2006 Volkswagen Touareg 3.0L V6 TDI : Underrated German Engineering Volkswagen launched the Touareg (literally meaning "Knight of the Desert" or "Free Folk") worldwide in 2002, and in India in 2006. The Toureg or Touareg (variously pronounced as tour egg, ter egg or twor regg) are a diverse group of people who share a common history and geographical area in the African Sahara. The Touareg people are known for their traditions, pride, intelligence and dignity, and the ability to adapt to difficult conditions. It has been said that Volkswagen chose to name the Touareg after these people because of these traits.
The Touareg was built as a highly capable off-road vehicle with impeccable highway manners, with the Range Rover and BMW X5 used as benchmarks to develop it. Initial development of the vehicle was jointly done by Porsche and Volkswagen, with the Cayenne and Touareg sharing the same chassis, transmission, all-wheel-drive system, suspension, windshield, and some bodywork. However, for 2 years before the Touareg was introduced, VW parted ways with Porsche and incorporated their own engineering into the vehicle to improve its off-road capabilities. The Touareg runs with a 50:50 torque split between the front and rear axles, while the Cayenne has 62% of the torque delivered to the rear wheels (though both vehicles can transmit upto 100% of the torque to either axle if required).
As an off-road vehicle, the Touareg has specifications that would put most other off-road vehicles to shame. Specifications include - 236 mm ground clearance (299 mm with air suspension)
- 28 degree approach and departure angles (33 degree with air suspension)
- 27 degree breakover angle (32 degrees with air suspension)
- 35 degree lateral driving angle
- 45 degree ascent and descent angle
- 500 mm fording depth (579 mm with air suspension)
Last edited by SS-Traveller : 21st August 2011 at 17:51.
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