OT: Just Bought a Touareg

Just picked up an Offroad Gray, V8 Touareg over the weekend to replace our ML320. I must say, its a pretty awesome vehicle for the money. The Audi 4.2L V8 rips. This thing is pretty fast. And the 6 speed transmission is awesome. A little jumpy on the downshifts though. The Brembo calipers are huge. This thing feels solid when stopping (for a 5200 lb vehicle). The build quality is great, especially the interior. Projector headlights, locking center diff, low range, nice adjustable roof rack, auto climate control, and all kinds of self programmable things like follow me home lighting, etc. Can't wait to try it offroad. OK...dirt roads for now. Just thought I'd report.

Congratulations! Did you drive a Cayenne S? I'd be curious about why you chose the t-reg.

JM, Congrats on the new ride. If I needed a new SUV in 40-45k range I'd def. get a touareg as well. Same platform as the Cayenne for 10-15k less...besides a trip to the VW shop is bound to be cheaper than a trip to porsche...

01 C4 CAB NYC -- Ditto!!! Having driven both, T'rag has a lot to offer. But as you note, since all routine maintenance is covered during toe warranty period, I would bet that is worth another $5K, based on what a Porsche Dealership charges for the 996 15,000 service which is basically an oil change. When they get to 30,000 and change the plugs too, I'll bet the Cayenne service will be over $1,000. In my view, if Porsche wants to be successful in this crowded market niche, they need to cover the service cost like the competition.

JakeMate, Nice to hear. I will be interested to see what you think after a few thousand miles. I have been looking at the T'rag with great interest. Did you get a chance to drive the Cayenne? If you did, tell us your thoughts. thx roy

My wife wants an SUV and she (myself included) really like the Volvo XC90. Now that the Cayenne and the Touareg is available, I reall like them as well, especially the Pepper. Just cant justify spending that much on a SUV. This is where the Touareg comes into play. I cant seem to get my wife to really even look at the VW. We bought a new Jetta in 2000, loaded. A year later, we were pressured VW into a lemon law clause and won our money back. Needless to say, we have had a bad taste in our mouths about VW. I will give her time....

You know...I never drove the Cayenne because it was out of my price range. I looked it over pretty good but never drove it. Build quality looked the same on both. The VW's suspension is a little soft, but for my wife and kid, it's pretty good. I didn't get the air suspension, but I kind of wish that I did. In the Sport mode, the damping is much greater and it greatly reduced body roll. I'm sure the lowered height of the air suspension in Sport Mode also helped. I ordered it with locking rear diff and navigation but ended up not getting it because our ordered vehicle was going to take another 2 months over the 6 weeks we already waited. They originally told us 7 weeks. So, they found us another vehicle that was similar and I took it. The trouble was finding one with Parking Assist (which I love). We have a bunch of toddlers around our neighborhood so the PA is nice piece of mind. And the navigation.....I think I'm going to buy that new Garmin 2610, portable job. That way, I can throw it in the Porsche and use it for Open Road Racing.

I also bought a T-Reg in August and it has been great. I would recommend to anyone to purchase one. The VW service people need a little whipping before they do what you need but overall a great value.

Chris W. we've been looking for an SUV to replace a Benz E430. In the size you're looking at we preferred either the Acura MDX or the Lexus LX330 over the Volvo. Gas mileage isn't that great in the XC90 and the ride is definitely better in the other 2. As far as I'm concerned it's the Lexus if you don't need the 3rd seat and the MDX if you do. For us driving back and forth from the Cape to Florida we need more comfort than performance capabilities. If that wasn't the case we'd have considered the Cayenne S for sure. Wife considered selling the 996 Cab and buying a Cayenne Turbo, but if you've 911s for nearly 30 years, how can you possibly live w/o one

After following the vortex board (VW) when looking at SUVs; I decided I would rather deal with PCNA on a new vehicle than VWOA. PCNA took back a lemon Boxster with no BS, and that's worth some loyalty. But still the price differential was important until I was told to wait in a waiting room for a shuttle that would take an hour to get me to the job - by the Jeep/VW dealer (Jeep service). Now; I don't need that BS... Price diff was only 10K; and I'm really pleased. Enjoy your Treg (the air is a great add)...

Forgive my ignorance but are you all saying that Cayenne and Touareg are basically the same car?? Reason I ask is because I am looking to change my '99 Range Rover 4 SE and was thinking of the Cayenne...but if the Touareg is basically the same car that might impact my choice. welcome the feedback

Well the Cayenne is based on the same platform as the Toureg. If I was buying one, I'd get the VW. Check them out at the dealer yourself.

I want to get a toureg but will wait to next year. They are coming out with a v-10 turbo diesel engine that gets mid 20 gas mileage. Bob

And the Pepper will be offered with a six cylinder(2005) which should make the affordability issue a little easier to handle.

Essentially the same car, except for the moter, front & rear power generation 60/40, the perforated leather seats, front grill shell, rear light treatment and dealer network.

I also thought the driving feel was very different in relation to the way which the suspension was tuned. The VW was setup more towards the comfort spectrum, whereas the Cayenne felt like it had a much sportier, less SUV like, suspension. It was firmer, held the road better, and provided a higher level of road "feel" in my opinion.

Congrats Jake, Could you perhaps post some pics?

Here's a quick one I happened to take yesterday at the Newport Beach Car Show. It was wet that moning so its kinda dirty. Can't really tell with the offroad gray though!

I still don't understand how people that have driven both the Touareg and the Cayenne can say they're basically the same vehicle. Sure they use some of the same components, but the driving experience is 100% different. It's not a knock on it, but the Touareg feels like a VW. The Cayenne feels like a Porsche. It's that simple. To each their own I guess.

I didn't see the Cayenne as anyrthing like a Porsche. (Of course, I didn't drive the Turbo). It wasn't particularly powerful, though it did surge as you touch the gas. It seemed to me that they did that on purpose to make it seem powerful. It was hard to ldrive smooth in a parking lot.