Volkswagen Touareg review

Whether you go for the 228bhp or 282bhp diesel engine, CO2 emissions of 173g/km are slightly lower than the Q7 but still on the high side – both models fall into the top 37% BIK tax bracket. On a test track, driven steadily over a variety of speeds, the more powerful Touareg managed 33.8mpg, which is about what you’d get out of a Q7 and considerably more than a V6 diesel Land Rover Discovery can manage.

The Touareg is a little cheaper to buy than the Q7, and even the cheapest SEL trim gets plenty of equipment, including an automatic gearbox, four-wheel drive, LED headlights, leather seats, sat-nav, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and adaptive cruise control. R-Line gets sporty styling inside and out, bigger wheels and sports suspension, while R-Line Tech adds some extra luxuries. We’d stick to SEL and add a few choice options.

The Touareg received a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, although it didn’t score as highly as the Volvo XC90. Still, automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance are standard. As for reliability, the old Touareg was the most dependable model among luxury SUVs of all ages in our previous Reliability Surveys, but we’re yet to see results for this model.

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