New Car Review of the 2005 Touareg Mid-Size Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle

Description: Mid-Size Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle
Base MSRP Range: $37,140 - $58,490
Invoice Price Range: $33,733 - $53,020
Where built: Slovakia

Volkswagen's SUV is a five-door model built with a tight unibody structure. It's sleek in style, large in scale for the mid-size wagon class and provides a big cabin with seats for five and luxurious appointments. Touareg employs VW's four-wheel-drive (4WD) traction device labeled 4XMotion, which provides uncanny stick-it-down traction for all wheels, plus optional locking rear differential and an air suspension.

Engines contain six, eight or even ten cylinders. The base plant, a 3.2-liter V6 coupled to a 6-speed automatic transaxle with Tiptronic clutch-less shift mode, jumps up to 240-hp for 2005. Optional is a 4.2-liter V8 worth 310-hp or a massive turbo-diesel 5.0-liter V10 that musters 310-hp with 553 lb-ft of torque to boost Touareg's towing capacity to 7716 pounds. Touareg V10 TDI also has a 6-speed automatic transmission, electronic stabilization program and a device called Hill Descent and Climb Assist to keep wheels tethered to a steep grade.

Improvements to Touareg in 2005 include self-dimming exterior mirrors, a full-size spare tire mounted at the rear, and new stand-lone options like a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), DVD-based navigation equipment and satellite radio service.