Funny thing that, I have watched (probably all ) of the High Peak videos and seen Matt review both my previous car and the one I own now. I had to wait nearly a year till he had the current one in his showroom though!
That's soo clean! Most the VAG motors from this era iv looked at all seem to suffer from the climate buttons turning white like the paints scraped off.
I had. 5cyl Touareg in 2014. It was brilliant for towing and would get me through any gateway with a loaded 12ft trailer. It took me all over the UK doing the job I did at the time. The 2.5 I found was powerful enough when you learnt the torque curve of the engine and shifted the gears yourself. It is still in the family now 8 years later with 160 (ish) K on the clock.
excuse me guys, may i have your opinion about this: i have a plan to buy one of these (touareg), 1st gen. facelift or 2nd gen. (pre facelift), and here's the details: the 1st gen. facelift is v6 3.6, has air susp. but, the diff. lock still only at center, meanwhile; the 2nd gen. (pre facelift) is v6 3.0, no air susp. and the diff. lock still only at center, as well. now my question is, which one of those, do you think, the better one or "platform" if i have a plan to decorate it further to be a decent suv offroader? Thank You Very Much!
I had one for 4 years. Its very good, loved it. 4/5 at everything but not compromised like a x5, Disco, ML etc. Even though there were some questionable interior plastics, the build quality and engineering was evident and very good. The Also the MK1 has all the proper 4x4 gubbings unlike a Q7, X5 and more even the more modern Touaregs.
You failed to mention they have centre locking diffs and high and low ratio gearing. I've owned 2 over 15 years still got one 140000 miles never goes wrong plenty of room and I've pulled numerous X5s out of the snow down here in the winter. As long as you look after them, and budget for a propshaft centre bearing the most common fault. I'll be keeping mine.
I had a 2005 Touareg with the 5 Cylinder engine and the manual gearbox. It was the car that i learned to drive on. Loved it. We had it for about 5 year until the air suspension and gearbox broke and essentially cost more to fix than the car was still worth so we got rid of it. Nothing too complicated but we just fancied a change. But appart from that, the car never failed and i was very pleased with it.
My mate has one of these and has been running it for the past 10 years, covered well over 300k miles and its great with no major faults. Off road is amazing as we do go fishing and hunting a lot, its amazing in deep snow when we go skiing in winter. Parts are way cheaper than Mercedes ML / BMW X5 or Any Land / Range Rover. There a lot of cheaper and better quality after market parts as well for the Q7 and this Toureg which is something to look for.
Had the same AC issue with my Volvo. In my case it was caused by the faulty seat heater. Once replaced, all was well. This saved quite a bit of money as the dealership was ready to take the dashboard off.
I owned one of these when it was launched around 2004 and the pronounciation Twa reg is quite correct as is the origin you stated, I too used to get annoyed at this but only when it was salesmen or dealers as they should know better . Never had any issues with mine felt quite luxurious at the time but the engine was in my mind around 25 % under powered I had the diesel 2.5td . It could be hustled along but you had to work it to get performance out of it . I found it was a good all round family barge for lazy journeys up and down long motorway miles . A decent alternative to big suvs of the day not a great car but a "competent " family wagon I'd say . The new versions from 2019 onwards (I think ) are what this car should have been 12 years ago , but that's how cars are if you're lucky the model eveolves and matures into something superb .
Ours had a lot of problems with air suspension went though about 3 compressors, injectors went around 150km and new turbo around 120km and also the same problem with the battery drain stated in this video exactly the same solution. A few electronic problems here and there but overall was a decent car eats up miles on motorway did around 6 trips between Poland and England with no issues. V6 TDI 2007 owned from 98km to 220km mileage
Love your videos Matt. I do think you're being a bit harsh on the old Touareg! Ok so it has very little badge appeal, but as a cheap work horse they are rated to tow 3500kg and they have a centre diff lock/low gear box as standard, which you will not find on an ML, X5, Q7, new model Touareg, XC90 etc. I suspect this isn't where your interest lies, but it's a big plus for anyone launching/retrieving a heavy boat or taking a horse box into a muddy field. You could buy a Grand Cherokee for similar coin if you need these capabities, but I've had them back to back and the Touareg is better built and has less road noise and much more comfortable seating for all. The 3L V6 TDI is definitely the pick and if you get a pre facelift car they have no DPF....blank and map out the EGR valve, remove swirl flaps and they are surprisingly fast and good on fuel. The ride/handling balance is pretty much perfect for something with no air suspension to fix, compared to overly firm X5 or boat like XC90.
