When it does arrive here, it will likely have two engine choices -- a 3.2-litre V6 and a 4.2-litre V8. Sometime after that, we may also get the 5-litre V10 turbo-diesel.
It certainly looks like a concerted effort by North America's VW dealers to pick another name for the fraternal twin of the Porsche Cayenne has failed. Germany was adamant about staying with Touareg, which is the name of a people in the Sahara desert that are ''famed for their traditiona, pride, intelligence and dignity, and the ability to adapt to difficult conditions.''
VW dealers in the US were particularly worried about the obscurity of the name and some of them have taken to pronouncing it ''Toe-rag,'' partly out of linguistic ignorance and partly to tweak the tails of their German masters in Wolfsburg.
Whatever it's called, the new vehicle promises to be an interesting addition to the ever-expanding SUV market, luxury quadrant, on-road performance sector.
VW Canada's Bernice Holman describes Touareg as having ''outstanding on-road and off-road characteristics, permanent, electronically controlled four-wheel drive, double wishbone suspension, full air suspension with electronically controlled shock absorbers (optional or standard, depending on the engine), excellent comfort on long drives, and elegant and progressive interior and exterior design.''
Touareg's key measurements include a length of 4750 mm on a 2860-mm wheelbase, a width of 1930 mm and a height of 1720 mm.