Coming back to my V6, during low speeds the engine is barely audible and delivers power seamlessly. On the German motorway, as I gradually fed the gas, it cruised ahead confidently, riding on the enormous wave of the available 600 Nm of torque. The motor is quiet and comfortable and comes close to the other cars based on this platform in terms of a relaxed drive. The smooth shifts of the eight-speed automatic play a vital role in making the car feel effortless and refined while cruising. For a little more action, when I put my foot down, I could clearly hear the oil-burner even within the cabin as it climbed the revs. The gearbox hesitated slightly before kicking down a few cogs, but once the Touareg gathers momentum, it steams ahead and is quick to hit the double ton mark. Volkswagen say that the V6 can go from 0 to 100 km/h in a very respectable 6.1 seconds and promises an equally impressive fuel efficiency of 14 km/l.
The diesel has a proper big car feel and ploughs ahead like a full-sized truck. In fact, many European buyers use it for lugging caravans, since this big SUV has a towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes and now also gets the latest trailer assist system. In India, however, what will really come in handy is the new four-wheel steering option. This system turns the rear wheels in the opposite direction of the front wheels at low speeds, which drastically reduces the turning radius. In other words, the Touareg feels like a Polo while turning it in a narrow lane or even while parking. This gigantic SUV is surprisingly easy to manoeuvre. (Also read: Volkswagen India Launches Passat Connect)
Exploiting the well-maintained German roads, I made full use of the advanced cruise control. This not just holds the set speed but also uses a radar to keep a safe distance from the car in front. The lane assist kept the Touareg steady between the white lines and scanned the road signs and speed limits so that it could alter the speed of the car accordingly. It also kept an eye on the Sat Nav and slowed down the car while approaching bends and hairpin turns.
Talking about cornering, this two-tonne SUV feels amazingly agile and composed around sweeping corners. The active anti-roll bar keeps the car from leaning while going through a fast bend. The 2019 model doesn’t roll about like regular large-size SUVs and remains fairly flat and composed. It’s one virtue enthusiasts would appreciate the most.
The optional pack also includes five on-road and another five off-road driving modes that adapt to various road conditions and driving styles. I did manage to find an empty patch of broken road and kept the car in the Auto Off-Road mode (other modes included Sand, Snow, Gravel, and Expert) that increases the ground clearance by 70 mm and kept the Touareg pretty much under control. Helping this cause is the permanent four-wheel drive that can send up to 70 per cent of power to the front wheels and about 80 per cent to the rear ones, depending on the situation. I’m sure it can take more beating, but who would want to do serious cross-country driving in such a premium offering?
And premium it is. The starting price for the base variant of about Rs 48 lakh in Europe seems justified for what it delivers (our test car with all the bells and whistles would cost about Rs 80 lakh). It looks good, is very spacious, full of useful technologies, is comfortable and solid to drive. For a much smaller price tag, the Touareg has everything that the Bentayga and Q7 can offer… except, maybe, the chesty badge.
