VW Sets Altitude Record with Stock Touareg V6

To prove the Touareg's all-round capability, the record-breaking vehicle wasn't powered by the top-of-the-line 5.0-litre

The engine used was the base 3.2-litre 240-hp 'narrow angle' V6, with stock six-speed automatic transmission and 4Motion components. (Photo: Volkswagen Canada)

V10 turbodiesel. While logically, this would have been the most opportune motor, having turbochargers to compensate for the low levels of oxygen at high altitudes, or even the 4.2-litre V8 for its larger displacement, the engine used was the base 3.2-litre 240-hp 'narrow angle' V6, with stock six-speed automatic transmission and 4Motion components.

Zietlow and his crew took eight days to make the ascent to the peak of Chile's Ojos del Salado, the world's tallest volcano. Slowly but surely, the green-gray Touareg

Zietlow and his crew took eight days to make the ascent to the peak of Chile's Ojos del Salado, the world's tallest volcano. (Photo: Volkwagen Canada)

clambered up the mountainside, encountering rocky terrain, snow, volcanic sand, and boulders so large, they needed to be removed by winch. Too add to this, there were times where the trail reached an 80 percent gradient! At a height of 5,000 metres (16,400 ft) above sea level, the crew was given oxygen tanks.

Eventually, having made it to the top, the team also established a seismographic station, which measures and sends out data about earthquakes, giving advance warnings of potential eruptions. While it took more than a week for Zietlow and company to reach the top, the descent took a mere three hours.