Hi, I had a 56 plate V6 TDi which I absolutely loved, but it did have persistent and expensive climate control problems, so I wasn’t surprised at the vent issue, albeit it wasn’t an issue I had, so apologies for not being overly helpful with specifics. I also only got 16mpg around town, but 30s on a trip. I would consider the newer version, which is much cheaper to run. Thanks for a fantastic programme. Andrew
The Touareg was designed for hunters, rangers, farmers and the military. It is simple, the buttons large so you can operate them with gloves on. It was never designed to be a luxurious car, it was supposed to be tool out in the sticks - however, again a proof how marketing department and designers talk past each other. I like them, I always liked them. A friend had the V10 TDI with ABT tuning - that thing was fast. His father was a local ranger and owned the V6 TDI, and both were used in the alps with no issues, also the one from his father was chipped, it wasn't as extreme moded as his V10. Great cars and actually on my short list to get one.
Spent the last two weekends travelling across the whole country looking at clapped out/rotted out discovery 2s. I’ve given up. Probs going to get a Touareg now. Thanks for the great content!
I bought my wife a brand new 2008 Touareg and after owning several different SUVs, well, this one is a keeper. At 92k miles its the best SUV we've owned.
The blowing hot and cold thing is the HVAC flap motor sometimes called a blend door (flap), the part is pretty cheap but I think the dash has to come out so labour won't be cheap, there may of course be a cheaper way to do the job.
I've owned my 2009 Touareg with the 3.6L V6 since 2017 and I am very happy with it. I had a 2005 before it and loved it too. People who own and daily drive these SUVs really do enjoy them, even with the many irritating "quirks and features" they have, some of which were actually by intentional design (e.g. rear hatch struts hidden in the roof, making them a nightmare to replace when they go bad, which they do). I would have loved to have one with the W12, though. That would have been the ultimate car I would ever buy. It just scares me when I think of maintenance costs on a W12 model when the V6 is not exactly cheap to maintain. Oh.. and you forgot how many Americans pronounce it: Toorag 😁
Great review Matt. I think that car looks great both inside and out but better still is your professional informative comprehensive video. The editting and visuals are great too and commentary clear and never repetitive. Try looking at other peoples reviews and you will realise how good Matt is. My only complaint is that Matt. hasn't posted a review for over a week I think!
Its known as the Tough T in the US as it is a fantastic off road vehicle, especially if you have one with adjustable air suspension and locking diffs! While it doesnt come with under body protection, it was designed that all its vitals are tucked up into the body.
I can add a few things from my experience in US with my 2014 Touareg, Base model with 3.6 L V6 gas engine (same engine shared with Porsche Cayenne exactly, except for how they tune it). Worth remembering that not only the Porsche Cayenne & Audi Q7 come off the same assembly line on same platform but also does the Bently Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus, not bad siblings to have. I towed across the US a 28' RV Travel Trailer at 6,900 lbs loaded (3130 Kilograms?) and still was 800 pounds under the maximum tow weight of 7,700 lbs. A Range Rover, Ford Explorer, Mercedes, BMW X5, Toyota Highlander, etc. would have all broken and their weakly 4 to 5,000 lb capacities. Of course agree with your assessment that on the interior it is not as luxurious as an Audi Q7 or Cayenne but you get to keep $20,000 dollars or whatever the difference is. It's the best car I have owned so quite happy with its comfort and handling. Actually on the pronunciation, I have a friend from Spain (yoga teacher in France and she speaks 5 languages) and her dad was a Touareg Tribe person.....desert nomads. They are called "blue men" since the blue natural dye in their distinctive bright blue garments comes off some on their face, as they traverse the deserts. She gave me the native language pronunciation....yours is pretty close! I cannot phonetically write it out. At 92,000 miles so far only front brakes, battery have been touched......oh, and yes a tail light bulb. I believe your "all-rounder" is nice way to describe, except for towing, nothing I know of comes close and still drives like a Porsche. In US we would have to go up to a huge Chevy Suburban, Ford Tahoe, or trucks to match this compact towing machine.
