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The Touareg gets going...

The Porsche Cayenne has a competent and better-looking stepsister - the Volkswagen Touareg

A SIGHT BETTER The handsome Touareg is VW's top-end SUV and though it doesn't carry the Porsche badge, it's better aesthetic sense, in visual terms

Volkswagen, making use of the fully built-up import policy, has attacked the Indian market with all guns blazing. Not content with their blitz on the super luxury saloon segment with the Phaeton sedan, they have gone after the coveted, premium SUV crown. Kashyap Motors will be selling the Touareg officially. This Delhi-based outfit is currently the only VW dealer in India.

Sibling rivalry

The Touareg was the culmination of a VW-Porsche joint project, where Porsche developed the mighty Cayenne. The two SUVs share common underpinnings as well as a host of other parts - underneath the skin the two are similar, but it stops right there. Where Porsche went for a look that mirrors its flagship sports car, the 911, VW decided to go conservative. The Touareg has a pleasing European appearance, much like most of the VW range. And since it's much better looking than the Cayenne, it will appeal to many.

The India-bound Touareg will have an option of a rear-mounted spare wheel, though Touaregs usually come with in-vogue run-flats. Interior quality is what we have come to expect - laudable. Neatness has become synonymous with VW, and the dashboard layout is just that. We did however find the stereo and ventilation buttons fiddly. The driver's seat offers high comfort and is low and car-like. In fact, all seats are extremely comfortable, though second row legroom is tight and a lack of a third row means space is at a premium. On the other hand, equipment levels are very high. A four-page options list lets one choose all sorts of gizmos like a Rs 2.8 lakh air-suspension, to a tyre pressure control system.

Massive motivation

A major selling point of the Touareg is its engine line-up. Unlike the Cayenne's range of high capacity, high output, performance oriented engines, VW offers a tamer, more practical range. On offer are a monstrous 313 bhp 5000cc V10 turbodiesel range topper, a 3200cc V6 petrol and a practical 3000cc V6 turbodiesel - the last is the best option for Indian buyers and the one we drove. This V6 is a high-tech engine with variable-vane turbocharging and four valves per cylinder. Surprisingly, it steps away from the VW's lauded pump düse injection system, instead opting for a simpler common-rail system with piezo injectors for precise fuel delivery. It is an extremely refined engine and though you do get a distinct hum, diesel chatter is thankfully missing. For an automatic tugging a 2300 kg SUV, it's quick, though not as responsive as a BMW X5 diesel. But it's not short of grunt, and in the short drive we had over some broken road, it literally flew. The 6 speed auto `box shifts cleanly, though there tends to be pauses between shifts.

The steering is light and lacks feel at high speeds, and on bad roads it doesn't match up to the X5. The India-bound Touaregs will come with 255/55 R18 tyres, which might give good grip, but become unsettled on rough roads. It crashes through potholes and you can feel the shudders through your seat. Taller profile, 17-inchers would have been better suited to our conditions.

The Touareg is equipped for the challenges off the road, but few buyers will really go there. It is a pretty good everyday car, though it won't offer the luxury-saloon like comfort of a similarly priced car. Buy it if you like the image and feeling of authority SUVs bring - for Rs. 45 lakh, it gives you a good dosage of ego without having to additionally shell out for petrol.

SIDDHRAJ SINGH

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