2011 Volkswagen Touareg Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Volkswagen Touareg review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the Volkswagen Touareg, and includes safety, reliability, and fuel economy information for the Touareg.

The 2011 Volkswagen Touareg is all new and an improvement on earlier models.

As Volkswagen’s flagship SUV, the Touareg (pronounced twah-regg) is an attractive mid-size to large SUV that offers plenty of luxury touches and finishes and ensures you know you’re driving a crossover that shares many elements with its platform cousins, the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q7. That all looks good on paper and feels good behind the wheel; the only problem is that it all translates into a fairly expensive SUV, at least to American buyers who have never fully embraced the Touareg since its launch in 2002 and opt instead to buy vehicles like the Acura MDX, the BMW X5 and even the GMC Acadia instead. However, through April 2011, sales of the Touareg are up 62 percent compared to 2010. After a week of driving a 2011 Touareg TDI Executive model, the dramatic sales growth makes good sense since the all-new Touareg is a much better vehicle in any configuration. Let’s take a look at your options.

The 2011 Volkswagen Touareg is available in three models: Sport, TDI and Hybrid. LUX and Executive trims are available for all models models.

The 2011 Touareg Sport starts at $42,273 and comes standard with a crash-optimized front end, rear diffuser exhaust sound, triple-fold seating system, bi-xenon high-intensity headlights with adaptive front-lighting system that is directionally adjustable, LED daytime running lights, integrated flood lights mounted under exterior mirrors, silver roof rails, rearview camera, remote opening and closing liftgate with closing assist, tire pressure monitoring system, 18-inch alloy wheels, rain-sensing windshield wipers, dual zone electronic climate control with pollen filter, cruise control, leatherette seat trim, 4MOTION all-wheel drive system, anti-lock braking system, electronic stability control and hydraulic brake assist.

The 2011 Volkswagen TDI starts at $47,950 and is similarly equipped to the Sport model, with the exception of the 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine.

The LUX Sport and TDI Touaregs are upgraded with leather seats, driver memory systems, electronic rear seatback releases in rear cargo area, panoramic dual-pane sunroof, heated outside mirrors and 19-inch alloy wheels.

The new for 2011 Hybrid Touareg starts at an eye-popping $60,565 and adds 20-inch alloy wheels, park distance control, heated rear seats, keyless push button start and Dynaudio premium sound system.

Like engine options? The 2011 Volkswagen Touareg features three different powertrains. In the standard V6 guise you’ll find a 3.6-liter VR6 that generates 280 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque. The turbo-diesel variant also features a 3.0-liter V6 that makes 225 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. The V6 TSI Hybrid, introduced for the 2011 model year, includes a 3.0-liter V6 engine paired to an electric motor that generates a combined 380 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque.

All models feature VW’s eight-speed transmission, which shifts smoothly and ensures you can cruise the highway at 80 miles-per-hour at only 2,000 rpms. Impressive.

Your fuel-economy score depends on which Touareg you choose. Non-diesel, non-hybrid Touaregs achieve 16 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. That’s typical for its class. You can improve efficiency by choosing either the hybrid model that returns 20 mpg in the city and 24 on the open road or the TDI model we drove that is projected to achieve 19 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway for a combined rating of 22 mpg.

We covered 300 miles during our week driving the Touareg and managed a combined fuel-economy score of 24.4 mpg. While 24 mpg won’t win you any medals from the Sierra Club, it beats many mid-size SUVs whose combined mpg ratings rarely top 18 or 19 mpg. Just as impressive, we still had a half-tank of gas left before we had to visit the pump. That’s at least 600 miles of cruising range in an SUV that is big enough to comfortably take you from here to there, wherever there may be.

Here’s a tough fact that is all-too familiar to VW: people question the brand’s reliability and dependability. The number-one question we were asked during our week driving the 2011 Touareg is, “Don’t VWs have lots of expensive repairs and reliability problems?”

Historically, yes.

In the most recent J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Vehicle Dependability Study, the Volkswagen brand is rated below average. That’s never a good sign. So we looked closely at Touareg ratings from both Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates. While Consumer Reports doesn’t have predicted reliability ratings for model years 2006-2010, their 2004 and 2005 ratings peg the Touareg below average. J.D. Power and Associates generally agrees the 2004-2007-era Touaregs are below average in dependability as well. That’s the poor reliability era many people remember and that VW is working hard to overcome.

