USED Volkswagen Touareg R50 - The common problems & should you buy one? | ReDriven used car review 

Jim is cold blooded 😂 with that, your mech will be able to afford finer schools for his kids 😂😂!

I’ve only made it through the first minute and I’m already terrified.

The fact VW put a v10 diesel in the Touraeg deserves an applause.

“Unreliable” cars don’t get to 430,000 kms and still hold together as well as this R50 has, & just that mileage alone is a testament to how good these cars are. Yes they’re not as reliable as a Toyota SUV, but EVERY Toyota SUV is gutless compared to any turbo diesel VAG engine of the same displacement & that’s not an opinion it’s a fact. I’ll take sheer outright power over your sheeple mentality “reliability” every time. My current 261,000+ VAG daily, still has the same compression, & considerably more power from when it left the factory.

This thing has the longest "while you've got the engine out" list ive heard since Matt Farah's Countach

1st & 2nd Gen Touareg & Cayenne are serious off-roaders with full 4WD, lockable diffs & proper transfer cases. Watching a reviewer with very limited knowledge on this is just farcical. Here we see AK whinging about the lack of cup holders in the back, without even bothering to explain all the different driving modes available and how to set them up. These brilliant offroaders even have automatically decoupling swaybars for extended wheel travel, which can all be controlled from the centre console. The best part is that unlike the tractor-like road manners of a Toyota with live axles, leaf springs & 1920’s technology, these thing are comfortable and in their element both on road and on the beaten tracks. FFS 🤦‍♂️ AK you REALLY dropped the ball on this one! No big deal though you’re doing us VAG guys a great service in helping to keep the used prices down here in Australia. And for that, you have my respect. Cheers!

That car has had a hard life, nowadays a vw that can drive over 400,000km is a miracle. 😊

We got a T new in 2004 (v6 steel suspension which is the smarter buy IMO). It had all kinds of issues first year under warranty. We had it 14 more years and over 220k Miles replacing the driveshaft (that was an oddly difficult job), alternator, heater blower and fuel pump out of warranty and virtually nothing else except normal things like tires. it its weird how normal stuff fails that doesn't really fail on any other car. The mechanical stuff was nearly flawless and the engine perfect - I didn't even change the plugs and belt until 200k lol. So yes, so weird defects but we were quite happy with it overall. It was still going strong and looking nearly like new when we sold it. PS, cup holder pop out of the end of the rear arm rest if I remember right.

Great video. Love the pointy stick!

Love the videos, You guys are the best. I would love more sports car muscle car content. I despise SUVs, but don't mind watching your videos about them. Particularly here in the States, almost nobody buys regular cars anymore. It's to the point that Ford doesn't sell cars anymore except the mustang. They exclusively sell trucks and SUVs. It's pretty disappointing when a manufacturer from your own country doesn't offer said country the majority of their lineup.

This made me feel a lot better about my V10 build. Mine has absolutely none of these issues 😏 maybe you should do a review of my "how VW should have done it" one.

Great Looking car. The cost of Volkswagen parts in Australia are absurd. Darkside developments in UK have lots of parts, many made in house. Best option is to buy a Lexus.

2010 was peak VW/Audi. All these super cool huge Diesel/Petrol Engines they were pumping out. Yes reliability, but when else can you buy a V10 in a generic passenger car.

I had one of these for several years. big money spent maintaining. BUT, SO MUCH FUN. Terrible fuel consumption too. BUT SO MUCH FUN.

20 years ago, my then boss had the original V10 model - seem to recall the advert at the time showed it towing a jumbo on the tarmac. He let me drive it a few times, which was quite the treat as it did feel pretty special inside compared with my daily at the time (a slightly tatty '89 EA Fairmont I bought for $700 ...). But I distinctly remember feeling faintly terrified that I' might let it get away from me and leave a $100k hole in a wall, truck, pedestrian... While I thought he was lucky to have it, of course I never had to worry about servicing it, fuelling it, or more to the point - fixing it. He only kept it a year or so if I remember. Now I know why.

