TDI Touareg - what are your thoughts?

So my wife wants an SUV (she really wants one with a 3rd row), but I think I have her convinced that smaller is better for our actual needs. Her job is changing and she will be commuting more on the highway, probably 80 miles per day  3-4 times per week. Her current ride is a VW CC which she bought new and likes it, but wants and probably needs an SUV for what she does and especially if commuting during the winter months.

To me, the perfect blend of SUV in regards to driving, style and economy is a Touareg TDI from 2012 to 2016. I am finding them for anywhere from $26K for a newer one to as low as $16K with low miles (and even cheaper for a 2012). We test drove one this weekend and it is a solid, luxurious high end SUV with everything you might want, but capable of towing 7,000 pounds and gets 28 MPG on the highway. Diesel gate does not bother me as VW is warranting the emissions and many of these from dealers have a CPO with 2 years bumper to bumper warranties.

I know the Touareg, Cayenne and Q7 are all closely related. My wife after driving one and then an Atlas could tell that the Touareg was a much higher end vehicle. Should I have any concerns or just pull the trigger when I find the right one?

I remember that some versions were among the most polluting cars in production, and some engine options were affected by the Dieselgate recall. Perhaps more alarmingly, I ran across this while looking for the emissions info:

https://jalopnik.com/the-volkswagen-touareg-v10-tdi-was-more-of-a-nightmare-1822934503

They tow 7700lbs.  I own the Porsche equivalent, the Cayenne Diesel.  Mechanically and chassis wise they're the same.  The Cayenne has a nicer interior and handles better.  We easily get 35mpg on the freeway with ours, I think my wife is averaging 28mpg overall with it.

They're solid vehicles and come with a big warranty because of the diesel scandal.  I'd buy the newest one you can find so you have the most warranty.  We've only had one issue with ours, dealer replaced the catalytic convertors and EGT sensors on it. 

Punchy engine, but not sporty or all that fast.

aren't the 3.0 v6's coming off dieselgate and you can find them "fixed" for shortish money?

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :

Yes, that is some of the attraction. VW is pulling the traded in Touaregs from their storage lots, doing the approved software updates and any other required emissions work and then selling them on their lots with a 2 year CPO bumper to bumper warranty. There is also a TDI extended emissions warranty. 

How much are they running with the CPO?

My boss had a 2010-ish V8 gas Touareg.

By 2015, it exhibited every stereotypical VW electrical gremlin from that era.  Every one of them.  And some physical ones - every time you opened the hatch, water poured on your head through the interior trim, even if it hadn't rained in the previous 24 hours.

Other than that, it was pretty nice.

In reply to mtn :

I have found several 2015 models in the $25K range with 35,000 miles or even less. For a diesel automobile, that is not even broken in yet. There are tons of 2012 examples and many are less than $20K and can also have only 40-50k miles on them. We drove a 2012 Executive (loaded) that had less than 50K miles on it this weekend and the price was $20,900, they had just sold a 2012 Lux model for $17,995 with 68K miles on it, all with the 2 year warranty.

Here's a excerpt from advice I got when I was first shopping for a Cayenne/Touareg back in 2016. He had just finished discussing his V8 Touareg and Cayenne S before saying this about the V10 Touareg.

....

The little lady has an eye for pretty things, and I have a weak spot for freaks. She spied a 2007 white V10 TDI in town the day I finished the front LCAs on the silver V8.

An hour later we were driving home in it. The car is an order of magnitude nicer to drive - and more complex. I've had issues with losing boost, plugging DPF filters and a christmas tree of lights on the dash are not uncommon. I have a running thread on the Ross-Tech forum titled "and so it begins"

When all is right? 550 ft lbs of torque at 1800 rpms. I took my son for a ride and after a good shove he said "why would anyone make an SUV that hauls this much ass"?

MPG goes as high as 27 on a road trip. More like 17-18 around town. The gas got 15-18 all around. The math doesn't work out to justify paying the premium to find a diesel. The fuel cost/mileage spread won't ever pay for it.

It makes the boxster seem like a weed eater. You pull the fender liner out of the right front wheel well and you'll find more plumbing than a refinery. Pull out the left liner and you'll find more - and a Webasto heater. It heats fuel. It cools fuel. It heats coolant (?), and transmission fluid. It of course cools both too. it has proximity warnings.

It's a Bentley with a VW badge, and it feels like it. ....

I wouldn't be surprised if he's a long-time member of the forum, but haven't seen his name. One day he found some fine metal in oil filter of his 986 Boxster S. He did a complete DIY engine rebuild, well documented. I have respect for his opinions.

You ended up purchasing a Cayenne, as I recall.  We all respect your knowledge on Porsche in watching your many Boxster builds.  So would you say your Cayenne is typical and has more or less problems than average? I do respect the comments below on the V10. The model I am referring to is the 2nd gen, which has different engines and hopefully is a better generation of VW in general, than the early 2000s when all VW's had electrical problems. I have not heard bad things about the TDI V6 that is in all three versions of the 2nd generation truck, I have no doubt that it is complex, but also see many online with 175,xxxx miles on them and they still run strong and the interior looks like new. Our VW CC is a 2013, has had no electrical problems other than the trunk harness which is a well known issue with CC's, replaced it with a new one recently. That car has been 100% reliable, so my faith in VW is perhaps stronger than others?

AAZCD said:

Here's a excerpt from advice I got when I was first shopping for a Cayenne/Touareg back in 2016. He had just finished discussing his V8 Touareg and Cayenne S before saying this about the V10 Touareg.

 

In reply to dherr :

I don't have firsthand knowledge of the Touaregs, but I have been happy with my Cayennes. Both of mine are first gen V8 S model. One is my beater/work truck, the other is our road trip and carrying grandkids car. My two big complaints with both are headliner droop and lift struts for the rear hatch. At about 15 years old both of those can be expected, but they are a pain to fix. Mechanically they have been great, only needing typical maintenance from wear. If I was to replace one soon, I'd seriously consider a V6 TDI, but I expect I'll be happy with them for a few more years.

So far on my first gen cayenne s v8 I have done:

blower motor

hatch struts (all 4)

valve cover gaskets

repaired some air injection leaks

repaired some crankcase ventilation leaks

repaired rear panels on front seats

replaced front lower rear control arm bushings

repaired leak at washer reservoir

coolant reservoir (my fault...ish)

replaced gas cap

... and i am still very happy with it. I'll probably own more Cayennes in the future. I don't have anything to say about a 2g Touareg TDI other than that I would recommend you also try the Cayenne diesel if they're close in price. 

I have never seen an engine assembly out of the vehicle that looks more like a Borg cube.  That alone scares the hell out of me.  

It does look a little complicated after you remove the plastic cover .... But that is the case on pretty much all modern engines

Fueled by Caffeine said:

aren't the 3.0 v6's coming off dieselgate and you can find them "fixed" for shortish money?

Yes - one of my co-workers picked a 3.0 up recently for cheap. He's been happy with it so far.