2019 VW Touareg Review: The Tech Is Amazing, And Sometimes Annoying

VW's new Touareg is a compelling SUV mostly because of the technology that's been packed in, but it's not all good news
2019 VW Touareg Review: The Tech Is Amazing, And Sometimes Annoying

Pros

Cons

Giant touchscreens in cars usually make me mad. And certainly, the optional one in the new VW Touareg ticks all the right - or perhaps wrong - boxes.

First off, it’s huge: it’s a 15-inch, 1920x1080 display, and it simply dominates the centre console. It’s feature-packed and therefore quite complicated, and finally, it commits that worst transgression of all: it contains all the climate controls, with VW’s flagship SUV entirely doing away with physical dials and buttons for things like fan speed and temperature.

2019 VW Touareg Review: The Tech Is Amazing, And Sometimes Annoying

I’d been preparing myself to do a standalone article purely for the purposes of whingeing about this enormo-tablet that’s been stuffed into the dashboard, but I can’t. Because - and this is quite difficult for me to say - I quite like it.

It looks gorgeous, particularly when you switch to the larger map view. And the mapping - by the way - has been taken from Google. It’s disarmingly simple to use, with a clear menu that appears when proximity sensor are triggered.

There are two main screens that can be switched between using a two-finger swipe and customisable icons that allow quick access to all your most-used features. VW has even managed to get around the usual problem of ‘lost’ climate control functions by having them permanently displayed at the bottom of the screen. It is - I say through gritted teeth - all very impressive.

2019 VW Touareg Review: The Tech Is Amazing, And Sometimes Annoying

It’s not the only intetesting piece of tech you’ll find in the car, either. The Touareg has the clearest and most comprehensive head-up display I’ve ever used, clever matrix LED headlights that illuminate the road ahead based on GPS information and a 12-inch digital cockpit that’s light years ahead of the basic one used by the Golf.

There’s hidden techy shnizz to make the car drive better, including all-wheel steering and electronically-controlled, air-filled dampers that work together with an active rear anti-roll bar that stiffens and slackens as necessary. The end result isn’t a car that can manages Porsche Cayenne-levels of SUV cornering heroics, but the Touareg is impressively composed nonetheless, considering its size, weight and ride height. The sole engine available from launch is a 276bhp 3.0-litre V6 diesel, and it’s punchy enough for most, while being reasonably refined.

When you’re driving like a normal person it’s nicely wafty, gracefully gliding over the majority of road surfaces.

2019 VW Touareg Review: The Tech Is Amazing, And Sometimes Annoying

It’s the tech that makes this car, really. But it’s also within the tech where almost everything that annoys me about the Touareg lies.

The biggest complaint concerns the throttle lift warning. An ever-more common feature on new cars, this is usually just a symbol consisting of a shoe and an upwards-pointing arrow, but in the Touareg, it’s accompanied by a vibration sent through the pedal. And I hate it. The warning goes off frequently, usually when the ‘hazard’ is a roundabout or T-junction half a mile away. Anyone who needs a function like this simply shouldn’t be driving. It doesn’t help at all, and it can’t be turned off.

2019 VW Touareg Review: The Tech Is Amazing, And Sometimes Annoying

The aforementioned proximity sensor menu thing often seems to stay up well past its welcome, blocking the view of the clock, and although there is that fixed climate control menu, it only gives access to basic functions. For anything else, you have to expand it, and it starts to get fiddly. Coming close to the vibrating pedal on the annoyance scale is the lane assist, which turns itself back on every time you restart the car. I didn’t want it last time, so why does it keep coming back? It’s like being stalked by an ex-girlfriend.

On the more mechanical side of things, it’s worth noting the automatic gearbox isn’t quite up to scratch. It swaps cogs merrily enough, but it often feels like it takes an age to wake up and kick down when you put your foot down. It’s sluggish off the line too - that roundabout gap you thought you could easily make suddenly becomes a little too close for comfort.

2019 VW Touareg Review: The Tech Is Amazing, And Sometimes Annoying

Regardless, it’s still a solid competitor to the likes of the Land Rover Discovery, Volvo XC90 and the related Audi Q7. For the technology, the way it looks and (mostly) the way it drives, I’d be tempted to go with the Touareg. It’s just seems a shame, as with a few of the above faults ironed out, it’d be a much more clear-cut choice.

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Comments

BenPaye(JDMSquad)(MX5Squad)(LFAsquad)(Subie Squad) (Rotary F

I see this has one of those grilles that makes it look like its on drugs

07/22/2018 - 10:49 |
12 | 0
CannedRex24

It’s nice and all but

Those screens WILL NOT stand the test of time thats for sure

07/22/2018 - 10:54 |
86 | 4

I’d imagine most customers won’t keep the car for longer than 3-5 years (maybe even less if on finance)
And carmakers don’t care about second owners that much

07/22/2018 - 11:30 |
22 | 0
🎺🎺thank mr skeltal

In reply to by CannedRex24

This is exactly the reason why Bugatti refuses to put screens in the Chiron. They want the car to be timeless, and no matter how good the screens are now, they are going to look dated eventually. Just take a look at some of the in-car touch screens from 10 years ago, right now there are watches out there with higher resolution, better colors and a stronger CPU.

07/22/2018 - 14:35 |
52 | 0

[DELETED]

07/23/2018 - 07:21 |
0 | 0
Nishant Dash

I wanna see the number of scratches on those screens after a month of use lmao

07/22/2018 - 10:58 |
2 | 0

It takes a while for them to get scratched. But they will always be covered in fingerprints and smudges.

07/22/2018 - 13:03 |
0 | 0
Tomislav Celić

Man love those displayes

07/22/2018 - 14:36 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Can’t wait to see diesel sh versions of this car in ~ 2021 with 300k km and those screens broken selling for 10k in Ro :))))))

07/22/2018 - 16:34 |
4 | 0
Anonymous

I simply just dont see why i would want to spend that much money on a vw id rather have a audi a6 or a jag sedan as they look and drive nicer

07/22/2018 - 18:12 |
0 | 0
RonTheCarGuy (CT Jedi Order)

Not bad

07/23/2018 - 01:17 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Because SUV… Heavier, slower, more expensive, lower mpgs and worse ride quality… I would rather have the new artheon. I just can’t see why people buy these heavy things when there are soo many great sedans out there…

07/23/2018 - 07:39 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

The touareq was mostly a SUV version of the phaeton in the beginning and kinda still is, so there’s really no reason to complain about ride quality and as for the price, MPG and weight, this thing is VW’s flagship SUV, of course it’s gonna be expensive and filled with technology

07/23/2018 - 22:01 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

it’s ok for Mercedes to do it, but not VW !?

07/23/2018 - 09:44 |
0 | 0
White Comet

Looking down on screen to position your fingers on the menu while driving through a bumpy road…
The most annoying things ever….

07/23/2018 - 18:51 |
0 | 0