VW Touareg SUV
sjwsmw
Member Posts: 131
in Volkswagen
Been seeing the spy shots and the artist renditions of this joint venture with Porsche. Theirs will be the Cayenne and is due out later this year but the VW version is more sketchy as far as specs and production schedules. Anyone heard anything??
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The only thing I've read is this article at VWVortex about the Cayenne which briefly compares both vehicles. No pics of the Touareg though.
VWVortex article on the Cayenne
TIA
--'rocco
http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/bbtitle_mac.gif ...an "Allroad" Golf
http://www.dobletraccion.com/marzo01/colorado1.jpg and http://www.dobletraccion.com/marzo01/colorado2.jpg ...an "Allroad" Passat station wagon.
Or this "Thing:" *laughs out loud* http://www.pebblebeachconcours.net/concept2001/helmut.htm
--'rocco
True?
If so, some actual pictures should be surfacing soon as the Cayenne did.
Briefly:
The front looks just like some of the net pics floating around, that is a Passat on steroids. The back end was a Golf on steroids as well. The front worked very well, rugged, yet with some sophistication. The back didn't work so well. The roofline slopes downward toward the liftgate similar to the new Pontiac Vibe/Matrix. This makes it less like an SUV and more like some crossover thing in my opinion. But more importantly, it cuts rear vision and cargo capacity dramatically. Size-wise, it is larger than the Lexus RX300, but smaller than an Ford Explorer. More along the lines of the BMW X5.
Inside, it screams BMW, very upscale. Lot's of brushed chrome and wood accents everywhere. This prototype had ever conceviable option/gadet you could think(except navigation). Leather, sunroof, multi CD player, etc.
One of the questions was, "if this wasn't a VW, then what other brand would you think made it?"
I think VW is really going for the upscale market on this.
The doors height seemed tall and the dash very pronounced as well as the seating seemed low. This combination made it feel cramped inside, not like a high riding SUV with a commanding view of the road. Reminded me of sitting in a low-slung sports car(like an Audi TT).
The stat sheet showed a 6-cylinder engine, AWD. Pretty basic. Buy strangely, the automatic shifter only appeared to be a 3-speed, which I doubt will be production.
All in all, I was excited and dissapointed at the same time. I guess we shall see what comes out of production. I heard from VW's marketing department, that they heard 1st quarter 2003 for delivery.
Steve-- Wow! ...so you were actually able to see a pre-production model, eh? I suppose you weren't able to take pics at this marketing survey function you attended. I'd still like to see a snapshot. Where was this marketing survey located? Is it moving around the country? I wonder if I could get invited to one of these things!? *lol*
--'rocco
No, no cameras, phones, kids. I didn't even know the VW was going to be there. It was a suprise and they just said be careful with the switches and accessories as it was a prototype and not up to typical quality standards.
The survey just came in the mail, nothing preplanned. The moderator made a comment that this was the 'last go-round' of market tests. I agree with the upscale comment. But that seems to be their company direction with the Pheaton etc.
The Magellan supposedly will be Audis rendition of the Touareg and Cayenne(?):
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=296602
--'rocco
The nearest pictures that I have seen are at:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=234990
scroll down to obelix posts. The blue color looks the same that I saw in person. The only difference is the tail lights/rear section didn't protrude outward so much, it was more sleek.
--'rocco
The [non-permissible content removed] reference, although harsh, made a good analogy. Change the name, Volkswagen!
Sincerely,
--'rocco
That was my point, I read the add from VW and said, named after some tribe who are rugged and bla bla bla somewhere in Africa, 99,9% percent of the people has no idea who this people are, I didn't, why look for something that is not there, if we apply that principle we will find wrong everywhere, Jeep Cheroke for instance, trail of tears, expelled from their land , reservation, etc. Just keep it bolts and nuts.
The initial name was to be Colorado but somehow the name of the state or Red in color in spanish is the trade name of GM, beats me.
But aside from that, did anyone else notice that the "official" pic is practically the same as the computer-rendered "spy" pic that was floating around when we first heard that VW was coming out with an SUV?
Going back to the SUV business I dont like the name either but for the reason that is a strange name and hard to pronounce, I wish VW would switch to alpha numeric designations instead, the names they come up with leave a lot to desire, like rabbit, golf, phaeton and touareg, give me a break.
On a more serious note, by reading the article about the SUV it seems like it will be a real nice vehicle, to the point that I would seriously consider it, lets wait and see what more information comes about.
The pictures must be deceptive like the article says because it almost looks like a Passat station wagon but in reality is bigger that all the above.
Too bad a lot of the heavy-duty towing is probably assuming the 10-cylinder turbo diesel, which produces tremendous torque. That engine is unlikely to make it to the U.S. An 8-cylinder gas engine will probably be the top engine here.
To me, its only significant limitation is the probable low amount of cargo room. Wonder how much it'll cost here, and whether VW dealerships will be up to the task of supporting a relatively costly and complex vehicle. Probably won't come with free scheduled maintenance (with various limitations) like the German luxury brands do.
Bottom line: we need more info on exactly what the VW tows, and if there are any restrictions, such as I noted above.
Bob
Bob
"Few concrete details have been released about this upcoming sport-ute from VW, but we've managed to obtain one of the few pictures of this twin of the Porsche Cayenne. Designed to compete against the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti and Lexus, the vehicle is expected to go on sale in 2003.... Its first unveiling is expected at the 2002 Paris Auto Show this fall."
Steve
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http://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/ltxlt.html
Thus gross trailer weight is around 10,000 pounds.
Now, take that trailer, convert it into a deluxe travel trailer (with slide-outs) and drop the V-10 TDI into the double-cab tractor unit, and I've got my dream RV!
(...do we need to start a VW trucks forum? )
Steve
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In your section that shows all the new cars coming out, you have the Touareg availability as Summer 2002 but in the article it says Mid-2003 with it debuting at Paris. I am pretty sure the later is correct but wouldn't mind it being a tad bit earlier!
Steve
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I would bet that they are pointing you to some huge NA truck
First Drive: 2004 Volkswagen Touareg
Steve
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Steve
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Was referring as much to the comment about more cargo room than the X5 as the off road ability, but it's nice to know that if I was crazy enough to take a $50K vehicle off road, I probably won't need a Ford or Jeep to get me unstuck.
Absolutely. People take Range Rovers and Land Cruisers off road, so why not the Touareg?
Remember, this vehicle will be sold world-wide, not just to the country-club set here in the USA. I tip my hat to VW for offering a state-of-the art "true" SUV, and not just another 4WD solid-axle anvil.
Bob
How can I get the message to the VW people that we need 7 passenger seating as much as or more than a diesel engine? The VW website email keeps locking up!
Would one of your auto journalists who get to drive these have an email address to contact at VW for customer feedback?
Thanks
Otherwise try the international VW page at www.volkswagen.de and click on the British flag at the lower right for English - I understand they are very responsive.
I'm telecommuting from Boise so can't walk down the hall and ask the editorial folks for their secret contact info ;-)
Steve
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or Golfs, much less a product that is a year away
from delivery...I think Jamie indicated that the TDI would be coming this way in the 2nd year of
production...Disappointing, but I believe this has something to do with Fed Law Changes regarding Diesel #2 Fuel and cleaning up as it is in Europe and the fact that Diesel truck emissions are different than passenger cars...
And think how many they could sell @ $15,995.00...:) Technologically speaking this is
not an entry level SUV, and is not supposed to be...