He said, she said: Test driving the Volkswagen Touareg TDI

The premise of the He said, she said chronicle is simple: we lend a press vehicle to a couple to test drive extensively for two weeks and give the two participants one simple instruction: to take note of all of their impressions, both good and bad.

Each of the test drivers has to keep their opinions to themselves so as not to influence the other. Easier said than done, right?

This month, Annie Paquette and Daniel Gascon test drove the Volkswagen Touareg TDI equipped with a 3.0L turbo V6 diesel engine (producing 225 hp and more notably 4.06 lbs-ft of torque), an automatic gearbox and AWD. The selling price of this Comfortline trim: $53,575, including a power lift gate, satellite radio, heated seats, dual-zone climate control and navigation system (but excluding transport and taxes). The Touareg’s starting price is $48,875.

This is what they had to say about it.

She said

Name: Annie Paquette
Age: 39 yearfs
Resides: Bellefeuille / Saint-Jérôme
Occupation: School career counsellor
Drives: 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan

Annie Paquette knew where she stood, right from the get-go. “I’m sold on VWs. I love their unique cowboy handling and their dashboards, which are unlike any others.”
She was able to get her bearings in the Touareg right away. But she admitted, “If I wasn’t already used to VWs, I probably would have found the controls confusing. And could you please let me where to insert CDs?” The answer, of course, is that the Touareg does not come with a CD player! (after verification with Volkswagen Canada, there is a CD player located in the glove box)

Upon seeing the Touareg TDI, Annie’s first reaction was that the intermediate SUV was excessively large. “As soon as I saw it, I thought ‘Whoa, that’s a big puppy!’ But once I got behind the wheel, I felt in complete control. It’s not too high, not too low, and not to big.”

She also found the interior spacious. "When I picked my two kids up from school, I tossed their bags and lunch boxes in the trunk and still had lots of room for all my groceries. If I had been driving my Tiguan, I would have had had to put some things on the back bench.”

On the road, Annie especially appreciated the vehicle’s handling. "I was surprised. It’s actually smoother than my Tiguan. I really liked the steering, which is less rigid than on my boyfriend’s BMW X6. In fact, everything is gentle in the Touareg, even the engine. If you hadn’t told me it was a diesel, I would never have guessed.”
Annie on cruise control
Our lady test driver was delighted by some cruise control functions. “Ninety-five percent of my driving was done with the cruise control on – even in the city, where it helped me avoid getting tickets. I liked the fact that I could control my speed in so many different ways.”

What really thrilled her, however, was the fuel economy. “This really wowed me. Compared to my Tiguan, which takes super (and therefore is super expensive), I must have saved $80 during the week-long test drive.”

Based on this stellar review, would Annie buy a Touareg? “Nope, not at $50,000. It’s too expensive for what you get. There’s no rear DVD screen for my kids, no CD player, no sunroof. The sunroof is what sold me on the Tiguan!”

He said

Name: Daniel Gascon
Age: 41 years
Occupation: construction engineer
Resides: Bellefeuille / Saint-Jérôme
Drives: 2011 BMW X6

Daniel and the Touareg started off on the wrong foot, as the vehicle failed to charm him with its style – an important consideration to this driver. “It’s very plain on the outside. The only element that spices up its looks is the dual exhaust. Other than that, it’s blah.”

But he conceded, "On the inside, things are a lot better. The dashboard is nice; it’s very high tech without being too complicated. I really loved the information display that becomes a smart phone screen when a call comes in. When Annie called, her name would pop up and I could decide whether or not I wanted to answer.” (The call history doesn’t show how often he let it go to voicemail.)

When asked about the Touareg’s shortcomings, Daniel echoed Annie’s sentiments. “There’s no CD player, no sunroof and no keyless start-up (which is something I really love about my BMW X6). Given its price, it’s not that impressive.”

Daniel was also disappointed with the ergonomics of the controls, especially the climate control. “They are at the bottom of the console, below the radio and behind the gear shifter. This makes them hard to reach."

Applause for fuel economy

Daniel wasn’t blown away by the Touareg’s handling, which he described as "average." However he did have some good things to say. “I found the engine very quiet and was especially impressed with the amount of torque at low revs.” He was also pleased with the vehicle’s fuel consumption. “I averaged 8.5 litres per 100 kilometres, whereas with my X6, it’s more like 12 litres per 100 kilometres.”

In fact, if anything were to convince this driver to buy a Touareg, it would be fuel economy. But at the end of the day, that’s just not enough to convince him. “Neither its looks nor its handling excited me. I’d rather pay a little more and drive the X6.”

“And if I had to opt for something less expensive, I’d take the Tiguan over the Touareg. It’s got more style – and costs a good $15,000 to $20,000 less!”