Oh that pointer got one heck of a workout today 😂

It has 430,000km and ur whinging the interior is rough? Sounds like every other car with 430,000km.

If it can go 400k km than it is no longer a shit car.

I had a boss years ago who bought one of these. He asked me to drive it a few hours down the coast for him when it had like 10 thousand klms on the clock. You are so right when you say it feels like the power is rotating the planet. At the time I just couldn't believe a massive SUV like that could just throw you back in your seat and feed seemingly limitless power.

I bought it as a third car, but i find myself driving it more often for 2 years now. So far, only normal issues you find in many cars. It is very addictive.

The Volkswagen Golden Rule: any VW older than 10 years old can become a money pit. If you can, trade up within the first 5 years from new.

I have the later generation twin turbo V8 Touareg which has similar performance levels to the older V10 (250kw power, 800nm torque). I’ve had a few things go wrong - power tailgate is no longer powered, a couple of oxygen sensor failures, wheel speed sensor failure and my check engine light keeps coming on due to some EGR sensor issue. Servicing costs so far have actually been on par with my previous Ford Ranger - both cost more than I’d like to spend but I haven’t had to remortgage the house. But get in the overtaking lane in a V8/V10 diesel Touareg and none of the problems matter. These things really are a weapon and they tow like nothing else. Having said that, mine is now 12 years old with 250,000s so it’s almost time for me to sell it before the inevitable major failure bankrupts me 😂

Looks awesome...so many years on. Compared to many Asian cars as well as American or European cars. Give this car some credit it has done 450000km and is almost 20 years old. Perhaps a bit neglected, as many parts could be replaced. Tak a look at any other SUV of that age...If you can find any, with similar specks or engine still on the road.

Hi, Love your videos.❤🎉

These are absolute money pits so you are spot on with your review.

wow, the segment on what goes wrong is the longest i think ive seen on any of your videos!

A used VE SV6 vid would be greatly appreciated I’m planning to buy one and I could use the help of a cheat sheet 😅

Love the pointer and the other quirks with your reviews 😂

Hi , love your channel super useful information that you can actually use before buying a used vehicle. Can you do a used range Rover L494 model. Than you.

It’s one of the best looking suvs I’ve ever seen

Lexus/Toyota is still by far the most reliable, durable & and lowest total cost of ownership brand out there

Wow that was a detailed what goes wrong section

What an absolutely absurd vehicle. Great video. Also, 430,000kms!? Thats hilarious.

The V8 is a great towing car the best i ever driven saved my life and 4 passengers when rear u bolt snapped on a car trailer going 110 kmh down moonie mooonie bridge it had a skyline and 8 wheels and a few fuel drums very scary

I had a 1991 Suzuki Swift GLX sedan and I put 453K K's on the odometer and I never suffered lacquer peel. It only had a 1.6litre engine and in those days I did oil changes every 5K K's and oil and filter every 10K K's. It had the usual consumables plus new CV joints and a new fuel pump. But of course being far less complicated then the VW Toe Rag there was less to go wrong. Car manufacturers now make cars overly complicated almost guaranteeing a myriad of problems. JLR cars are notorious for it.

I love unique cars and this one would definitely look awesome in my garage as a weekend 🚘 😎

I wish Volkswagen had sold their Phaeton in Australia. Would've been so nice.

Makes an SRT Grand Cherokee seem like a dream car

Thanks mate, my wife was interested in one.

Please please Redriven review Delica D5 and Discovery 2. Loves and hates in these two machines. Cheers

Owned mine for 10 years, always serviced at 10,000km you have to look after them otherwise boooom wallet explodes, but very powerful and a great 4wd. The only issue i had with mine was the transfer case which is not cheap

I could be mistaken but I believe the battery is located under the passenger seat, meaning when it needs replacing they're a pain (and therefore labour intensive)to get to.

