Before and after the wraps were removed from Volkswagen's SCORE Baja 1000 Trophy Truck, the diesel-powered Touareg you'll soon be able to buy sat unloved right next door.
The 2009 Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI, as they're calling it, will reportedly be available as early as January 2009. Some dealers have already received order guides listing the starting price at $43,490, including destination charges. That's about $3,500 more than the 3.6-liter gasoline V6.
No one at the show could confirm whether or not the 19-inch wheels and tires on the display car would be standard on the TDI, but if they are, the effective price difference shrinks by $1,200 -- the cost of that option on the 3.6-liter V6 gasoline model.
The Touareg's 3.0-liter TDI V6 is a clone of the turbocharged engine found in the 2009 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI, right down to the clean diesel emissions system that uses a primary catalyst, a particulate filter and a reduction catalyst that reacts with AdBlue urea solution to remove the remaining NOx to make it emissions-legal in all 50 states as a ULEV-II vehicle.
The Ad-Blue tank is smaller here, only about 5 gallons. We're told the refill interval is about 10,000 miles. The tank itself is hidden beneath the collapsible spare tire that resides under the rear cargo floor.
In recent tests we found Audi's 3.0 TDI Q7 to be easily preferable to the 3.6-liter gasoline model. We even preferred its around-town drivability and off-the-line thrust to the 4.2-liter V8-powered Q7 we used to have in our long-term fleet. It's the torque that does it for us.
Since the engine lineup is much the same in the Touareg, we expect the TDI version of the VW will be the one to get here, too. VW's engine output figures for the diesel -- 221 horsepower and a massive 406 lb-ft of torque at as low as 1,750 rpm -- are identical to the figures Audi quotes for the Q7 TDI. VW says that when Touareg V6 TDI EPA ratings are published, they will likely be 17 or 18 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.
Since the Touareg is smaller and lighter than the Q7, anything we say in an upcoming Inside Line article about the Q7 TDI's performance should apply to the Touareg TDI to at least the same degree. Keep checking the Inside Line home page over the next couple of days to catch it.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing
rsholland says:
07:35 AM, 11/20/08
If I were looking a a VW Touareg for purchase, this would be the one. Now if only they would replace the inflatable spare tire with a real tire...
actualsize says:
07:48 AM, 11/20/08
Don't hold your breath--there simply isn't room because the rear overhang is so short. They'd have to offer an external spare tire carrier.
But I agree. Anyone who actually goes off-road or tows a significant amount should have a real spare on hand--a fifth identical tire.
I'd argue that SUV poseurs are the ones fleeing the segment, leaving a distilled core of buyers who make the SUV choice specifically because of traditional SUV attributes like towing and off-highway capability--people with needs rather than wants. This makes the case for a standard full-size spare, something all of them had one or two generations ago, compelling again.
ateixeira says:
12:16 PM, 11/20/08
$2300 more ain't bad. Much more realistic that what BMW is asking.