I have a 2012 tdi and i cant believe how nice it is! Honestly it has a way nicer interior than the Cayenne of that year and the Q7. Once I tuned and deleted it the car is amazing with 135k miles no problems but the emissions systems. Car pulls like a dream. You added you had a travel trailer, did you install a break controller for trailer breaks for that?
@@eddy45686 I am by no means a car expert. When I was learning about the Volkswagen Touareg I stopped into a foreign repair dealership that specialized in range rovers, BMW and Porsche. They told me that range rovers are the highest maintenance followed by BMW and I heard the same asking around a couple of other times. I spoke to several Toureg owners that reported Good experiences with their maintenance and reliability. I couldn't say that I would recommend trading your BMW though if you've had good success with it.
I want one of these with the factory off road pack, comes with the under body protection and proper diffs. I really like how they look, not too fussy and all that.
Matt, I know this is an older video. Would love to see a review on a second generation Touareg. Also the v6 tdi and/or the 4.2 v8 tdi. Here in south africa, they also came with an “Escape” package or trim level which adds low range and some off road stuff. Over here, quite a few of these cars are actually used in off road conditions. Shot!
I had one of those a altitude model and turned out to be great no problems ever... The aircon problem you have is the electronic flaps inside the dashboard obviously the passenger side is shut. Listen if it makes a noise when you turn the ignition on.
We have owned a 2005 2.5tdi from new, having done 85k miles about 15k of those towing large trailers. Always ran it on all terrain cooper tyres and is fantastic in mud and snow. Apart from normal service items (oil and brakes) all it has has had is a new prop shaft as a preventative measure as known fault (£230 fitted myself) one reversing sensor and the transfer case motor (£80 fitted my self). Interior has held up and like new and no rust. We will keep until it is no longer viable to maintain, see it lasting another 10 years.
AC problem is that its low in gas. The condensator is probably fitted on the right hand side so it's always colder at that side because the air has to travel to the other side it's heating up.
I owned a V10 one of these for 6 years. Best car I’ve ever owned. Had BMW’s, ML’s, XC90’s and range rovers before it. Nothing came close to it. Would buy another one but prices of the V10’s starting to climb. If you get one of these with air suspension, no other 4x4 can beat it.
Had to change ATF fluid and filter, in 4K km of use, nothing was broken. You need to look for a no drips unit, the cleanest that you can, mine is one owner only with 180k km
@@willcraghead8303 repairs are expensive. I had a V10 for a year between 2013 and 2014. Unfortunately, after 8 months the engine developed a problem and nobody (other than VW) managed diagnose it correctly and that includes RAC. I had to wait 3 months...yes 3 months for a certified mechanic to turn up at my local VW. Appearantly, an average VW mechanic can't touch it as the engine is too detailed and full of electronics. At least that's what I was told at the time. Anyway, it was the turbos that caused engine problem. Total cost £3200 but up to that point because of wrong diagnostics I had paid around £2000 already..like changing EGR valves, two batteries, diagnostics (not free), getting recovery trucks to take the car to different VW dealers etc.. Bad experience, however, I can confirm that the car itself is rock solid, powerful and very comfortable. It was just my own misfortune at the time.
Agree. My V10 was dogged by oil problems, but was astonishing to drive, with air suspension. Now onto a V6 which I love despite being a little more vanilla. But again, air suspension really transforms this car.
