This Baby's Got Style, Substance, Speed, and Unfortunately Teething Problems
I just couldn't get my head around how Volkswagen was somehow going to stick a 220 horsepower V6 into a 2,300 plus kilogram
(5,000 plus pound) vehicle and make it entertaining to drive. That is until I drove it.
While the new 3.2-liter V6, that incidentally makes a maximum of 225 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 rpm, is nowhere near as exciting during open throttle as the 310 horsepower 4.2-liter V8 that I first tested, I was expecting to be completely let down. After all, up to this point I'd driven SUVs that weighed less and offered more power and torque, and they weren't particularly stimulating on the open road.
What a shock it was when the big, bulky Touareg got up and went as quickly as
it did in its new base form. OK, 9.4 seconds to 100 km/h is hardly spine tingling, but I've driven a lot slower. The larger engine at 7.6 seconds isn't all that quick either, but the guttural sound of its throaty V8 gives the Touareg the auditory sensation of a sports car.
Its also slower when compared to a BMW X5, Infiniti FX45 or Mercedes-Benz ML, in either base or V8 forms, but amazingly even the V6 Touareg out hustles the new V8-powered Lexus LX 470, which posts a 9.7 second run to 100 km/h - and that one felt pretty good to me as well.
I just couldn't get my head around how Volkswagen was somehow going to stick a 220 horsepower V6 into a 2,300 plus kilogram
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| A 220-hp V6 in a 2,300+ kilogram SUV? Surprisingly, it works. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
While the new 3.2-liter V6, that incidentally makes a maximum of 225 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 rpm, is nowhere near as exciting during open throttle as the 310 horsepower 4.2-liter V8 that I first tested, I was expecting to be completely let down. After all, up to this point I'd driven SUVs that weighed less and offered more power and torque, and they weren't particularly stimulating on the open road.
What a shock it was when the big, bulky Touareg got up and went as quickly as
 |
| While not as fast as many of its competitors, the V6 Touareg out hustles the new V8-powered Lexus LX 470 to 100 km/h. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
Its also slower when compared to a BMW X5, Infiniti FX45 or Mercedes-Benz ML, in either base or V8 forms, but amazingly even the V6 Touareg out hustles the new V8-powered Lexus LX 470, which posts a 9.7 second run to 100 km/h - and that one felt pretty good to me as well.