Volkswagen Touareg Reviews

DPF filter failure @ 48,000 miles with the previous owner.

Both exhaust manifold flap motors failed @ 50,000 miles and at a cost of €1,100 + VAT + labour.

Bearing on the rear prop shaft failed @ 68,000 miles. VW wouldn't sell the bearing alone, only a new prop shaft @ €1,500 + VAT + labour.

Factory fitted detachable towbar was incredibly noisy when towing, and should have been replaced under warranty as it is a common fault on these. VW refused... so I never bothered as I rarely towed with it.

Four wheel drive system began giving trouble @ 85,000 miles... that's when I bailed out!

The Touareg was a vehicle I aspired to owning from the first time I saw one. I loved the looks, the comfort, the fantastic 3.0 V6 engine and its very high level of refinement.

However, it turned out to be the most disappointing vehicle I ever owned. It was incredibly unreliable. My one was spotless with a full VW service history, however I cannot remember a week of ownership where there was not something wrong. It was the only vehicle that ever left me on the side of the road.

It was also overly complex and had incredibly annoying quirks such as having to remove the bumper and headlight in order to replace a blown bulb (a 2 hour job; the manual recommends you take it to a main dealer to do this!). Replacing the battery required you to take out the passenger seat... the list goes on.

Overall it was laughably bad, but the poor level of service from VW was the low light for me. They had no problem asking for incredible sums to fix all of these problems.

I've met several Touareg owners since, and they all had bad experiences re reliability and running costs.

1. Engine faults at 100.000 km out of warranty. Cost 2500 euro.

2. Three times until now, had a problem with the battery (out of order). Cost about 1000 euro.

3. Before a month ago, had a problem with the electrical seat switch. Cost 250 euro.

4. Last year, the transmission started to make a noise when changing gears. We will see the cost when the time comes.

5. Always have some alarm on the screen through electronics failure.

Except for the above mentioned problems, which are unacceptable in such a car category, the Touareg is very good at road handling and driving. It's a kilometer eater as I say, with very good climate control, sound system, air suspension, and it's very comfortable.

It is also very safe in all road conditions (off and on road), and of course very comfortable, even when towing my 1600 kg caravan.

Park brake would not fully release, resulting in a very loud alarm. To remedy, one had to put a foot beneath the foot pedal and lift it. This was adjusted at the first service, but lasted but a few days.

The brake discs are soft compound, and needed replacing; a huge expense within 50,000 Kilometres.

Rear window gas lifts failed, and I was met with reluctance to fix this under warranty.

At just over 3 years and at 99,000 odd kilometres, the gearbox failed. I was informed by the dealership that it was now out of warranty, and could cost up to $35,000 to replace. It cost me $6200.00 to have it reconditioned.

I find it to be a very comfortable car to drive, with all creature comforts such as split air conditioning, heated and electronically adjustable seats, well thought out ergonomics, and a great sound system.

However:

The GPS system is very cumbersome to use compared with any other I have experienced.

The side bars on either end of the windscreen are very big and quite dangerous at pedestrian crossings, where on several occasions I have almost hit a pedestrian because they were totally obscured.

The car is heavy on fuel.

The tiptronic gearbox is way too slow to engage.

The brake discs are soft compound, supposedly to aid braking, where in reality they wear out as fast as the pads, and need replacing with pads at astonishing expense.

Without ever having done any serious off road work, the gearbox blew on a standard city street at under 100,000 Kilometres, and the warranty was up.