Thinking of buying a Touareg

bilzer

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2004
Location
New Hampshire
TDI
Jetta, 2000, silver
I am Thinking of buying a Touareg. I have had a 2000 Jetta TDI that was getting 47-51 mpg. I am currently running a Hyundai Sante Fe that runs well but gets 23 mpg on the highway (tops).
Would a 6 cylinder Touareg be substantially better than the 23 I am getting now? Also what years should I be looking for and what years to avoid?
It is my understanding that the 2012 was a 8 speed tranny and older years had a 6 speed? Is that anything significant in terms of performance?


Bilzer
 

Mythdoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2011 Touareg, 2015 Q5, 2015 Golf
I am Thinking of buying a Touareg. I have had a 2000 Jetta TDI that was getting 47-51 mpg. I am currently running a Hyundai Sante Fe that runs well but gets 23 mpg on the highway (tops).
Would a 6 cylinder Touareg be substantially better than the 23 I am getting now? Also what years should I be looking for and what years to avoid?
It is my understanding that the 2012 was a 8 speed tranny and older years had a 6 speed? Is that anything significant in terms of performance?


Bilzer


8 speed started in 2011. I got upper 20’s but it was mostly highway miles. It’s a big vehicle and won’t do well for mpg’s in stop and go. 2011-2012 still had many issues with emissions components. I’d try for the most recent model year I could afford.
 

showdown 42

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Location
naples,FL
TDI
2016 TDI touareg
The issue isn't mileage,it's cost to maintain. These aren't the cheapest cars,especially the older models. If things go wrong,which they do you will forget about any small mileage improvement you get. I love my Touareg,but get an extended warranty if you buy one.
 

30Bones

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Location
Cedar Rapids, Ia
TDI
2013 Touareg TDI
The issue isn't mileage,it's cost to maintain. These aren't the cheapest cars,especially the older models. If things go wrong,which they do you will forget about any small mileage improvement you get. I love my Touareg,but get an extended warranty if you buy one.
I think maintenance wise, they are cheaper to own than my previous common rail 2.0 Jetta wagon. No timing belt or trans service (mine was a DSG), no diff service. Just oil and filters.

Sure there is a ton of other things that can/will put me in the poor house eventually, but I am hoping by then I have gotten my monies worth and well into the 6 figures as far as miles go.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I think maintenance wise, they are cheaper to own than my previous common rail 2.0 Jetta wagon. No timing belt or trans service (mine was a DSG), no diff service. Just oil and filters.

.

No way, no how.

First, they most certainly DO have a transmission service. Second, the tires and brakes alone will exceed the cost of a 120k mile timing belt service, let alone the higher oil change costs, etc. Then the fact that they consume twice the fuel everywhere you go.

They commonly need a driveshaft every so often, this alone is not cheap.
 

Mythdoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2011 Touareg, 2015 Q5, 2015 Golf
No way, no how.



First, they most certainly DO have a transmission service. Second, the tires and brakes alone will exceed the cost of a 120k mile timing belt service, let alone the higher oil change costs, etc. Then the fact that they consume twice the fuel everywhere you go.



They commonly need a driveshaft every so often, this alone is not cheap.

I never needed brakes or rotors in the 72K I owned mine, nor was I an unusual case. Never needed a battery. On the other hand, I went through FOUR sets of tires at $1100 a pop. (I cannot stand road noise from unevenly worn tires.) The other issues I experienced were all related to the emissions system in various ways. They happened to be all covered under new car warranty and replacement warranty, but necessitated additional trips to the dealer.
 

KITEWAGON

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Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Location
Seacoast, NH
TDI
2014 Touareg Exec, 2014 JSW
Good advice from Mythdoc and Oilhammer. My experience is the same. It is not a car to buy to save money on fuel. Its a great machine and it drives great and does use less fuel than other SUV's. My brother drove it the other day and said "wow this feels expensive". I think that if you are comparing a BMW X5d to the Touareg, then sure you can talk about reliability and potential cost savings. But the Touareg will not save money vs. a Santa Fe or a JSW. You'll take a much bigger depreciation hit as well.


