Getting your player ready...
Dirt and gravel roadways north of Berthoud were part of an indirect route in piloting the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI to Broomfield one afternoon last week to look over the new Aston Martin.
I’d been told what great road-holding capability is built into the new all-wheel-drive Touareg, hence the diversion through the farm-fields country. I’d even crawled beneath it before the drive to look up at its large double-wishbone suspensions, a rugged setup, in both front and back.
Torsional rigidity has been increased in the Touareg; it handled the uneven road surfaces with ease, little body movement and steering was very responsive. Riding on 20-inch alloy wheels, it offers smoothness over most any road.
The Touareg (pronounced “twah-regg”) is a five-passenger, midsize SUV built in Bratislava, Slovakia, alongside the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne.
Compliant ride aside, most noteworthy of the ’11 model delivered to me was its AWD powertrain which featured a V-6 turbocharged diesel engine and a new 8-speed automatic transmission.
Shifts are scarcely felt as the 3.0-liter clean diesel performs with strong acceleration; it is of 225 horsepower and 406 lbs.-ft. of torque. The Touareg will sprint 0 to 60 in about 6.5 seconds, and deliver fuel mileage from the mid- to high 20s. It is rated at 28 miles per gallon on the highway; my overall average with the 4,975-pounder was 25.9.
Its range between fuel stops is staggering. It is equipped with an oversize 26.4-gallon fuel tank. It travels way beyond 600 miles by multiplying the tank size by the 25.9 average. Even “pooping around town” at an average of 20 mpg, the range still extends beyond 500 miles.
An occasional lag, somewhat common with turbodiesels, is experienced while “kicking down” gears, more of a necessity with eight speeds over the traditional six or five speeds. The interior is nicely finished in burr walnut wood trim and cross-stitched leather of VW’s favorite color – black. Ambient lighting brightens the doors and footwells, which are spacious in both front and rear-seating areas. Cargo space behind the rear seat is 32 cubic feet. Beneath the cargo floor is a temporary spare of bright red/orange color. Push buttons just inside the liftgate and either or both rear seatbacks will fold.
VW’s 4Motion is controlled from a rotary switch in the center console. The offroad setting retunes the braking, suspension and gear rates and activates the hill-descent assist. There is no low range.
A panoramic sunroof, extending the length of the roof and opening over the front-seat area, is among standard equipment on the Touareg’s Executive trim level. Sticker price is $58,320.
Other items are a very clear rearview camera image, touchscreen navigation/audio system, heated seats front and rear, heated steering wheel, height-adjustable telescoping steering column, power liftgate, rain-sensing intermittent wipers.
The drive to Broomfield was to view two new models – the Virage and Vantage S – at Sill-TerHar Aston Martin. With an all-aluminum structure and 490-horsepower V-12 engine, the Virage pricing begins at $209,995, while the Vantage S roadster on display carried a $158,000 sticker.
“It is exciting to have two new race-proven sports cars to launch simultaneously,” said Jack TerHar, dealer. “It is a sign of Aston Martin’s strength that the brand now has a class-leading range to suit the needs and desires of any driver, all with different characters yet with the same unique Aston Martin soul and luxury.”
Sill-TerHar was one stop on a nationwide tour by the British marque.
Paddle-shifting the Sportshift II, a new 7-speed automatic transmission, was a highlight of driving the 2011 Vantage S. A Sport setting raises the revs while quickening the shifts and teams well with the Vantage’s 430-hp, 4.7-liter V-8.
An automatic quick-drop soft top opens up to a hand-stitched leather interior. A Bang & Olfusen sound system was complemented with acoustic lens lifting at each end of the dash.
Notes from e-mail
The new Ford Focus appears to be quite a great little car, according to your review last week, Bud. It has received good write-ups in the national magazines, too, and I’m going to look one over sometime this summer. I wonder, though, at the price of $21,450. Seems most buyers would go for a midsize car, at those prices. – L.R.
A couple of clarifications, Len. First, the Focus was a well-equipped SE model with heated leather seats and voice-activated controls; the lesser-equipped S sedan starts at $16,995. And secondly, you’ll find few midsize models for the price of the ’12 Focus SE that I reviewed.
2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI
$58,320
(price as tested)
MPG City 19 Highway 28
Vehicle type: Premium midsize SUV diesel
Wheelbase: 113.9 inches
Length/Width/Height: 188.8/76.4/68.2 inches
Weight: 4,974 pounds
Engine: 3.0-liter V-6 diesel
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Fuel mileage: 25.9 mpg
Fuel tank: 26.4 gallons
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles basic; 10/100,000 powertrain
Competitors: BMW X5 diesel, Mercedes-Benz ML350 Bluetec
Built at: Bratislava, Slovakia
Parts content: Germany 60%; Hungary; Japan; U.S./Canadian
THE STICKER
$57,500 base
Panoramic sunroof, rearview camera, premium sound
$820 Destination
PLUSES
TDI fuel mileage
Acceleration
Smooth ride
MINUSES
Occasional lag
No third-row seat
An occasional lag, somewhat common with turbodiesels, is experienced while “kicking down” gears, more of a necessity with eight speeds over the traditional six or five speeds. The interior is nicely finished in burr walnut wood trim and cross-stitched leather of VW’s favorite color – black. Ambient lighting brightens the doors and footwells, which are spacious in both front and rear-seating areas. Cargo space behind the rear seat is 32 cubic feet. Beneath the cargo floor is a temporary spare of bright red/orange color. Push buttons just inside the liftgate and either or both rear seatbacks will fold.
