension has two levers at once on the wheel, but their resource was much higher. Although remember: it is possible that there are more than 100,000 km by mileage machines and they will require replacement. Therefore, in the end, the buyer of the 35-year-old Touareg can invest more than $ 2000 in the chassis (plus the same if the car has an air suspension).
EXCURSION
Volkswagen Touareg was, in fact, the first SUV of the Volkswagen brand. Of course, experts know that in the 8090s, the German concern made the second-generation of the second generation Golf called Golf Country. However, this is nothing more than a modest and simple Golf II with an enlarged road clearance and a slightly different appearance.
Work on Touareg began back in the late 90s. It is no secret that Volkswagen made this car together with Porsche engineers, thanks to which Porsche Cayenne was born. In addition, it can be noted that on the basis of Touareg/Cayenne, the Volkswagen concern built another Audi Q7 model.
Especially for Touareg and Phaeton, Volkswagen engineers have developed a unique diesel engine. It has a volume of 5.0 liters and at once 10 cylinders located V-shaped. Power V10 is 313 hp. The value of the torque of 750 nm makes no less impression. In addition, there were other motors: gasoline V6 with a volume of 3.2 liters (220 hp, and later 240 hp), V8 with a volume of 4.2 l (310 hp), as well as a 5-cylinder 2.5 liter diesel (174 hp).
In 2006, a Touareg W12 appeared with a 12-cylinder gasoline engine with a volume of 6.0 liters, issuing 450 hp. In the same 2006, the SUV subjected to modernization: the appearance changed a bit, the salon became a little different. The Touareg hood began to put gasoline V6 (3.6 liters, 280 hp) and V8 (4.2 l, 350 hp), as well as diesel engines with a volume of 2.5 liters (174 hp), 3.0 l (225 hp in the presence of mechanics and 240 hp with a machine) and V10 with a volume of 5.0 liters (313 hp). Well, at the end of 2007, Touareg R50 appeared. This charged car has a V10 diesel engine, which already gives out 350 hp.
Volkswagen Touareg car is not for the poor. However, this machine has not only a huge number of advantages, but also many disadvantages associated primarily with the reliability of nodes such as a handout, gearbox, pneumatics, suspension and electrician. And although now all Touareg childhood diseases are cured, buyers of used cars may encounter them if they refuse to carefully check the car to the transaction.
FITTING
The presented Volkswagen Touareg was originally sold in Russia in 2003. Touareg immediately liked the owner: the car looked very stylish and at the same time could drive along a relatively serious off -road. And Touareg in 2003 was considered one of the most fashionable cars in the market.
However, after six months, problems began: I had to call on a service station to replace the electric windows, then did not work out the climate control, there were claims to the suspension. But the most unpleasant breakdown was the failure of the handout. In general, the owner managed to torment his Touareg, although he still considers him one of the best SUVs.
Checking for a hundred showed that now everything is in order with the car. Masters say that the owner carefully followed his car and brought him to mind over the years. The price of Volkswagen Touareg $ 42,000.

Buyers of the VW Touareg of the first years of release first accused the cars of low reliability due to the fact that the cars supplied to Russia are assembled at a factory in Slovakia. Some even demanded that they bring them a purely German car. But all Touareg, without exception, did only in Bratislava (they not only assembled cars, but also welded the bodies, and also made gearboxes).
Experts
Andrey Lemigov, Director General of the DAX expert company:
Volkswagen Touareg appeared on the market several years ago aroused genuine interest to motorists around the world. And many of our fellow citizens were looking forward to the moment when the first three -year -olds began to bring to Russia. But when he came, it turned out that the number of used Touareg we have much less than, say, Mercedes-Benz ML320 or BMW X5. The most likely cause of this fact can be considered a rather high initial cost of the car, and most importantly high prices for repair and spare parts. In addition, the owner of Touareg is forced to carry out almost all types of maintenance exclusively in official services. After all, the same pneumatic suspension in the conditions of our climate and roads creates additional difficulties with the repair and, first of all, significantly affects its rise in price.
Dmitry Erokhin, General Director of the Center for Car loans, Ph.D.:
Recently, the provincials have been showing more and more interest in Volkswagen Touareg, whose income has recently increased significantly. However, the main proposals for the sale of Volkswagen Touareg are concentrated today in two cities in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Thus, the buyer from the region, going to purchase a car on credit, will face certain difficulties. Including: where to receive a loan in Moscow or in your city; where to insure the car, because insurance coefficients in the regions are cheaper; how to sketch the car dealership not to sell the car while the loan is issued; How to agree with the bank so that he transfer money to an unofficial dealer ...
The easiest decision will be to appeal to a credit broker who will organize and conduct a credit transaction. The obvious advantage of this approach to the loan will be held in the buyer region. First of all, the issue with the loan is resolved, and only then the car is searched, and in any car dealerships in Moscow and St. Petersburg. As soon as the car is found, it is performed
 
Denis Smolyanov
Author photo: Yan Segal
 

A source: Mkobil magazine [March 2008]