Touareg.....what's your opinion?

<euro930nospam.DeleteThis@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:3F086B9D.C5E6EF0D@comcast.net...
 > vw has committed a lot of corporate resources to this vehicle........of
 > course it has been released, not while the head of vw who approved it's
 > developement is around, but on his replacement's watch......are vw
 > customers gonna bite on a high 30's to low 50's sport ute? what makes
 > it different than the W-8? where does an audi version fit in, if at
 > all?
 > are the compliclated electronics going to make living with it
 > pleasurable?
 >
 > just wondering about the group collective thoughts..........
 >
 > regards
 >
Personally, I think VW's shift from their old core ethic of providing a
solid, tractable, simple and economical vehicle to the upscale market is
foolish on many levels. I'm not going to get into the specifics, but I will
say that if they make many more "features" standard that are prone to
malfunction, I will seriously consider not buying another one.

--TW Yes, that's right... place your hand on the handle and rotate it and
the window will move.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Touareg.....what's your opinion? 

<euro930nospam RemoveThis @comcast.net> wrote in message
news:3F086B9D.C5E6EF0D@comcast.net...
 > vw has committed a lot of corporate resources to this vehicle........of
 > course it has been released, not while the head of vw who approved it's
 > developement is around, but on his replacement's watch......are vw
 > customers gonna bite on a high 30's to low 50's sport ute?

I think so. *Nice* SUVs (and not talking top of the line ones) are easily
$30K anyway. I think the Touareg will do just fine, especially since it's
coming out on top of the competition anyway. With the success of the VW
name in recent years with the Passat and Jetta in the US, adding a SUV
should be a no-brainer.

 >what makes it different than the W-8?

The engine itself or do you mean a Passat W8 wagon specifically?

If the latter, yeah it's all wheel drive. However, it's a much stronger
truck platform and has a towing capacity that the Passat W8 can't come close
to touching.

Engine wise, it's not even a W8. I believe it's more similar to the Audi
4.2L V8.

 >are the compliclated electronics going to make living with it pleasurable?

Maybe, or it could be as much as a headache as any VW (or BMW or Mercedes)
seems to be with all the gadgetry.

My bottom line opinion is that it'll do smashingly well here. The Phaeton on
the other hand...not so sure. Maybe since the Touareg will be preceding the
Phaeton here, that might help set the stage for the Phaeton. Otherwise I
predict the Phaeton will flop.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Touareg.....what's your opinion? 

The Touareg is important for VW. It demonstrates that they are a serious
player in the automotive industry. However....there are some drawbacks. The
Touareg has many modules that will no doubt have problems, it has allot of
technology that is new to VW and this is an area in which VW has little
experience. So I think that there will be mixed issues with it.......but one
thing is for sure.....it will make other SUVs cry off road!

- Pete
"Woodchuck" <stv_euroski.RemoveThis@yahoo.comXXX> wrote in message
news:3f0875a5$0$41421$4d5ecec7@reader.city-net.com...
 > Better wait 6 months and ask the question after it's been on the road. The
 > present V8 is the Audi 4.2 engine with a V10TDI coming later this year.
 > Don't think Audi will also want the Touareg as they have the allroad. The
 > Touareg transmission was developed by VW & Asain of Japan.
 >
 >
 > <euro930nospam.RemoveThis@comcast.net> wrote in message
 > news:3F086B9D.C5E6EF0D@comcast.net...
  > > vw has committed a lot of corporate resources to this vehicle........of
  > > course it has been released, not while the head of vw who approved it's
  > > developement is around, but on his replacement's watch......are vw
  > > customers gonna bite on a high 30's to low 50's sport ute? what makes
  > > it different than the W-8? where does an audi version fit in, if at
  > > all?
  > > are the compliclated electronics going to make living with it
  > > pleasurable?
  > >
  > > just wondering about the group collective thoughts..........
  > >
  > > regards
  > >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Touareg.....what's your opinion? 

euro930nospam.TakeThisOut@comcast.net wrote:

 > are vw
 > customers gonna bite on a high 30's to low 50's sport ute?

The market will tell. Presumably if they don't, VW will have the wisdom
to back out.

 > what makes
 > it different than the W-8?

The Touareg is clearly an upscale vehicle. The W8 was a Passat, a
squarely family-oriented midsize, with a fancy engine. The real test
will be whether the Phaeton succeeds.

 > where does an audi version fit in, if at
 > all?

