What does Toureg mean, anyways?
Story by: Tom Hnatiw
Photos by: Jeff Lorriman

Approaching this vehicle for the first time, the burning question in my mind had to do with motivation. Why did VW choose to build this car and where does it fit in the lexicon of VW vehicles? Within fifteen minutes of climbing behind the wheel I no longer cared about the answer. I only know that this car/truck/SUV is so damn good, it deserves to be taken very seriously.

On a five hour trip to Mid Ohio, I found a seating position which I could use for a twelve hour stretch, if need be. With more head room than others in its class and a seriously rugged seat cushion, the VW has obviously been well thought out. The instruments are exactly what you would expect from VW – no bull, just what you need and in a layout that shows clear research and development.

I have never cared much about HVAC so long as it works. Since sound doesn’t really concern me, I usually care less about center consoles. But the center stack in this car is well done, sensible and easy to use. Good for you, VW.

I did have a problem however. Without cruise control, I could not stop the Toureg from topping 100 miles per hour. In top gear, the speed simply creeps up to the point where you think that everyone else on the road is towing a piano without a trailer and then you glance down and, “Oh GEEZ!”…

Pulling into the paddock at Mid Ohio I realized (to the point of annoyance) the curb appeal the Toureg had. Every third or fourth pedestrian would wave frantically and run over to ask the three questions:

“How do you like this thing?”, “Is it as fast as they say it is?”, and “How does it compare to the Cayenne?”

The last question is one I won’t touch with a ten foot pole. If there is an identity crisis here I’ll let smarter car guys than me sort it out. The answers to the first two questions are always, “I like it a LOT,” and “Oh yeah, it’s fast.”

After a days work I was not surprised to find the thing covered in dusty finger prints with the odd nose print on the glass. People are definitely interested in this car.

In Monterey, during the most expensive cruise of the weekend (and perhaps in the world), VW organized a hill climb event for all of the press and well heeled car guys near a golf course. The language used on the invitation escapes me but roughly translated it meant, “Come and beat the hell out of a Toureg and see what you think.”

The course was a combination of elevation changes, short, sharp straights and tight, bumpy curves, but hitting a tree was still near impossible.

Now most so-called SUVs have the intention of looking mean on the streets but acting weak off the roads. Blatantly speaking, the Toureg ate this place up.

Never losing poise, the Toureg gently reminded me that it was much better in this environment than I was. I have no idea where the limit was, but I was certainly not prepared to stick my neck out far enough to find it.

In the paddock area was a Volkswagen engineer who was available to answer any questions the participants may have had. After an hour of completely engaging conversation with the chap, I marveled at how much technology was packed into this car.

You may treat the Toureg like a grocery getter, and be serenely happy with it. But if you’re a techno geek like some of our staffers, there is enough tech to keep you entertained for months, if not years.

Recently I was given a press model Toureg to refresh all of these fond memories so I could sit down and write this piece. A year or so after its launch, the bloom is far from off the rose. The curb appeal has not decreased at all. This particular press car with a years worth of journalists (most of whom couldn’t drive a finger into a body orifice), beating on it was every bit as tight, every bit as rigid and every bit as good as the first example I drove.

On my Cottage road, most often deserted and very well known to me and my two sons, the Toureg ate up the road with aplomb and in one or two sections, hit mind boggling speeds. The brakes put seriously to the test, never showing a bit of fade while easily modulating to the edge of its ABS.

Most vehicles this size do not like the moment of turn in very much. The Toureg doesn’t mind how you do it, whether you yank on it or sensitively point it towards the apex. It follows instructions and with a tolerable amount of body roll, gets to the middle of the turn without drama.

After two headlong rushes up and down the road, it was too easy to forget that I was driving a large SUV. It felt very much like a sports car – so much so that I began to make plans to take the Toureg to the Sports Car Revolution test track. But that would be silly, wouldn’t it?

I decided to try that idea out at a later day after an examination of its rollers. After a full year of testing by Neanderthals like us, the only thing that was untoward about the Toureg was the tortured Pirelli tires.

I didn’t want to be the one to finish off these expensive tires as a prolonged track session surely would.

With a heavy sigh I returned the Toureg to the pool wishing that I could have spent more time with it. We’ve since booked the V10 Diesel example for a long test later on this season. With over 500 foot pounds of torque I can only wonder how much fun this one will be...