Ours has been very reliable, but tires are a significant expense and it does go through them quickly.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
My point is, the T 'reg is easily, by far, the highest TCO of any Volkswagen sold here in the last 15 years, Routan excluded. The only thing that comes close would be the Phaeton. I service a LOT of Volkswagens. EVERYTHING on the T'reg is expensive. And EVERYTHING wears out faster. If you got 72k miles on brakes, great, you'd get 300k on a Jetta's brakes then. It is all relative.

And we have not yet even seen any of these V6 TDIs with any substantial use on them yet to have a really good hold on the long term costs. So I am not really even including any engine costs into this (although PM costs ARE higher, period... 4.5L of oil vs. 8 liters, for instance).

And this whole nonsense of "oh, it doesn't have a timing belt" just means that in VAG terms it has a looming catastrophic timing chain accident waiting to happen, because I am *pretty sure* no German magic exists yet to make Volkswagen understand how to make a durable long lasting OHC drive. I have dead chain-driven gassers here every day. So unless someone on the diesel side knows something that nobody on the gasser side does, I'd remain skeptical on that front. But hey, if you drive it and dump it after the odometer hits 150k, then they are probably fine. But we already have reports of start up chain rattles here and on other VAG specific forums. So the idea of comparing the long term TCO of a Touareg, ANY Touareg, with that of an Ax platform Volkswagen diesel I find quite absurd. Not saying do not buy one, just be realistic going in. :)
 

30Bones

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Location
Cedar Rapids, Ia
TDI
2013 Touareg TDI
No way, no how.
First, they most certainly DO have a transmission service. Second, the tires and brakes alone will exceed the cost of a 120k mile timing belt service, let alone the higher oil change costs, etc. Then the fact that they consume twice the fuel everywhere you go.
They commonly need a driveshaft every so often, this alone is not cheap.
Well I go off my friends who are A) a service writer/Treg owner/VW lunatic when it comes to maintenance and B) a VW mastertech that both told me they are sealed units (trans/diffs) and are zero service unless you have to crack it open for worse reasons. The timing chain and no trans service helped make my decision vs other brands (which also have their own $$$ maintenance costs). Even if it does need a trans service is it any harder than a DSG service??

Maybe I am wrong and will each that later in ownership. While it's my nicest vehicle (That VW essentially bought for me with my buyback money from my JSW) I also own a winter beater 4x4 and two motorcycles, and commute by bike as often as possible, so my VW sits at times for weeks and the miles are mostly road trip miles. As of now at 29K miles on a 2013 LUX everything is tip top. Tires are not that expensive, I already have what I am getting picked out for under $900 shipped and mounted which is only $150 more than a set cost me for my JSW. Haven't looked into brakes because I don't need them. I do my own services (oil, filters, brakes) the easy stuff.
 

30Bones

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Location
Cedar Rapids, Ia
TDI
2013 Touareg TDI
Good advice from Mythdoc and Oilhammer. My experience is the same. It is not a car to buy to save money on fuel. Its a great machine and it drives great and does use less fuel than other SUV's. My brother drove it the other day and said "wow this feels expensive". I think that if you are comparing a BMW X5d to the Touareg, then sure you can talk about reliability and potential cost savings. But the Touareg will not save money vs. a Santa Fe or a JSW. You'll take a much bigger depreciation hit as well.


Ours has been very reliable, but tires are a significant expense and it does go through them quickly.
I get ~25mpg and have a pop up camper to tow a few times a year. I also have a 4Runner that gets 15. Sure gas is cheaper than diesel, but I figured it and it all evens out. It tows better, rides better, has a range that is sooooo nice.

