VW Touareg

The VW Touareg is an automobile manufactured by Volkswagen. It is a luxury SUV (UK: 4x4), the first ever produced by Volkswagen.

The Touareg is the product of a joint venture with Porsche which also produced the Porsche Cayenne. As a result, the two vehicles share many mechanical components.

The Touareg was Car and Driver magazine's Best Luxury SUV for 2003 and Motor Trend magazine's Sport/Utility of the Year for 2004.

The following engines are available:

• 174 PS (128 kW, 172 hp) 2.5 L Diesel Straight-5 (UK Only)
• 240 PS (177 kW, 236 hp) 3.2 L Petrol V6
• 310 PS (228 kW, 305 hp) 4.2 L Petrol V8
• 313 PS (230 kW, 308 hp) 5.0 L Diesel V10, 746 N·m (550 ft·lbf)
• 450 hp (331 kW) 6.0 L Petrol W12, 599 N·m (442 ft·lbf)

The Diesel V10 engine pushes the Touareg from 0–62 mph (100 km/h) in 9.9 seconds, and on to 125 mph (200 km/h) maximum. The new W12 version is expected to hit that number in 5.9 seconds.

Production of the W12 Touareg is limited to 500 units. Of these, 330 are slated for Saudi Arabia, with none going to the United States.

Environmental and Health Concerns

The diesel version of the Touareg was named "meanest" or least-energy-efficient 2004 car by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for its fuel economy of 17 in-city miles per gallon (mpg) and 23 highway mpg. This, along with the Touareg's emissions and their estimated impact on global warming and health, earned it the low "Green Score" of 9, as compared to the Honda Civic GX, which was the "greenest", at a score of 57.

Controversy

Gábor Demszky, the mayor of Budapest, Hungary was the subject of a major public spending scandal, when he ordered the city streets cleaning company to buy a fully equipped Touareg and rent it to him for private use for a nominal fee. This scandal and other integrity problems will likely cost him his long held seat in the 2006 elections.

External Links

• VW Touareg Official Site
• VW UK: Touareg
• Touareg Frequently Asked Questions
• American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy

• Ranking shows greenest, meanest cars. MSNBC article.

See Also

Similar vehicles:

• Audi Allroad
• BMW X5
• Mercedes M-Class
• Lexus RX 330
• Range Rover and Land Rover Discovery
• Subaru Outback
• Volvo XC90