New Volkswagen Touareg review, test drive

At the suspension’s regular height setting, you slide onto the seats; on the Special Off-Road height, you climb up into them. Either way you’ll be stepping into an interior that isn’t particularly exciting. Sure, there is that interesting information display between the dials and the part-wood, part-leather steering wheel is different, but overall, it’s pretty much a VW parts-bin raid. What makes up for this lack flair is exceptional fit and finish. Everything feels well screwed together, the switches work with

the solidity you expect from a German car, and there is a genuine sense of luxury in here. We’re not sure about the chocolate brown interiors though and there are a few bits that feel less rich than the rest – the black surround for the audio system for example.

Still, you will like the typically well thought-out cabin and the straightforward, uncluttered layout for the controls. It is rather well equipped as well – there’s a superb Bluetooth system, fully powered seats with memory, a touchscreen audio system that doubles up as a screen for the reverse camera and dual-zone climate control system. It also gets nice touches like keyless entry and go, a massive panoramic sunroof, switches in the boot to lower the rear suspension for easy loading and a couple more that drop the rear seats to improve the already cavernous boot space. Surprisingly, there are no paddle-shifters and the steering reach/rake adjust is manual.

You won’t complain about the front seats – they are supportive, comfortable and well bolstered. Even the rear seats have plenty of legroom thanks to the longer wheelbase, and there is enough thigh support to keep you happy on long-distance trips as well. The seats slide as well to trade legroom for increased luggage space. What’s disappointing, however, is the absence of a third row of seats – the Touareg is strictly a five-seater. Boot space is good though, at 580 litres with the seats up and a furniture-swallowing 1642 litres with them folded flat.