@@MrKeefrichards as someone who has owned both that the bmw is only better on the road, the bmw is garbage off road. BMW has a better infotainment system, acceleration.. Thats it
First gen touareg was one of the best SUV of its time. Imo it was ahed of its competitors. I used to have the tt V10 tdi stage 1 and I loved it. So much torque. One small correction though. This generation of touareg was not offered with a diesel V8. The next gen was and also the Audi q7
My Dad had a 3.0 one of these from new. He liked it's comfort, pace, space and high driving position. We went on an off road day with vw and it was very impressive. Thank god it was a company car though, it cost a bloody fortune to run. On top of the fuel consumption and consumables, it went wrong numerous times throughout it's 3 year warranty. Just after 3 years the gearbox and 4 wheel drive system went wrong throwing up a £6500 bill (10 years ago!).
Think his company's lease firm gave up on it at that point and auctioned it for spares/repair. For a 3 1/2 year old car with under 65,000 miles that is just awful. He's had numerous jags, mercs and fords, but the vw was by far the least reliable of the lot.
had a second gen V6 TDI. for about 1 yr. Top spec, really comfy, and handled really really well (for an SUV). Got tired of bumping my head getting in and sold it. In the US, it's a bit of an odd car. Mine retailed for about $65K, which put in in competition with lots of 'fancier' SUVs. They never really caught on here, then the whole diesel thing. I bought used, and didn't really lose any money selling it a year later. The Q7 TDI probably outsold it 10 to 1 (a wild guess).
I have seen quite a few comments which suggest that you would be a good TV car presenter. I love your subtle digs and jokey comparisons - my favourite is still the one about the rear window of an XJL being in a different post code.
Great review Matt. Absolutely love every one of your videos - I'm slowly working my way through the whole back catalogue. I laugh out loud at the witty one liners on all the videos and love your presenting style. Any plans to review the Jaguar E-Pace?
I've had 3 Touaregs from new, loved every one of them and its sad that VW have stopped importing them now. I now have an F-Pace and hate it with a passion. Had buyers remorse from the second week. Lockdown stopped me dobbing it in and getting another Touareg. I will be going for a secondhand 3.0TSi as soon as I can get rid of the Jag.
We have a 2014 3.0 diesel R-Line Auto with 8 speed tiptronic gearbox. It was two years old when it came to us from my father-in-law. It is a nice comfortable car to drive and to be a passenger in. Plenty of room in the back and the rear seats adjust. The car drives better when the gears are used in my opinion, so I will drop down one or two gears coming up to a bend for a smoother, more level ride. The paddle gears on the steering wheel work well for this. As you say, it pulls like a train. I'm not sure I'd want to drive at the top speed, but you have to be careful as putting your foot down to overtake can easily see 100mph rushing towards you. Very responsive. I have a few gripes with the buttons and controls. If you need the air recirculation and aircon on if it's wet and steamy inside, you don't want to be taking your eyes off the road to find the buttons. The same with the fog lights. You rarely use them, but they should be visible at all times. I found myself struggling to find them recently, then remembered they are hidden by the steering wheel (in it's normal position) down to the right hand side below and to the left of the light switch. ICE is good as is the navigation system. There is a lot of stuff built into the car and a comprehensive 500 page handbook! For us, the biggest issue was its towing capability. It wouldn't tow and empty horse trailer (Ifor Williams), from a wet ever so slightly inclined field. Now, you could put off road tyres on it, but if your are only rarely going off road, it's a waste. The Touareg replaced a 2007 Hyundai Terracan 3.0 TDI Ltd. That was a great car. It never stuck on a wet field. It wasn't as refined as the VW, but was less than half the price when new. The Terracan was rated to tow 2800kg, but didn't flinch towing twice that on our land. As a run out car, it was very high spec with a dvd player in the roof for the rear passengers and wireless headphones. Our daughters loved that. Recently, I happened to see the people that bought it from us five years ago. They are very happy with it. The only reason we didn't replace it with another Hyundai was they didn't have anything with that towing capability. However, upon reflection, we didn't need to tow that often and have sold the horse trailers! So if I had the money, I'd probably go for something else.
