In-depth reviews

Volkswagen Touareg owner reviews

Name: Volkswagen Touareg SUV
Brand: Volkswagen

“The Volkswagen Touareg has a superb interior and lots of convenience and safety-boosting technology, but it's not a thrilling drivers' car”

by Carbuyer team

27 May 2020

Carbuyer Rating

4.0 out of 5

Owners Rating

3.2 out of 5

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67%of people would recommend this car to a friend.

Owner Rating

1reviews
3reviews
2reviews

Common Problems

Brakes, Electrics (1 cases)
Engine (1 cases)
Electrics (1 cases)
Electrics, Engine (1 cases)
Other (1 cases)

I would recommend this car to a friend

Version

R Line Tech 282

Year of registration

2019

Average annual mileage

15,000 – 19,999

Owned

Less than a year

Bought Car

New

Typical MPG

Review

This is the second Touareg I have owned, the last was a 2013 245 SE that I loved over 90k miles but this is a significant step forward. The ride is very smooth, and the gear changes are super smooth. Performance is incredible for its size and enough to embarrass most cars on the road. Its a practical family car for Sunday football, perfect for tip runs, long trips and holidays etc but also looks sophisticated for evenings out and business meetings without being too flash. I have covered 12k miles now and on some trips it has achieved 43mpg, almost matching economy on my wife's 2.0D VW Golf, which is amazing. Its very easy to have a heavy right foot and achieve much less that that though! My vehicle has air suspension, 4 wheel steering, active chassis, active headlights and innovision dashboard, which all works great and the agility of the car is fabulous. My only gripe is that there is no CD player (for convenience), hard plastic on the lower part of the centre console that is noticeable at times and there is sometimes a lag when pulling away from standstill, which I believe is down to the gearbox software, so I plan to get that reprogrammed shortly by a local specialist. I chose this over a Discovery and XC90 and am very pleased with my choice as it's a great all rounder and I expect it to be ultra reliable.

Reliability

5 out of 5

No issues in 12k miles and that is as I expected as my previous 2013 Touareg 3.0 245 SE was bullet proof

Performance

Amazing performance for its size. I make it circa-6 seconds up to 60 mph, but it's unrefined doing this and in my view not that happy about it! It really shines when its moving. The torque gives effortless acceleration for overtaking in real life situations and it builds speed at an amazing rate. I did think about a performance upgrade but it has more than enough as standard

Running Cost

5 out of 5

Very good. Normal economy is 32 to 34mpg, with up to 43mpg on runs. Servicing with VW is reasonable value for standard servicing and there are lots of VW specialists around for non routine work. Brakes and tyres will be expensive because of the size / specification and big savings are available from going non franchise

I would recommend this car to a friend

Version

R Line 262

Year of registration

2014

Average annual mileage

10,000 – 14,999

Owned

3 - 5 years

Bought Car

New

Typical MPG

Review

Love the car, comfy, bags of torque, real road presence. Had to have new discs and pads at 22000 and 44000 miles. Local independent VW specialist for the second set at a third of the main dealer cost. Had to have a new battery at 52000 miles which was a bit of a shock. No warning just would not start or allow remote entry. Learned a lot about key fob battery change and how to release the ignition key but had to rely on the VW man and his power pack to get going. Glad it was at home and not out in the wilds. Despite these annoying items I would have another.

Reliability

Latest battery issue has reduced my confidence in reliability but not by much.

Performance

5 out of 5

Stunning performance, it can get you into trouble but out of it as well. Have not yet utilised all its power but know it is there when needed. Handling is sure footed.

Running Cost

Not the most economical but I knew this when I bought it, much better on long runs.

Version

R line tech 286

Year of registration

2019

Average annual mileage

5,000 – 9,999

Owned

Less than a year

Bought Car

Used

Typical MPG

Review

Overhaul very poor, huge turbo lag causing it not to move when pulling out of junctions or stopping for traffic. The figures you see are completely wrong, especially the mpg and 0 to 62 time this is out by 1.5 seconds Currently speaking with VW directly. I don't recommend it.

Version

3 litre Petrol R Line

Year of registration

2019

Average annual mileage

5,000 – 9,999

Owned

Less than a year

Bought Car

Used

Typical MPG

Review

This car deploys its Emergency Braking System for no reason which is highly dangerous and frightening.

I would recommend this car to a friend

Version

3.0 TDI SE

Year of registration

2011

Average annual mileage

15,000 – 19,999

Owned

More than 5 years

Bought Car

New

Typical MPG

Review

The Touareg is a great family car. It’s comfortable to drive and it’s a good workhorse. With the current Eco agenda I feel guilty driving it but I will be sad to see it go. The downside is that it’s an expensive car to run when you have issues. In the 6-years of ownership, problems incurred; - injectors starting failing after 120,000 miles. Replaced the 1st one for £800. When the next one went a few later, replaced the remaining 5 for over £3k - front camera got damaged resulting in the adaptive cruise control failing. Over £1,000 to fix - rear washer wiper leaked causing boot lock to fail. £400 to fix. - it’s a wide car. It’s been dented several times in car parks from other drivers doors. Beware - The new Touareg is even wider! - one of the keyless lock sensors failed. Was quoted over £400 to replace. - don’t lose your keys! They cost over £400 to replace (I’ve lost mine twice)

I would recommend this car to a friend

Version

R line tech

Year of registration

2018

Average annual mileage

15,000 – 19,999

Owned

Less than a year

Bought Car

Used

Typical MPG

Review

This R line tech package combines Luxury and comfort especially with the savona carbon hide comfort seats. The car just wafts along, the VW badge is very understated which I wanted in business. VW cars are expensive without showing off or being snobbish. It's beautifully finished, manages 40mpg plus on a run but is a bit thirsty around town. It's great value and has very good residuals. Sometimes I find the the technology is a bit over the top and unnecessary, though, maybe the lower spec versions make more sense?