Costs & verdict
Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is
The Volkswagen Touareg is a little cheaper to buy than the Audi Q7. Even the cheapest SE trim gets decent levels of equipment, including all the infotainment and visibility aids we've mentioned earlier, along with 19in alloy wheels, heated front seats, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, adaptive cruise control, auto lights and wipers, power-folding door mirrors, and two-zone climate control.
If you stick to that model to keep the cost down, the Touareg looks good value next to its rivals. SEL trim is also worth considering but requires a fair increase in outlay, while the higher trims push the price into the territory of far better and more recommendable rivals.
The standard Touareg received a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, although there were issues over chest injuries for adults in the front, which gave it a lower adult occupancy score than many of its rivals, especially the Volvo XC90. Still, all things considered, it is a very safe SUV and comes with plenty of kit such as automatic emergency braking (AEB), driver attention monitoring, traffic sign recognition and lane-keeping assistance to help you stay out of trouble in the first place.
As for reliability, VW came in 20th place out of 31 in the What Car? Reliability Survey, finishing above Audi, Land Rover, Porsche and Mercedes, but below BMW and Volvo.
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