I've only gone and followed your previous advice - Put a deposit on a Duster 1.5d Laureate. On a 13 plate literally one lady owner - have seen the V5 and its done 60k. Really clean with fdsh will come with fresh MOT and service and new front tyres with 3 month RAC warranty and at £4750 I think it fits in your approximate valuation. Hopefully its a good buy.
We had one for a few years, loved it apart from the thirst and the rate in which it gobbled tyres. Foolishly we bout a brand new one from VW Warrington and it came with a full training day - the morning was at Oulton Park where i took the V10 out - insane car. In the afternoon it was off-roading near Beaston. We were looking to chop in the current XC60 for one of the new Touareg but ended up with an XC90mk2 mainly because of the cost-to-equipment and refinement.
I had a friend with a V10 manual was amazing to drive. Well had Air suspension too. So did help with the rode. The sane with the V8 petrol 4.2, air suspension makes a big difference on the ride. Have been on a couple of 3.2 and 3.6 and yes you can notice the difference
Have a look at Darkside Developments channel they've got a V10 and have a few vids where they're SPANKING-IT up hill and down dale. Not really a review as such ....but might give you some insight.
@@michalrajnic758 Carwizard, the American guy, said that repair costs are pretty frightening on the V10. Part of it is that the engine has to come out, I think, for a fair number of jobs; such a big unit crammed in that there's not much working room in the engine bay.
That V10 tdi. ❤️❤️❤️ Very unique... The torque... 🚂 It looks boxy & chunky Love it Great towing & off road capability. This is the first generation Toureg. 2003 to 2010. Developed 21 yrs ago... I think u r being a bit harsh on it Matt... A lot has changed since then. BTW, the first generation ML had many, many issues... A new 2021 Toureg is beautiful and it’s evolved into a fantastic luxury SUV.
Why an old MK1 Touareg the later model 7P 2010 on are miles better. We have a 2014 and it is excellent, reliable comfortable & fast. An easy car to DIY service to. I like it being a VW as it sits under the radar and isn't noticed which I prefer as not the flash look at me type. At 63k apart from service parts & tyres, I cannot actually think of anything that has gone wrong or had to be replaced.
With regard to cars that are underpowered; In the RAF we had a similar problem with an aircraft called the Jet Provost. The earlier Marks were termed "constant thrust/variable noise".
Actually I have owned two of these beasts in my time and I have always pronouced it properly. The first one which I bought as a used car was the base model which was the mark one 2.5L but it lacked power and I saw others on the road which looked nicer and with a better finish and so nine months later I ordered a brand new which was a 3.0L V6 VW Touareg Altitude, the only thing which I felt miffed about was that it was back in 2006 and the later part of 2006 meaning that my brand new car was a 56 plate and it took 13 weeks to build, yet I took purchase of my new car only to find out that just a few days earlier they launched the new shape of headlights with the curved under trim whereas I had the straight box version, I complained about this on its arrival and they did offer me to rebuild another one but with the thought of waiting anouther 3 months and my existing car further depreciating and for just having the square shaped headlamp I decided to go ahead with the order, after all it stood out and was a head turner and everyone loved the look of it. The best part of driving a car for me is from the inside because the interior is what does it for me, you don't drive a car from the outside, you drive it from inside and if it's pleasing on the eye when you drive as the Altitude version is with its muscular gear stick and it's decent sized satnav screen and a Plethora of switches and buttons which when dark outside are all illiminated more than the Eifel Tower or your grannies Christmas tree. The bad points of this car is that it lacks power, 225 BHP just isn't enough for a car which weighs close to two tons and just because it is built on the same chasis as the more desirable Porsche Cayenne doesn't make it a Porsche at all. The extra wide tyres seem to be a magnet for picking up nails and the tyres aren't cheap to replace, I regularly went through around 6 tyres per year due to picking up lost nails and screws and at around £250 per tyre that's not cheap no matter how nice the car looks. These days I drive Merecedes ML 350's and I've had two different ones, now heres a car I cannot fault. Glen !!
