The Volkswagen Touareg (German pronunciation: ) is a car produced by German automaker Volkswagen Group since 2002 at the Volkswagen Bratislava Plant. Being a five-seater crossover SUV, the vehicle was named after the nomadic Tuareg people, inhabitants of the Saharan interior in North Africa. As of its first generation, the Touareg was developed together with the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q7, and , the Touareg was developed together with the Audi Q8, the Bentley Bentayga and the Lamborghini Urus. The vehicles were designed as unibody SUVs with independent suspensions. The first generation (2002–2010) offered five, six, eight, ten and twelve-cylinder engine choices.
Development
The Volkswagen Touareg (internally designated Typ 7L) was developed as a joint venture project by Porsche and the Volkswagen Group, involving the Audi and Volkswagen brands. At the time of Typ 7L development and for the first several years of production, Porsche was independently owned and not yet a part of the Volkswagen group. The sports car market fluctuates, and Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking was looking to expand into new segments; this included marketing its first four-door vehicle. A team in Weissach, Germany, of over 300, led by Klaus-Gerhard Wolpert, developed the Volkswagen Group PL71 platform. Now it is shared between the Touareg, the Audi Q7, and the Porsche Cayenne. However, there are styling, equipment, performance, and technical differences between them. The Touareg and Cayenne both seat five, while the Q7's stretched wheelbase accommodates a third row for seven passengers.
The Volkswagen Touareg is built at the Volkswagen Bratislava Plant in Bratislava, Slovakia, alongside the Audi Q7. The Cayenne is assembled by Porsche in Leipzig, Germany, at a facility built for Cayenne production.
Due to the demand and the exchange rates of euros against the US dollar, as well as different pricing and environmental policies in the US, the V6 and V8 engine variants make up most of Volkswagen's American Touareg offering. Compared to other Volkswagen-branded vehicles sold in the US, which are aimed at the mass market, Touaregs came in more upscale trims and competed with other luxury crossover SUVs.
First generation (7L; 2002)
The Touareg comes as standard with a 4M four-wheel drive system. It has an automatic progressively locking centre differential (with manual override) and a "low range" setting that can be activated with in-cabin controls. The Touareg featured an optional 4-wheel active air suspension, which can raise the ride height on command, and a locking rear differential to increase off-road capability. A rare option was a front-locking differential. Its load level ground clearance is at , Off-Road Level is at , and extra clearance of . The Guardian said "the Touareg is a colossal, grunting beast which seems as wide as it is long" and noted "it's a serious bit of kit. It was co-developed with Porsche and was first introduced in 2003. It immediately won a clutch of awards - Best Luxury SUV, Best Sport/Utility, Best 4x4, and, less encouragingly, Least Green Car of 2004 in America."
Engines
W12 (2005–2010) The 6.0-litre double overhead camshaft (DOHC), 48-valve W12 engine version was initially intended to be a limited-edition model, with just 500 units planned to be produced; around 330 were slated for sale in Saudi Arabia, with the remainder sold in Europe. Some of those W12 Touaregs were sold in China, but the number sold is unknown. No sales were made in the United States. Eventually, the W12 model became an ordinary model without any production restrictions. It is estimated to reach in 5.9 seconds.
V10 TDI (2002–2008) The V10 TDI was offered in the United States for a limited time in 2004, but emissions regulations forced it off the market temporarily.
The V10 TDI returned to the U.S. market as a 2006 model-year vehicle in five states. Later US models went on sale in 2006, which was compliant with 50 states emission with Ultra-low sulphur diesel and particulate filter. Stricter California Air Resources Board (CARB) emissions standards resulted in the V10 TDI being reduced to only 43 state emissions in 2008 before being cancelled again in the United States. The V10 engine was replaced by a V6 TDI engine that met the CARB minimum emission requirements for the 2009 model year.
Fifth Gear used this version for testing to tow a Boeing 747.
Facelift (2006-2010)