What is the difference between turbochargers and superchargers and which one is better for horsepower and the car itself?

-Blair, off of the Internet

Answer:
A relatively simple answer, but a long one, no doubt. Since we’re limited for words, here is the briefest explanation. Turbo and Superchargers work off of a Forced Induction operating system, where more compressed air is shoved into the engine, thus speeding up the four cycles a piston goes through; therefore making more horsepower.

Whichever method you choose could be damaging to your car if, a) you do not have the proper supporting hardware (larger injectors, properly mapped ECU, etc) and/or b), if your engine was not intended to receive a blow job (I love being the editor and the writer…). Engines that are factory turbo or Supercharged save a lot of the trial and error work required on making your motor perform so well. For instance, piston cooling oil squirters are not a necessity, but they help keep a force fed motor operating at its peak. Running oil and cooling lines to either a Turbo or Supercharger requires tapping the block or tee-ing into existing hard lines; something not everyone feels comfortable with.

A Turbo charger feeds off of exhaust gases, with the unit itself attached to the exhaust manifold. These hot gases spin a turbine fan blade, which in turn spins a compressor wheel that mixes atmospheric air with the exhaust mix, and shoots this compressed mixture of air back into the intake manifold. Usually running through an intercooler, which helps to keep the compressed air cool and in reserve, a Turbo charged motor is capable of producing upwards of 1500 horsepower in a drag application. Downsides involve turbo lag- the time it takes for the turbine to build the required boost and shoot it through the compressor housing, and a massive amount of heat- both externally and internally.

A Supercharger works off of a belt-pulley system, connected directly to the intake manifold. A belt that feeds off of the existing crank pulley/harmonic balancer creates boosted and compressed air that needs no spooling time, thus making a broader torque curve on a dyno, with power constantly on tap. Superchargers are also known for making some crazy power on the strip, however in a street application, I’d personally go with a turbo charger. It sounds cooler, looks neater, and allows for a wider range of aftermarket possibilities without breaking the bank

Got a question? Send us yours at mkent@sportscarrevolution.com.

Viewer’s Rides

I bought the car in 2003 with 15,000 kilometers. The car still retains a Ford premium care warranty with $0 deductible warranty until May 2008, so it was a perfect car for me to mess around with. As every Mustang aficionado should do, I started researching the history of the ‘Stang. Total production was 5,582 in Dark Highland Green; of which 3,041 were this limited production Green (that Ford will not produce again), 1,818 were Black and 723 were True Blue. Ford decided to produce the Bullitt after they received an overwhelmingly positive response from consumers who saw a concept version of the car at the 2000 Los Angles Auto Show. The Bullitt was designed by Jay Mays and was produced at the Dearborn Plant in Detroit, MI. The Bullitt option was available for $5,695 Canadian ($3,695 US) on top of the base price GT with only one option available; a Mach 460 6 disc in-dash CD player. Steve McQueen's heirs worked closely with Ford on the project to honor the legend himself. What you received for the Bullitt option was as follows; 1 – A 4.6 liter engine with 275 hp which was 10 hp above the GT, a unique twin 57mm bore throttle body, cast aluminum intake manifold, high flow mufflers and optimized alternator and pump pulley ratios 2 – A unique sounding free flowing exhaust with rolled tips 3 – A Performance Handling package that included new spring rates (3/4 inch lower than GT), revalved Tokico shocks and struts, unique stabilizer bars front and rear, beefed up frame rail connectors 4 – A Performance Brake package that featured custom 13 inch Brembo brake calipers powdered coated red with an interpolated mustang horse 5 – The exterior of the Bullitt was also heavily modified with unique C-pillar and glass, unique side scoops, unique rocker moldings, a brushed aluminum fuel filler door, and Bullitt badging 6 – The interior featured a unique heritage instrument cluster, a unique brushed aluminum appearance accents, pedal covers, shift ball with shift ring, door lock covers, custom sills with molded-in-Bullitt nomenclature, and uniquely styled seats 7 – Serialized Special Edition identification plates to ensure exclusivity and authenticity 8 – Under hood clear coat paint It is pretty clear how much I love this car. It will be my baby for some time to come. Cam Gillespie