i finally joined the ranks of SUV ownership...[new VW Touareg owner]

[empy]

after almost a month of looking, researching, and test driving more than 20 different vehicles (no kidding!), i finally made a decision to buy an SUV as a second vehicle to go with my bmw 330ci (e46).

requirements for the car were:
1. excellent performance (at least for an SUV), particularly acceleration and handling
2. good value for money
3. luxury features
4. good looks (at least for my wife and i)
5. utility and cargo/passenger space

bonuses would be fuel economy and offroad capability, but we were willing to compromise on these.

after a long negotiation process marked by a huge fight between my wife and i on the color combination (no lie, hehe), and a final purchase price under the dealer's invoice, we finally bought a 2005 Volkswagen Touareg V8

specs:
4.2L V8 with 310 hp/302 tq
white with beige leather interior and wood/aluminum trim (i wanted black interior but i don't wear the pants around here)
premium package
convenience package

this SUV might not wear the premium badge of the X5 or the M-class, but VW has really hit the nail on the head with this one, imo. it's built on the same chassis as the Porsche Cayenne, and the ride/handling are very similar - which is to say excellent and very comparable to the X5 and Cayenne S (we drove them back-to-back). ride smoothness and comfort are better than the BMW or Merc, although the handling of the BMW is, to no one's surprise, still better.

acceleration is very good with the 4.2L V8. we also drove the version with a 240hp V6 and it was really sluggish. it's a very heavy truck (about 2.5 tons) and in my opinion that V6 had a lot of trouble getting it to go. VW claims 7.9 secs from 0-60 for the V8, which is about a second slower than my 330. power delivery is smooth and with tons of torque, although it's not a rocket sled like the Hemi brothers - Magnum, Charger and 300C.

exterior looks: a very close third behind the X5 (#1) and the Audi A4 Avant (#2) in our book. pwede na. i'll post the pics and let you be the judge...but i'm extremely happy with our choice.

interior: this is where the Touareg really distanced itself from the competition. it has substantially more cargo space than any vehicle we tested except the Magnum, but the car itself is not too big or too tall. we sat in the Expedition/Navigator and the Escalade, and my wife basically said there was no way she could drive that big a car. the Touareg we bought has real wood, brushed aluminum and soft, nice-smelling leather all throughout. VW obviously borrowed designs and materials heavily from Audi (which imo has bar none the best interiors in the business) on this one. sound system is a solid 7/10, but not as good as the Dodge's Boston Acoustics system, Infiniti's Bose, or the absolutely phenomenal Mark Levinson system that Lexus offers.

the car is full of nice little touches too. from a sort of HUD in the dash that tells you your mileage, remaining fuel and even the radio station you're on; to the mirrors that power-fold at the touch of a button; to roll-up rear window sunshades so your kids don't whine about the sun...they even give you 5 120v outlets. if i could only figure out how to shut off the annoying seatbelt chime though...grrrr.

bottom line, we bought this car because in our opinion this is a Cayenne S at more than $10k less. the interior is better than most cars we've seen (even those much more expensive), and the exterior is both handsome and relatively rare (maybe most people in FL shy away from an 'overpriced VW' without giving the car a chance). we now have a vehicle that can haul our family and a large amount of cargo in 1st class comfort, and over very rough terrain (according to Motor Trend - a nice bonus), and we didn't have to pay $60-70k for it (the price of the V8 Cayenne, X5 and ML). the only cons are the terrible fuel economy (14mpg city, 18 hwy) and the lack of a third-row seat, but we'll see how that goes.

i can hardly wait till tomorrow comes so i can drive it again!!

[empy]

here are the pics:

[empy]

more:

[mrpink]

ganda .. i want one too ..

[empy]

interior:

[chris_d]

Congrats on your new ride!

[empy]

last:

[niwde11]

bro congrats. wala yata sa list natin yan. me congrats ka rin sa shoubox.=)

[empy]

btw...paano ba sumali sa SUV club? may bayad ba? ;)

what about hazing?

[chris_d]

Nice and clean! :D nice neighborhood too, my mom would surely comment on the nice looking houses while I'd be checking out the cars each one drives.