I have a mk5 R32 and want to collect all the R models that are numbered, maybe I'll reconsider it given this video hahaha

the lacquer peel on that thing is immense 🤣

I worked for a VW dealership when these were around, and VW quality at the time was non-existent on not just the Touareg.

Get a 2017 V6 diesel Touareg. Trouble free and faster.

I've got a 2006 3.2 Touareg (btw don't buy the 3.2, it's underpowered although still nicer than the Isuzu Trooper I was upgrading from). Bought it at 130,000km for about $7000 NZD. Patchy service history and all that ... one of those 'trade in specials'. On the way home from the dealer, the check engine light came on. Needed a new sensor which dealer covered. A week later it broke down on a roadtrip down south (one wheel locked completely so car couldn't be driven). Turns out a wheel speed sensor had failed which, for some moronic reason, locks the wheel up. Had to be transported 500km home on a vehicle transporter lorry. Dealer fixed again and covered the cost of a rental car back home. In the following three years, the car experienced a failure of the clock spring sensor, ac needing a significant service, endless bulb failures, and needed a bunch of suspension work. The cherry on the cake? Total failure of the primary fuel pump. I managed to get that fixed under the extended warranty I had bought (paid $400 excess, cost the warranty company nearly $3000 NZD as they had insisted on having the fuel pump disassembled and examined to try and prove I'd somehow damaged it). So I can attest to these being total dog cars in terms of reliability, and that's the basic one. Would I buy another one? Yeah actually I would, but I'd spend more to get a better spec (3.6 petrol minimum from the facelift, but ideally V8) with much better service history and condition. I love driving even my poverty pack model, I just wish I had a nicer "base" to justify continue to pour money into it.

Can you do the V12 Q7? Imagine owning one of them 😮

I took a punt on a new VW T-Roc for the wife. Why? It was available now, perfect spec and it was only $36,990. The nearest Japanese or Korean alternative was around $43K. I’ll keep it for the warranty period and if I do decide to keep it longer I’m $6K ahead anyway to cover maintenance and repairs. At least it has an Asin 8 speed slushbox that is in many Toyotas. Normally I would not buy a VW, but there you go.

I have one.. We use it to pull our family plane.

The Rear cup holders slide out of the top edge of the rear armrest when opened

Please bring the extending pointer back !!!

If it has made that far, then it's a hardcore vehicle, what touaregs has been made to go through in the name of proving their off road capability is utter madness. It's a great vehicle especially those tackling our African jungle roads!

Thanks for pronouncing it correctly for me. I always thought it was “toe rag”

Water cooled alternator located in the V sounds a bit nuts.

Seconds gen v8 is where it's at. Less cylinders, less rego, better on fuel, same torque and better acceleration.

No VW or Range Rover... Ford Territory Barra. Late model 2015 rear wheel drive. Reliable engine, suspension and bushes parts relatively cheap and easy to source.

Buy a Range Rover instead (for reliability) 😂 That says it all

206 Rline passat wagon next, surely.

It’s stupidly complicated but amazing at the same time. I wonder how much of the sloppy vag parts can be replaced by quality aftermarket parts to make it reliable? Obviously not viable if you’re the sort to pay your mechanic to change your blinker fluid or regas your seatbelts.

Feel free to come and review our Arteon R

As a mechanic for over 30 years I agree. But better yet don’t buy any vw. Save your money

Came across a few here in South Africa, and have been tempted 🤦🏾‍♂️, along with the Q7 V12tdi.. I'm ready to bury my dream. 😢

Can you guys do a 2013 - 2014 chrysler 300 srt 8?

I actually quite like the R50, and this video is like “don’t marry that girl/guy” kind of vibe for me. I’m not sure if I’ve woken up from that dream yet though.

The what goes wrong section was as long as in the Jeep reviews! 😂

Had a V6 TDI in this shape. Can confirm, interior is god awful. But even the V6 pulled way harder than I ever expected. Nothing failed in the 2 years we had it. Do not miss the squeaking, horrible cabin. If I was going again, would get the Cayenne V6 petrol (VR6 unit from the R36) in the 1st Gen facelift. Still a lot of garbage bits to fail though.

