2009 Volkswagen Touareg 2 V6 TDI Test Drive and Review
I'm always happy when Aaron Gold, About.com's Guide to Cars, has time to review an SUV for us. You can read Aaron's Guide Review of the 2009 Volkswagen Touareg 2 V6 TDI to see why: Aaron's writing is great, and his perspective on SUVs is very different from mine. He has to be convinced by an SUV that it has a reason to exist in the first place before he'll sign off and dive deeper. Luckily, jam a diesel engine into just about anything, and you've got Aaron's attention. He's somewhat of a dieselphile.
I'm not. I remember the old diesels, from back when I was a Volkswagen salesman in the early 1980s. The VW diesels back then were noisy, smelly, slow and awful. They did get great mileage, but their performance had to be measured in eons, not seconds.
The new TDI technology seems to have bridged the gap between diesel and gas performance, comfort and quiet. The only problem is, diesel is now more expensive than gasoline, negating a big part of the advantage of its greater efficiency. On top of that, you have to pay a premium just to get the engine into your vehicle to begin with. That doesn't deter Aaron, though. He's still a diesel fan.
How about you? Have you ever owned a diesel? Do you own one now? Would you consider owning a diesel version of your favorite SUV?
Photo © Aaron Gold
Comments
I dig diesels… clean diesels, that is.
Tons of torque and high MPGs, even when you wail on ‘em? Nothing wrong with that!
And some better news — here in Los Angeles, diesel fuel is currently cheaper than gas. For the moment, at least… — Aaron
I learned to drive on a 1982 Datsun Diesel King Cab (pickup) with a 5-speed. I loved that truck, for all the abuse we gave it (my dad gave it to me to drive when I got my license), it still ran like a champ and got 33 mpg no matter what the conditions. Bed full of gravel? No problem, just a little slow (ok, slower). Cab over camper, driven to work and back daily, all city streets in San Diego, still in the 30’s.
I wish the domestic smaller diesels weren’t all canceled. If I could have, I would have bought a Jetta TDI wagon instead of the Mazda3, but the added price and limited availability put it out of our price range.
I would absolutely consider (and buy if I could) a diesel version of nearly any vehicle I was looking at. Unfortunately, everything they have been in lately has not been anything that has interested me, except the small VW’s.
Hi. I’m the proud owner of a 2009 Tuareg V6 TDI. Yes I;m a diesel fan and I’ve not been dissapointed with my Tuareg.After almost 14000 km in the last 5 month my average consumption has been under 9L to 100 km. O.K. I don’t have a heavy foot on the gaspedal. It is not at all needed.The car exellerates with ease from a start and the engine noise inside the cab is almost nil. I drove noisier newer models with a gas engine.What I really like about the engine how willingly it moves from a start through its 6 speed transmission.
If there is something I don’t like about the car it is the steering. It takes some getting used to. It is for my taste a little to soft you don’t have the feeling of the road as I would like it. Also the centre console is to high,it always interferes with my elbow. But all in all,if you’re a diesel lover, this car is definetely for you in comfort and economy The price? Well I guess you get what you pay for.