Well, they already have the Allroad, and the Pike's Peak concept looks
interesting. I don't see Audi making a "trucklike" SUV, but instead
continuing in the AWD "wagon-plus" direction.

--
Mike Smith<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Touareg.....what's your opinion? 

Peter Cressman wrote:

 > The Touareg is important for VW. It demonstrates that they are a serious
 > player in the automotive industry. However....there are some drawbacks. The
 > Touareg has many modules that will no doubt have problems, it has allot of
 > technology that is new to VW and this is an area in which VW has little
 > experience. So I think that there will be mixed issues with it.......but one
 > thing is for sure.....it will make other SUVs cry off road!

Well, except the Cayenne.

--
Mike Smith<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Touareg.....what's your opinion? 

"Mike Smith" <mike_UNDERSCORE_smith.DeleteThis@acm.DOT.org> wrote in message
news:vghqs1gthml3ab@news.supernews.com...
 >Well, except the Cayenne.



But the Cayenne will be outnumbered I'm sure 2 to 1 due to the pricing.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Touareg.....what's your opinion? 

Matt B. wrote:

 > "Mike Smith" <mike_UNDERSCORE_smith.TakeThisOut@acm.DOT.org> wrote in message
 > news:vghqs1gthml3ab@news.supernews.com...
 >
  >>Well, except the Cayenne.
 >
 >
 >
 >
 > But the Cayenne will be outnumbered I'm sure 2 to 1 due to the pricing.

And I'm sure that's the way the Porsche owners would prefer it.

--
Mike Smith<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Touareg.....what's your opinion? 

 > Engine wise, it's not even a W8. I believe it's more similar to the Audi
 > 4.2L V8.
 >
I read a review that talked about a V6. Can the guy have been wrong
on this? (most 'auto journalists' don't have much of a clue). Anyway,
the current hp and torque race (esp. torque in case of VW's V10
diesel) is getting so ridiculous that the next logical step is just to
buy a Kenworth without the trailer.

 > My bottom line opinion is that it'll do smashingly well here. The Phaeton on
 > the other hand...not so sure. Maybe since the Touareg will be preceding the
 > Phaeton here, that might help set the stage for the Phaeton. Otherwise I
 > predict the Phaeton will flop.

The Tuareg will kick a**, for those who think that's what a motor
vehicle is intended to do . . . got to agree with a previous poster,
VW has abandoned their longtime loyal (but not wealthy) clientele.

H2Only<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Touareg.....what's your opinion? 

"H2Only" <gsnieder RemoveThis @canspec.com> wrote in message
news:d3f7f191.0307070559.7f621419@posting.google.com...
 >I read a review that talked about a V6. Can the guy have been wrong on
this? (most 'auto journalists' don't have much of a clue).

It starts with the 3.2L VR6 (not sure if it'll be badged as a "VR6" or "V6"
but nevertheless it's the R32's VR6 engine) as the base engine and the
(first) optional engine is the 4.2L V8.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Touareg.....what's your opinion? 

"Peter Cressman" <cressmanp.RemoveThis@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:Mi4Oa.3719$ru2.148251@news20.bellglobal.com...
 > The Touareg is important for VW. It demonstrates that they are a serious
 > player in the automotive industry. However....there are some drawbacks.
The
 > Touareg has many modules that will no doubt have problems, it has allot of
 > technology that is new to VW and this is an area in which VW has little
 > experience. So I think that there will be mixed issues with it.......but
one
 > thing is for sure.....it will make other SUVs cry off road!
 >
Offroading in an SUV. That is a good one.

--TW Logged more "off road" miles in sedans than a hundred average SUVs ever
will.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Touareg.....what's your opinion? 

There is also going to be a V10 turbo diesel in the coming years. Apparantly
this powerplant will be offered in Europe, as well as in North America.
"Matt B." <noway DeleteThis @hellno.com> wrote in message
news:3OfOa.147054$Dr3.38008@fed1read02...
 > "H2Only" <gsnieder DeleteThis @canspec.com> wrote in message
 > news:d3f7f191.0307070559.7f621419@posting.google.com...
  > >I read a review that talked about a V6. Can the guy have been wrong on
 > this? (most 'auto journalists' don't have much of a clue).
 >
 > It starts with the 3.2L VR6 (not sure if it'll be badged as a "VR6" or
"V6"
 > but nevertheless it's the R32's VR6 engine) as the base engine and the
 > (first) optional engine is the 4.2L V8.
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Touareg.....what's your opinion?