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Touareg TDI Test Drive
Finally, I’ve been able to sit myself down behind the wheel of a 2009 Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel (Touareg TDI for short). You’ll unfortunately have to wait until June, when dealers start taking delivery of the new diesel model. I was lucky enough to be able to take advantage of a public relations test drive organized by Volkswagen. Organized in the wilds of Ontario for a few Canadian automobile journalists, the activity aimed to familiarize us with the new diesel offering.
Those who haven’t already read my posts on diesel and on the technology introduced to make TDI compliant with strict North American air quality standards can do so here, here and here.
The aim of this article is to find out how a Touareg TDI behaves in real life situations. The short answer is, not bad at all, thank you very much! I’ve known the Touareg since it was launched in 2003. And I’ve had the opportunity of driving it in all its versions (V6, V8, V10 TDI, and now the V6 TDI). Comfortable, impeccably crafted, robust, fun to drive and well-equipped, it Achilles’ heel has always been its fuel consumption. The arrival of the diesel V6 is really good news, because it allows the Touareg to offer great performance while reducing its fuel consumption by 20%.
At least that’s what comes out of a day-long test drive conducted around Huntsville, a small northern Ontario town. 200 kilometres of country roads, some of them dirt, and a climb to the Echo Valley Observatory located 400 m above sea level: it was somewhat ironic to be driving a luxury SUV on such rudimentary roads, and enjoying the leather seating and air conditioning. The Touareg is a far cry from the rustic 4×4s of my 70s childhood. A neighbour’s father had one, and we would drive to his cottage in it as if on a roller-coaster ride. But let’s get back to the subject at hand.
Upon start-up, the TDI V6 is surprisingly quiet. A few weeks ago, I had noted that its Munich competitor, the X5, was much noisier than the Jetta TDI, which I attributed to the fact that large SUV wheel wells are difficult to sound proof. Well, I was wrong, because this Touareg TDI is no noisier than the Jetta TDI, and hardly makes more noise than the gasoline 3.6L V6 version. You need a very attentive ear, even two, to be able to tell that the engine is a child of Rudolph (Diesel) or of Nikolaus (Otto).
On the road, it’s even harder to tell the difference. The engine is discreet, very discreet, and it’s the absence of the gasoline version’s typical growl when accelerating that reveals the presence of diesel. From a performance standpoint, the 406 lb-ft of torque are very well felt, and the Touareg offers a new responsiveness that’s comparable to that of the old V8. There is somewhat of a delay in engine response, which is typical of turbocharged engines, but the energy the Touareg deploys after that makes it well worth the wait. Hit the pedal, wait a second, and the G-force that’ll push you back against your seat is frankly impressive. It’s to be expected from a luxury SUV like the Touareg. The TDI version does 0-100 km/h in 8.9 seconds, and the gasoline version in 8.6, i.e. three tenths of a second better.
Fuel consumption during the test drive fluctuated around 11L/100 km. My colleague had a slightly heavier foot on the pedal – he drove during the first part of the day on unpaved roads – so his consumption was around 12.2L/100 km. After dinner at the summit of the observatory – was it because we were digesting? – consumption dropped to 10.2L/100 km without even trying, on paved roads with a 90 km/h speed limit. Not bad, not bad at all. It’s better than what I got on the X5, but then the X5 offers 40 hp more, power that’s very tempting when passing a slow poke. But now you know, the most important factor in fuel economy is the driver.
When you’re getting out the cheque book, the TDI version will cost about $4,000 more than the gasoline version with the same equipment. The difference is somewhat absorbed by the fact that it has better resale value and better fuel economy. If you calculate 20,000 km a year (75% urban driving), you get 550 litres saved annually using Transport Canada figures (11.9 city, 8.0 highway).
In real driving situations, consumption is about 25% higher than official figures, and that’s being conservative. So that means that savings are more like 700 litres a year. It’s up to you to find out if the ROI is positive, but one thing is certain: those 700 litres won’t be burnt, and won’t contribute to global warming. Now that’s some good news.
There is unfortunately no longer any incentive program in Canada to offset this extra cost at purchase. However, in 2009, with the economic crisis in full swing and the environment being such a concern, the Touareg TDI provides an excellent way of having your cake and eating it too. You can get the benefits of driving a large SUV and reduce your carbon footprint while enjoying all the fun of a Volkswagen.
What do you think about all this? Do you agree with the people at VW that 60% of Touaregs sold in 2009 will be TDIs? And that diesel is the solution for the future of SUVs? Let’s talk.
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