The good news is that in 2010, the Touareg’s reliability rating improved to average. The 2011 is a new model, which offers real potential that this Touareg will outperform its ancestors in terms of reliability and dependability. Think of it this way; there is lots of room for improvement in the Touareg’s historical reliability ratings and the 2011 model we drove feels solid. So there’s that.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not yet crash-tested the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg. However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety designated the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg as a Top Safety Pick among large SUVs.

The Touareg is covered by Volkswagen’s impressive10-year/100,000-mile corrosion warranty that goes along with their not-so-impressive 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty. With prices topping out at nearly $60,000, we think VW should bump the Touareg’s coverage into luxury car territory like Lexus’ four-year/50,000-mile warranty. That would help strengthen trust in a brand that has been knocked for its reliability ratings.

The 2011 Touareg TDI is on a very short list of the best vehicles we’ve driven in the past year. Here’s why: we live in Utah where all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive transmissions aren’t just luxuries but near-necessities a few days each year. There is a certain level of comfort you gain when you drive a vehicle that has a friendly dial that reads “On Road” and “Off Road” and switching settings takes about a half second.

While we didn’t drive the Touareg in the snow, we did venture down a muddy dirt path with the “Off Road” setting engaged. The mud painted the Touareg and caked the wheels and wheel wells. But though the roads were slippery, we felt secure we could work our way out of this mess with a few well-placed turns. The 20-inch all-season tires aren’t made for off-road driving. But they worked well enough in the mud and performed very well on paved surfaces.

Here’s another reason we like the Touareg: You may live in a state that is friendly to diminutive Minis and Miatas. We don’t. Big Utah families fill Utah’s big roads with packed-to-the-windows Suburbans, Tahoes, F-350s and huge Ram trucks. Driving a small car in that setting can feel uncomfortably intimidating.

In the Touareg, you look these brutes in the headlights and worry a lot less about your well-being when one of those big rigs comes barreling down a two-lane highway at 80 mph with only a flimsy yellow lane marker and your deft driving skills separating you from a spectacular metal mashup.

Here’s the last reason: The Touareg drives like a car instead of an unwieldy SUV. It’s about the same size as an Acura MDX or Chevy Equinox. But it’s more enjoyable to drive than both and the interior is more luxurious and polished. With its seating for five instead of seven or eight passengers, the Touareg works best for a family of four or five. In fact, the Touareg reminds us of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee since that’s another five-passenger SUV that drives better than expected and sports an interior loaded with nice features and touches that impart a luxury feel.

Visibility is very good out the front and sides. Seats are firm and comfortable and highly adjustable. How adjustable, you ask? In our test model, you can electronically move the lumbar support up and down as well as in and out to buttress your back.

Acceleration from the turbo-charged V6 engine is impressive when needed, but economical when not (particularly with the TDI and hybrid models). Steering is not as active as some smaller Vee-dubs, but still feels precise. The ride is VW-firm but the suspension manages bumps, potholes and imperfections well, with very little body lean or jostling to jar you from a rewarding ride.

The 2011 Volkswagen Touareg is clearly a favorite of ours. We like the design a lot, in fact, it may even surpass the lines of its platform cousin, the Porsche Cayenne. Porsche fans will, of course, disagree. The interior looks and feels luxurious and it boasts an exemplary cabin from VW’s designers.

There are only two things potential buyers must seriously consider: price and reliability ratings. People simply have a hard time wrapping their heads around a VW that costs $58,320 like our Touareg TDI Executive test vehicle. Volkswagen and luxury car prices don’t yet come together naturally in most buyer’s minds. And reliability questions have long been a sore point for VW. We’re confident the company is making great strides in terms of reliability and dependability, but convincing buyers who remember their bad experiences with a 2004 Jetta will take time.

Our view is that the 2011 Touareg offers plenty of good, including two fuel-efficient powertrain options in the hybrid and TDI models, decent overall fuel economy scores, an IIHS Top Safety Pick designation, terrific interior and exterior styling and a fun-to-drive quotient that far too many mid-size to large SUVs lack. The big question remains: Can you picture yourself driving a $58,000 Vee-dub? We can.

By Michael Waterman