Volkswagen Touareg SUV Black Edition 3.0 V6 TDI SCR 286PS 4Motion Tiptronic auto 5d Owner Review

First off options I fitted, ambient light pack, I think is a must, rear steer, again a must as it's like parking the titanic, also the larger fuel tank as 90 litres, this gave roughly 630 miles of range. Black edition in my opinion is the pick, you get matrix lights, panoramic roof and air suspension standard, plus all the chrome on the exterior is gloss black, much better.

Having had the car over 3 years I can say it's a very practical and capable SUV, snow, rain, mild off-road it doesn't phase it.

Bottomless torque from the 286 TDI just keeps pulling, hills, motorways etc are effortless, I have not towed anything but I imagine it's effortless. The air suspension is good, just floats on the motorway, however uneven crap British A and B roads it does clatter a bit through pot holes due to 21 inch wheels.

Handling wise it does lollop about a bit in comfort mode, sport stiffens things nicely but it still reminds you of its weight. Gearbox can be hesitant, it's quicker in sport but still annoyingly hesitant, it's not bad but it's not BMW responsive despite it been the same ZF8 gearbox.

Adaptive matrix lights are very good but a little slow to react at times to oncoming traffic.

Interior quality is generally good, everything you touch is soft apart from the centre console which is hard plastic, on long journeys it can cause some left leg discomfort from resting on it, it should of been cushioned at this price point. Seats are extremely comfy, storage is plentiful, however, the cubby under the armrest is very shallow and the arm rest is non adjustable, I ended up having to place an old aftershave bottle under it to lift it up for the required support, again, something you wouldn't expect for the price.

Infotainment is very good, very impressive and dominates the interior in a good way, there is one small drawback, if you want to adjust heating and seat heating, you do nearly crash prodding at the screen until you get used to it, you can't adjust fan speed without going into the menu, again, not great on a country road. Standard sound system is very bassy and well balanced.

Practical wise, isofix seats are easy to fit, boot is huge and more space under the floor.

Issues, SOS ariel stopped working, heating in drivers zone stopped working, both were repaired under warranty, otherwise faultless.

Love the power, refinement and comfort, what let it down is the armrest, knee cushioning and the irritating climate menu.

Would recommend as it's alot of car for the money. Would I have another, absolutely.