• Summary

    4 out of 5 4.0

    What does this car say about you?

    To be honest it probably makes others think "there goes another gas guzzler" but I don't really care - I bought it for a particular reason and I still like it and I'm happy with the choice I made.

    What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

    Friends and family think it is big but once they know why I got it they understand why I changed from an Audi A5.

    Would you buy this car again and why?

    Probably - other 4x4s are too expensive (BMW/Land Rover) or uneconomical, or too light to safely tow 2 tonnes. For me Touareg has the best balance of weight for towing, economy, performance, features (added and standard) and cost.

    What are you likely to buy next?

    Depends on how long I keep this one and how long I keep up with horse riding. Either another Touareg for the horses or an Audi A5 (my previous car).

  • Buying experience

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Type of dealer you bought from?

    Franchised

    Did you buy this car new?

    Yes

    What price did you pay?

    £41,000

    When did you buy the car?

    June 2014

    Did you get a good deal and why?

    Some improvement on the existing national offer from VW mainly on the extras that I added.

    Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

    Something heavy enough to tow a horsebox.

    What was the dealer like?

    Friendly, helpful.

  • Driving it

    4 out of 5 4.0

    What's it like to drive?

    Good fun. The 245 engine is very good from a standing start and when overtaking.

    What's it like to park?

    Without the surround cameras it would be difficult to park because it is high and low objects would be invisible all round. With the cameras it is very easy to move in tight spaces.

  • Living with it

    4 out of 5 4.0

    Have you had any problems with the car?

    Yes. Fuel pump in the fuel tank gave intermittent problems after 3 months. It took dealer + VW tech support 2 months to get the solution. Their debut and fault find process was awful - no thought for process escalation after any reasonable amount of time. Now that this has been sorted it is a great car to drive.

    What's most practical about your car?

    Honestly? All of it. It's a joy to drive, everything does what it is supposed to. Maybe I could say that the voice control of phone and radio is good. The retractable tow-bar (extra) is good because it folds out of the way when not needed instead of having it visible at the back all the time.

    Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

    Surround cameras. I added these to aid reversing in general but the front and side cameras are invaluable when manoeuvring in tight spaces particularly with low obstacles that can't be seen.