All the engines in the line-up offer reasonable Volkswagen Touareg running costs but the V6 TDI is the best for drivers planning on covering long distances as 2014 models onwards can average 42.8mpg.

Thanks to reasonable CO2 emissions, it avoids the most expensive car tax brackets too, unlike the V8 TDI.

Volkswagen servicing is reasonable priced compared to the likes of BMW or Mercedes-Benz and the dealers have a good reputation for customer care, although not up to the standards of Lexus or Audi. Volkswagen often has fixed price servicing offers available on new cars. For a one off payment, this covers three years or 30,000 miles of servicing and can be transferred to a subsequent owner.

Volkswagen Touareg emissions levels improved noticeably after the 2014 facelift, due to improvements to the 3.0-litre V6 TDIs and the remove of the Hybrid and V8 TDI from the UK line-up.

Choose the V6 TDI with a 201bhp output for the best results of 173g/km of CO2. Even the worst offending 259bhp Escape model, with its increased ride height, is only 180g/km.

Like other German brands, Volkswagen has a high reputation for build quality and reliability, something which is evident in the Touareg.

It hasn’t been all plain sailing as far as Volkswagen Touareg reliability is concerned. Some early examples of the previous model had a few teething problems but overall it has proved trouble-free for most owners and Volkswagen dealers should swiftly act to sort out any problems should they occur.

Broadly, most reports regarding this generation of Touareg are positive.