I think I'd rather drive in a shopping trolley than a Touareg as don't want any of those headaches or hassles You know things are bad when Adam has to refer to the Ipad for the notes of this shitbox lol Good work as always guys and look forward to next week's videos as per usual 👍

Mine would be an old pajero, but I might be biased in that.

Can you guys make video of Hyundai Santa fe 2010 3.5 v6?

I don't think I have ever seen one of these out on the road

As an avid shit cars lover. I have my limits and this would be one of them.

430,000kms and we're complaining about some wear and tear? That's the mileage lifespan of 8 Chinese Shitboxes combined!

They still have crazy asking prices oweing to their cult status despite the maintenance challenges. Most people abandoned proper maintenance once they were out of warranty. Pretty much anything not on top of the engine is an engine out job to fix.

I loved watching this. I mean, the inner bitchiness of you two reving up for a start... Well done!

I dont know why touareg and cayenne pratically they are the same care, but within those two shows really different reliability track record ? Anybody can elaborate in this subject?

Just waiting for the diehard Touareg tragics to complain in the comments. "ohhh they're a really good carrrr!!!" No they're not. They're garbage.

There’s two on Carsales, one is dreaming

ReDriven : I had a Hyundai Getz until it had 285000 km and it never rattled inside, I only did regular yearly services on it but it was well built and the interior was firmly built as opposite to a VW Polo, its competitor, which had all the cheapness of the plastic coming out in just a few years of regular city usage.

The car was never designed to be kept that long. Over 400,000 kms is doing well! I wonder what has been spent on it over the years to keep it going.

kindly do a LS430 2001 -2006

Yeah it must be only in OZ….. not even the VW cars like OZ. I have a V10 TDI that has travelled Africa and it is reliable as a brick. Good car and if you maintain it will last

Feel free to come and review my arteon r!

If I had a dollar for every problem this car has, I'd have a lot of dollars, but still not enough to pay for the repairs.

I've always wanted one but known for years how terrible they are. Big bucket list car that'll never happen. Also love the brutal reviews hey

Wow did you pick this up last week? Easily the cheapest I've seen, and probably the only one I've seen priced what they are worth! Kinda sad I missed out, also kinda not sad at all.....

What about Vw Touareg 3.0 tdi bks , is any good ?

400000km on any car is great going..what $ kept it there however is another question. But if you want premium, be prepared to pay for it.

VW have made some Mad cars over the years, shame they don’t really any more. We need another V6 Golf R !!!!

The pointer is how I know that you are a fan of Best Motoring :D

Oh that V10. When it goes it really does go. The exhaust system should be dumped and a free flow put in. Nothing sounds like a V10 but another V10. But you would have to have another car that you could use while this thing was at your local repairer for a long time. Just get a Lexus. (you knew I was going to say that).

Time bomb on wheels

The paddles on this thing make me have a greater appreceation for the travesty that are Mitsubishi paddle shifters.

Seriously?? You guys reviewed a car with over 400k kms! Review a decent one in the interests of..well making a decent review. The story is the same for every damn euro car yet here some of us are driving hugely powerful, air suspended bahnstormers with little more than regular maintenance. It is what it is!

Can replace a battery in a RAV4 in 52 seconds, how long to replace the battery in that?

Please review the 2003 Nissan Pathfinder R50 one day🤔🤔🤔🤔

Most cars don’t make it past 400,000 km. The car already won !!

What a shame! If it wasn't so heavy I'd actually consider getting the 6cyl diesel!

What about Mercedes Benz GLE AMG COUPE ?

I used to have a 2014 Passat and it was the cheapest feeling, most rattly car ive ever owned. I spent the majority of my ownership of that car chasing down various squeaks and rattles. The 2012 Ford Mondeo i had before it was leagues ahead in terms of interior quality.