I just about bought a new(er) 4runner over the Treg, but the cost, the crappy mpg, junk interior and short range quickly turned me away. Again, hope I don't eat my words in the coming year(s)
 
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oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
They parrot that "sealed unit" nonsense all the time. The facts are quite different. Aisin and ZF make the transmissions. They have a very different view. ;)
 

Yai

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2016
Location
Greater Toronto Area
TDI
2012 Golf TDI, 2014 Touareg- R Line
I think I would be concerned if they didn’t offer the comprehensive post fix emission warranty. If you love the car, maintenance won’t be an issue. It’s not a Jetta or a golf I terms of maintenance, and don’t read too much into all the things that can go wrong. It’s the internet, where you can always find the answers you like while discarding the ones you don’t like.

I’ve put on 10k km since purchasing mine (2014 model), and can’t report on it just yet. But I’m loving the road trips with it, and even the drive into the city. I try not to worry about what could happen (the emission warranty def helps) and just enjoy it. At the end of the day, it’s a solid vehicle, and has been tried and tested with the previous generation Tregs.

Cheers,

Ron
 

bizzle

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2013
Location
Southern California
TDI
2015 GSW SEL (totaled), 2013 Touareg Executive
Now you are making me nervous. :p
I need to stop reading the internet and just enjoy it while it lasts :eek:
No reason to be nervous. All the official data says there's no change, but he's giving you the everyday reality. It's just a basic transmission flush out. There is a long thread dedicated to it on the clubtouareg forums. Should be findable by googling relevant terms (DIY, touareg, transmission fluid change, etc.). You're looking at about $200 dollars for the fluid or potentially half that if you use a non-cert'ed version. I'll do mine every 60K.

To be honest, I appreciate the lack of maintenance scheduling on these big ticket items. I can safely service the tranny on this egg but keep an iron grip on my warranty simply by bringing it in for oil changes. If I try that with my GSW the record will show I've been skipping all the major services and I'll have to demonstrate the DSG, etc. have been done (although it's less of an issue since the DSG isn't covered anyway); but you get the point, I think
 

35 Yr Dsl Veteran

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Jul 19, 2019
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Ft. Pierce & Lake Placid, FL
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2012 Touareg TDI Sport
G


Ours has been very reliable, but tires are a significant expense and it does go through them quickly.
WHY would you go thru the quickly? The Touareg uses exact same tire size as my BMW X5, and I had 33K miles on a set of $85 tires with about 1/2 the tread remaining. The Touareg is lighter, so should get even better tread life.
 

Carpe Vinum

New member
Joined
Jul 20, 2019
Location
Alberta
TDI
Touareg TDI execline 2015
I am Thinking of buying a Touareg. I have had a 2000 Jetta TDI that was getting 47-51 mpg. I am currently running a Hyundai Sante Fe that runs well but gets 23 mpg on the highway (tops).
Would a 6 cylinder Touareg be substantially better than the 23 I am getting now? Also what years should I be looking for and what years to avoid?
It is my understanding that the 2012 was a 8 speed tranny and older years had a 6 speed? Is that anything significant in terms of performance?
Bilzer
Bilzer: did you make a decision on a Touareg TDI?

With my 2015 TDI, I get 21.5 mpg in the city, and 29 mpg on the highway. And I drive quite vigorously, with manual tip-shifting perhaps 20% of the time.
 

casioqv

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2015
Location
California
TDI
2009 Touareg TDI
Also what years should I be looking for and what years to avoid?
It is my understanding that the 2012 was a 8 speed tranny and older years had a 6 speed? Is that anything significant in terms of performance?

2011+ models were a complete re-design, and a totally different vehicle from the earlier ones. In North America they dropped all of the serious off-road capabilities of the earlier models (lockers, air suspension, low range transfer case) at that same time, but also substantially improved the fuel economy. Personally, I would only consider the older models, because without the offroad capabilities it makes more sense to just get a simpler and cheaper station wagon.
 
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