There and Back in a Volkswagen Touareg

Champion of trail and concrete, the Touareg surpassed all expectations
by Matthew Kaiel
posted Dec. 29, 2003

It took the Heavy Pedal Tour crew at least a week to figure out how to pronounce the name, a day after that we learned how to use the stereo and heated seats. But it didn't take us the entire four-months of the Heavy Pedal Tour to figure out how much we like this vehicle.

The HPT Touareg at Pedro's Festival.

The Touareg was tough. It was unstoppable during our 22,000-mile summer and fall tour across the United States and Canada, performing feats of strength that even Frank Costanza would have been proud of. For the first 10,000 miles, it towed an 18-foot trailer that weighed more than the vehicle itself--6,500 pounds. The Touareg's torque (lb-ft) is 225 at 3200 RPM.

This is more than a vehicle that just got the job done--it did it with style. The cherry wood interior and heated leather seats relaxed us after rides and helmet-crushing bails. The 300-watt, 11-speaker CD stereo kept us awake during our coast-to-coast drives. The center console had two cigarette lighter outlets, which allowed us to plug in our cell phone and laptop to finish stories on the way to the next event. There was even adjustable lumbar support, which made 18-hour drives comfortable.

The engineers at Volkswagen didn't trade comfort for practicality, however. The Touareg shuttled us to the top of many forest service roads only accessed by tough 4x4 rigs. It climbed hills at Pedro's Fest in Massachusetts that we couldn't even walk up; then gathered applause from hundreds of people as it dropped into bumper-deep mud near the vendor area, making it through a section that most vehicles had to be towed out of. Back in Colorado, it dropped us off at 12,000 feet for a 4,000-foot vertical descent. The four-wheel drive system was incredible and never missed a beat.

Price with Options: $38,215

Features:
-4-Motion (VW's 4-wheel drive system)
-Anthracite cricket leather interior (option)
-300-watt, 11-speaker CD stereo (option)
-3.2 L V6; 220 horsepower/Torque (lb-ft) of 225 @ 3200 RPM TK
12-way power seats
-Center console wood trim and front sliding armrest (option)
-Estimated miles per gallon: 20 highway/15 city

The Touareg took more beatings than we did on our bikes and was still there to comfort us at the end of every day. And, most importantly, it brought us home without a single breakdown all summer. For more information on the vehicle, check out www.vw.com.

To view shots of the Touareg during the 03 tour, head to www.bikemag.com/gallery/47.