VW Touareg V10 TDi (2007) CAR review

The new VW Touareg? What's different?

Yes, true, the new-look front end is more of a tweak than a full redesign, but VW has changed 2300 individual parts in the new Touareg, including brakes, suspension, anti-rollover safety, and a front and side sensor system which tells you how much room you've got (or haven't) in tricky off-road situations. Or congested Chelsea mews streets… To be honest, FrontScan and SideScan, as VW calls it, was pretty useful as we blasted through tight Norfolk country lanes and squeezed down tight dirt tracks in search of deserted beaches. It's a bit like having parking sensors front and flank - the dash lights up and beeps when things get tight. A couple of feet, and the Touareg dashboard emits amber lights and gentle beeps. When the gap becomes Rizla-thin, it's like Def Con One.

It's a big car, then?

Honestly, you could live in the Touareg. There's acres of room inside and it feels fairly palatial, which is what you'd expect on £50,000-worth of car. It's 4.7m long, almost 2m wide and depending on which suspension you choose, around 1.7m high. VW claims that the Touareg is one of the lowest-profile 4x4s in its class, but it certainly doesn't look any lower than its rivals. And it weighs a whopping 2602kg. Castles weigh less. A good job the car we tested had a muscular V10 TDI engine to propel us.