2024 Volkswagen Touareg review: The Porsche Cayenne’s understated cousin

Jun 14, 2024 6:33 pm

So you are a successful businessman, and you’re looking to upgrade from your first or probably second luxury car that can ferry your family around in comfort and is powerful enough for you to cruise around, especially on highways with ease. A typical Malaysian will most probably first think of German SUVs like the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE, or even a Porsche Cayenne. But what if you want that level of luxury, but yet want something more understated? Volkswagen has a solution for you, and it’s the Touareg.

What was a model most of us thought would never make a return to Malaysia ever again just did in its facelifted third-generation form. To show even more commitment, Volkswagen’s all-new Touareg is also locally assembled (CKD) at the brand’s plant in Pekan, making us the first country to CKD this luxury SUV outside of Slovakia. Now priced at RM469,990, a record high price for Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia, can it rival the likes of the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE?

The Volkswagen Touareg R-Line at a glance:

Engine	2,995 cc; turbocharged V6
Transmission	8-speed Triptronic automatic
Max horsepower	340 hp
Max torque	450 Nm
0-100 km/h; Top speed	6 seconds; 250 km/h (electronically limited)
Price	RM469,990

2024 Volkswagen Touareg exterior: Understated yet classy

Let’s get some of the Volkswagen Touareg’s basic technical facts out of the way first. It is built on the Volkswagen Group’s MLB Evo platform, which is shared with models such as the Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7, Bentley Bentayga, and the Lamborghini Urus. So yes, you can say it is a budget Cayenne, but not really.

When it comes to its appearance, the Touareg has never been the most attractive-looking SUV even among its Volkswagen Group’s siblings. This is not to say that it looks ugly, as it isn’t.

It’s just that the Touareg doesn’t look particularly exciting, which most probably isn’t the designers’ intention when designing the SUV anyway. After all, Volkswagen Malaysia’s bosses told us during the Touareg media drive that the SUV is made for those looking for a luxury SUV but with a design that’s more lowkey and less flashy. In that expect, Volkswagen seems to have executed the assignment pretty well.

Dressed with the R-Line kit to help the Touareg look younger, it also comes with some cool features like the red-illuminated rear Volkswagen logo, which is a first in a Volkswagen model outside of China and the US. There’s also the fancy-looking puddle light that projects the Volkswagen logo, as well as the start-up and shut-down light projection show. The latter is subtle but certainly cool to look at.

The projection is done by Volkswagen’s IQ.Light HD Matrix LED projector headlights. Well, as you would expect, the HD stands for high definition, as Volkswagen says the headlights contain a total of 38,432 micro LEDs – 19,216 of them on each side. They’re indeed bright enough, even to light up the darkest of roads.

Aside from the IQ.Light system, Volkswagen has also fitted the Touareg with a Night Vision feature to aid with driving during bad weather or poorly lit conditions. As its name suggests, it allows you to see clearly at night or in heavy fog or rain, through a small window displayed on the instrument cluster, much like the night-vision devices used by armed forces in the movies.

Volkswagen says the Night Vision function can look about 130 metres ahead using the infrared camera and will react to any thermal radiation. People and animals can thus be detected earlier especially at night and in fog. Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia Co-Managing Director, Denyu Bostandzhiev, even shared how Night Vision helped him when he was driving during a heavy downpour with poorly lit roads.

So is it really that good? Well, yes, it’s indeed helpful when driving in dark or foggy situations, and it’s also interesting to see such technology featured in a car. However, don’t fully rely on the Night Vision feature, and definitely don’t speed when you’re unsure of what’s ahead of you.

2024 Volkswagen Touareg driving experience: A smooth and comfortable family cruiser

Powering the 2024 Volkswagen Touareg in Malaysia is the brand’s 3.0-litre TSI V6 engine, making 340 hp (metric) and 450 Nm. It is no doubt powerful and is really smooth. But unlike many other Volkswagen models, the Touareg doesn’t come with the brand’s DSG dual-clutch gearbox, but instead an 8-speed torque converter Triptronic automatic unit.

So, as you would expect, it doesn’t shift as fast as the DSG, and in fact, it is not the fastest in down-shifting to a lower gear when you put your foot down. This can be improved by dialling the car to sports mode, but you can still feel some hesitancy there.

But you know what, this probably doesn’t matter to most Touareg buyers, as the engine coupled with this gearbox gives a buttery smooth drive, when done in a sane way, as one should with such a car. If you want a sporty drive, well, there’s the BMW X5, just saying.

The car is also equally as comfortable, as its air suspension soaks up lumps and bumps, including the imperfect Malaysian roads, like a boss. Speaking of its air suspension setup, dialling it to either normal or even better, sports mode makes the car’s highway cruising experience an especially exceptional one. These modes keep the car stable on the highway while keeping the suspension soft enough to cushion the undulations from the road surfaces.

Even when taking it off-road during a media drive organised by Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia, we were impressed by how well the Touareg handled those gravel trails. And yes, the Touareg can indeed go off-road, only if you’re willing to of course, thanks to Volkswagen’s 4MOTION all-wheel drive (AWD) system. The car also comes with an “off-road” as well as an “off-road individual mode”, which raises the air suspension to aid with those situations.

Taking it through rocky and sandy trails, and even river crossing was no issue for the car. The air suspension also handled those scenarios with impressive levels of comfort, as if there was a layer of carpet in between the gravel and the tyres. The Touareg also has a wading depth of up to 550 mm, just in case you’re wondering.

2024 Volkswagen Touareg interior: Minimalistic luxury

As you would expect from its asking price, the Volkswagen Touareg comes with a luxurious and plush interior. But unlike many modern luxury SUVs out there, such as the Mercedes-Benz GLE, its interior design, like its exterior isn’t exactly one that tries to impress you or be flashy.

In fact, it is through and through classic Volkswagen but with quite a bit of luxury injected into it. Think of the Phaeton, which shared the same platform with the ultra-luxurious Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur. At first glance, it too had a rather understated interior, but it is certainly not your regular Volkswagen, to say the least.

What this writer likes about the Touareg’s interior includes the big twin-screen setup that is easy to look at and the physical buttons and knobs that are chunky with nice tactical feedback. The four-zone climate control with the rear B-pillar aircon vents is awesome too. Oh, there’s also the 13-speaker 730W Dynaudio sound system which is spectacular to listen to. Fancy!

However, all problems seemed to lie with the non-physical buttons, such as the capacitive “buttons” on the steering wheel and the touchscreen-operated front aircon controls. They function as you would expect them to, but being unable to physically feel them can trigger false touches more often than not. Dear Volkswagen, hurry up and bring the new steering from the Golf Mk8.5 to the rest of the lineup, please.

2024 Volkswagen Touareg verdict: Great all-rounded luxury family SUV

All in all, the Volkswagen Touareg is a great car and is certainly a great option for those looking for a tall-riding luxury family cruiser yet refuse to show it off. Yes, it might not be as sporty to drive as the X5, or as fancy on the inside as the Mercedes-Benz GLE, but it provides a great balance in all aspects. And hey, you’re saving a bit of cash too by choosing it over its other German rivals.

GALLERY