I've got the same AC issue. Otherwise great all around car, except it's not economical. Cheap enough to not feel bad parking under a tree or actually going off the paved road. Not sure what I'd replace it with so I'm keeping it for a while. Got the airride and locking diff and so far snow, mud or shallow water were never an issue.
I had EXACTLY the same fault with a Range Rover Vogue thought it was going to be expensive but all it needed was a top up of the air con gas !!! Bizarre Hopefully you’ll find out yours is as simple 👍
"I can't imagine anyone sat at home, counting down the days to own one" I sure did! But here in Colorado, the turbo diesel can breathe better than any naturally aspirated car and the fact that it came with a ton of offroad features, slapping some beefy tires lets you crawl straight up any mountain! So you can run 100+ on the highway and 4wheel with the best of wranglers with no sacrifices. Plus like you said.. the prices are coming down significantly so you don't feel bad scratching up paint or hitting some rocks on your $60k Porsche knockoff since you spent less than 10k on it. It's just such a marvelous all-arounder!
Good for towing, usually see these with galactic miles and a caravan on the back. They are good value for money and reliable or cared for, re the heating, it will be passenger side temp blend motor, easy to change and cheap. If you have vcds on a laptop it will confirm this under hvac module
Thanks for putting us straight about the pronunciation. It's not obvious from the spelling in the same way as the Nissan Qashqai which I believe is also a nomadic tribe. I don't see how anyone could come up with 'toerag' though. It reminds me of a time coming out of a restaurant into the car park and my wife who is Thai asked about an unusual shaped car, a 'Nissan Junk'. I pointed out her error but I'm not sure she was taking any notice.
If you experience the symptom of the AC blowing hot or cold air on one side but not the other and it's accompanied by a clicking or ticking sound, it probably means a gear in the temperature blend door actuator is faulty and the actuator needs to be replaced.
Brilliant, interestingly philosophical discussion of a significant vehicle, which made it a reflective and poignant examination about car choice, experience and running costs. I was fascinated by the flimsy interior, which I had assumed was because it may have been built in the USA. I watched this again to pick up on your explanation of the pros and cons, very astute and informative. Thank you.
Owned an 07 Touareg Altitude for 9 years after giving up my Maserati 3200 GT and thinking "What next?" Loved it. Started getting expensive after 135,00 miles
My mechanic friend used to say, "There are expensive German cars and there are cheap German cars." He considered the VW a cheap German brand, but some of them are far from cheap, especially the Touareg. I realize it's a serious vehicle, but can't imagine wanting one.
Yes, until you find out that basically every little engine related job means taking the engine out. Glow plugs, etc. Then the V6 TDI suddenly sounds like a much better (if boring) proposition.
Regarding the AC blowing cold on one side, and hot on the other - it's probably the flap motor that adjusts the air mix on the left side. Should pop-up when you do a VCDS scan. You can also try to run adaptation on the climate flaps. Can't remember the exact procedure, but there should be some videos online how-to.
Another great and honest review Matt. 👍 I've always sort of liked the chunkiness of the Touareg, but just always thought that it was expensive for what it is. The most annoying thing about it is, VW spelt the name wrong (Tuareg)! 😂 (or maybe the Tuareg people have it copyrighted🤣)
Porshe SUV is based on touareg , I love my V8 06 . Anywhere you love to go , you shouldn't be worried with Touareg...looking for the Diesel engine 3.0 ..year 12 and up .
On your question about one side hotter than the other when you're running your HVAC I had a 2010 Touareg and I had the same issue the AC system was leaking but still had enough pressure to make the driver side cold but the passenger side would be much much warmer once I repaired the AC everything worked as it should.
