JUST DESERTS
VW’S new SUV has style and substance, writes Jim Mcgill
‘You will find yourself on very slippery dusty and loose gravel tracks not much wider than the car, and from the driver’s seat you’ll be staring down into ravines of up to 1,500 feet deep,” the offroad expert from Volkswagen smiled. “This isn’t for the faint-hearted.”
And he wasn’t kidding. A few hours later, deep in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains from my driver’s seat in the latest Touareg, I was indeed peering down into the depth sofa deep, black gorge with the valley floor almost 2,000ft below me.
Vw, in its infinite wisdom, was keen to display that its flagship 4 x 4 is much more than a luxury mode of transport for dropping the kids off at school or, towing the 3.5-tonne horse box.
So, sandwiched between two sections of relatively-smooth tarmac driving we put the Touareg through its paces by scrambling over rocks, wading through a river, and even balanced the car on two wheels.
But at the heart of the ninehour, 154km adventure was the two-and-a-half hour drive along 20km of single-track dirt which miraculously clung to the mountain face.
Heading out in the morning sun from the centre of Marrakech, the high driving position in cabin of the Touareg was perfect for spotting the myriad manic moped riders who appeared to have a death wish.
Helmets? forget it. and when the rider did have a helmet, more often than no the was carryingit looped over his fore arm. Three people were a common sight on mopeds.
Cocooned in near silence, I could concentrate on placing the not insignificant Touareg — at 4878mm long, 2193mm wide and 1717mm tall, it’s larger than the model it replaces — in spaces devoid of the near lawless North African traffic.
Only one engine is currently available in the UK, and it’s a belter. The 3.0-litre turbocharged 24-valve V6 diesel delivers 285bhp via the eightspeed auto tiptronic gearbox. Permanent four-wheel drive is standard, and‘ my touareg’ w as fitted with the optional air suspension and four-wheel steering, both of which would play their parts later in the day.
The big SUV continues to be VW’S imposing technical marvel. This third-generation Touareg comeswi than extensive package of all-new technology inside and out.
The first visible sign of the latest tech is the Innovision Cockpit. Dominated by a 12-inch digital instrument display that we’ve already seen in other VW models, it’s combined with another even larger display — in this case 15 inches — running across the centre of the dashboard. Currently, nothing in its class comes close in terms of scale or sophistication.
Other tech goodies include active lighting, cornering roll stabilisation, cross-traffic warnings and a new roadwork lane assist system. There’s even Night Vision.
All that’s fine for ‘normal’ city driving, but the Touareg comes fully equipped for going offroad, thanks to 4MOTION Active control. with the optional off road package, drivers can also select set ups for sand, grave land expert. Hill descent and hold is also available. it’s assure footed as the mountain goats which skipped up and down the cliff faces.
Out of Marrakech, we headed south before climbing into the foot hills, pa using at thekazb ah ofBabOukai men den, surrounded by saffron terrace sat the confluence of three valleys.
Refreshing mint tea sipped, we to climbed to 2,730m. Well, actually it was 2,738m, according to the car’s altitude meter. From here we had stunning views of Morocco’s highest ski resort and the highest peak in North Africa, Mount Toubkal.
After a short but demanding offroad section to familiarise myself with the suspension tech, the fun really started.
The potentially treacherous downhill route to Asti Cantar, 20km away, is impassible in the wet. Sections compiled of cloying red dust were interspersed with those formed by rock-based platforms covered by ever-shifting layers of shale and gravel.
When the rain comes, those layers move. When we stopped for tea, we had sunshine. Midway through the drive, the mountain tops were shrouded in black cloud, and the light rain came. Thankfully, it eased. But 24 hours later, the track was impassable as a storm rolled in.
The meandering track has its fair share of hairpins. And here —especially on three notoriously sharp bends where cars generallyhave to stop and reverse to comp el te them anouevr e—the rear-wheel steering was a boon.
The system, which points the back wheels in the opposite direction to the fronts at low speed, resulting in a turning circle similar in size to a Golf, I didn’t have to engage reverse once. Result!
The route took us through remote hillside villages, home to Berbers, descendants of the pre-arab inhabitants of North Africa, who live in scattered communities across Morocco. They live in abject poverty; certainly compared to what we are used to. and yet their faces were always full of smiles as we drove through.
But it’s a strange world. In direct contrast, less than 20 minutes’ drive is the luxury of “Richard Branson’s Moroccan Retreat”, Kasbah Tamadot.
The route back to Marrakech included a river crossing, where we raised the air suspension by 70mm increased the wading depth to 580 mm. and while the Tou are g’ s torsional rigidity was thoroughly tested as we balanced between two and three wheels, the onboard tech also c on firmediwa sable to park the carrestingata35-degreeangle.
Fun — I mean, work — over, the blast back to Marrakech, with the air suspension reset to its lowest setting highlighted how the vast majority of Touareg owners will enjoy their car; as a cosseting, silky-smooth motorway driver.
And, of course, that’s fine. It’s what you would expect of a luxury five-seat SUV which, in R-line Tech spec, will set you back £56,300.
But boy, the Toua regis capableof so, so much more; believe me.