Touareg One of the “Least Reliable Luxury Cars of 2006″
August 1, 2006 – 10:28 pm by Matt Radel
Filed under Volkswagen Touareg
Forbes gives the VW luxury SUV a big thumbs down.
Read the article here. According to Consumer Reports, the Touareg “has a higher than average rate of problems with its electrical systems” as well as the lowest possible scores for reliability and “overall manufacturing quality”. Ouch. It sits on the list with two Land Rovers, the Saab 9-3 and the Lincoln Navigator. VW is working to improve things:
“We have instituted a number of programs and initiatives with our customer satisfaction teams, dealers, engineers and factory representatives to improve overall quality of the Touareg and the ownership experience,” a VW spokesman said. He noted that the efforts are starting to pay off, with higher reliability scores compared with last year.
Sounds abit fluffy to me. I give ‘em props though. Lesser companies might try dispute the list, and defend their stance. VW has at least taken the high road and acknowledged that they have issues to resolve. But this damages their place in the high-end market, where they’ve sunk considerable interest and resources. They have a ways to go before they’re thought of as a maker that offers true “luxury”.
Touareg One of the “Least Reliable Luxury Cars of 2006″
August 1, 2006 – 10:28 pm by Matt Radel
I ilke my 2006 Touareg and have had absolutely no problems with it. It’s the V-6. The gas mileage isn’t great and the power could be better but all in all it’s a great vehicle. I’d definitely buy another one.
Hey Sonny, great to hear a real owner’s good experience with the Touareg. I love the things. (Don’t have one, yet ;0 ) I’d still rock it despite the various problems they supposedly are having.
I have a 2004 Touareg, one of the first off the line — and have had a few fairly minor problems. Early on, the manual mode of the tiptronic transmission conked out (faulty switch on the gearshift). The tire pressure monitor also putzed out about a year in, and one of my headlights bit the dust due to an electrical problem about 6 months ago. It’s been my first “new car” experience, so I have little to compare it to, but everything was covered under warranty and the dealership did a good job of taking care of things. They used to even put in a full tank of gas after the repairs, until gas prices skyrocketed. But there’s always a nice new Jetta or Passat loaner car waiting for me when I drop it off, which made the inconvenience factor minimal. When my lease is up, I will look at VW again, for sure — no guarantees I’ll buy it again, of course, because there might be something better on the auto landscape in November of 2007. But I’m certainly not ruling VW out.
Yeah, that makes a major difference in the experience, Andrew. Most WILL have a problem or three with their cars, no matter what the make. A great dealership experience and warranty coverage differentiates between the companies who care about their customers and those who don’t so much.
I have a 2006 Treg and absolutely love it. There were some problems with the finnish on the leather console and it was replaced. No electrical issues as yet, knock wood.
I do have to say that Montesi Volkswagen in Hamden, CT. is awful with their services and I’ve met several VW drivers who have dealt with them who say the same thing. Montesi is not the only dealership with a bad reputation. Volkswagen USA hasn’t lived up to the luxury status they desire not because of electrical issues but because their dealerships and mechanic shops aren’t staffed to cater to a luxury customer.
Unlike BMW, mercedes, etc. who know what a luxury customer wants from service, VW is used to dealing with 20 somethings with a little extra cash to buy a VW instead of a Honda.
The Touareg offers better styling and quantity of fine materials than both BMW and Mercedes as well as a cheaper price tag. I got mine, with the leather upgrade for $35,000. I dare anyone to get a luxury SUV for that price. Also, it kicks ass on the road, to find performance faults you really have to split hairs. It has a great feel inside, with a mix of classic lines and sleek technocrat elements driving at night can feel like you’re in some zen spacecraft. The only thing missing is a spa. It has great lighting on the inside and no unnecessary breaks in form to create design interest.
I can’t say the same about BMW and Mercedes. Both their SUVs have too many swooshing lines and angles cut into the design. They feel like cars from the 1980s but turned up a notch. They will look dated and ugly in a few years, if not already and the overall driving experience (performance, look, feel), is mediocre at best.
Does that say it or what?
Good points Mike. I’ve questioned VW’s devotion to the luxury class for awhile now, and I TOTALLY agree with you on the service front. I’m glad to have a few people dispute such a damaging attack from Consumer Reports.
We are always interested to hear people’s thoughts on the Touareg and other higher class VW cars, as we ourselves all drive vehicles from the lower teir. If you’d like to write us and tell the good, bad and in-between about your rides, we’ll always read it!
My dealership has been great to me — Rusty Wallis in Garland (right outside of Dallas). They keep me informed, are clean, and take care of things quickly. My complaint about them? The cost. $85 for an oil change. $85 FOR AN OIL CHANGE! I’d rather take my car to the dealership, but it’s hard to justify spending $60 more than every other lube shop on earth. Maybe I’m being a cheapskate, but that on top of the expensive scheduled maintenance costs kind of chaps my hide.
But the ride itself is awesome. Like Mike said, it’s unbelievable and at a far better price than the BMW. What’s standard on the VW is way up in optionland for the BMW. I got mine for $34,000 with the upgraded leather, upgraded stereo, and Xenon headlines back in 2003, and VW has done a great job of trying to keep me as a customer.
I used to drive a Nissan Pathfinder — and I’m never going back. The Touareg drives like a sports car. It hugs turns, has tight steering, and good pickup for a big vehicle. The Pathfinder had the turning radius of an 18 wheeler, couldn’t corner, and it felt like I was driving a truck. The Touareg feels like I’m driving a sports car, but with the advantages of an SUV (and the disadvantages, of course — namely the gas.)
My one big pet peeve? The CD player blows. Like, really blows. My buddy has a new 2006 Passat, and it looks like they upgraded the CD player — thankfully. The buttons stick, the player tends to eat my CDs and then not be able to spit it out (I have to go digging with a bent paperclip to get them out), and sometimes hitting “next track” once will do nothing, other times it will advance 2 or 3 tracks, and the same goes for “previous track.” It’s a little thing that it looks like they corrected, but definitely a “non-luxury” aspect of my experience!
That, and I want one of those little coin organizers, and a dedicated sunglasses holder. But now I’m getting greedy.
I own a 2006 Touareg V6. I just received a very unpleasant phone call form the dealership service shop. My break maintenance cost is $1850!!!
Front and rear pads, sensors and rotors. Unbelievable…. I *never* expected to have maintenance costs like that. I have never paid a few hundred dollars for basic break maintenance. This vehicle has ONLY 38,450 miles on it. Shocking— I will dump this vehicle the first chance I get. Prepare yourself for the hidden costs of owning this vehicle.
Wow - is it out of warranty? That’s absolutely absurd. I’d get onto the horn with Volkswagen of America right away.
Hey David, did they give you a list of what was done, like maybe replace your transmission while they were at it? lol That sucks man. I would try to fight that somehow by contacting Volkswagen of America. Sounds like that dealer is trying to take you to the cleaners and back, then back to the cleaners again.
Hey David,
I have a 2006 Touareg. First my dealeship has been great in responding to my problems so I am a satisfied customer of the dealership. So far in about two years:
1. Engine light came on at 6,000 miles while on a trip back from Chicago. Ignition wires were defective and had to be replaced. (Under warranty). VW national service, when I called, said I could have a rental car at their expense, except that the car they tried to give me was about 1/2 the size of my fully loaded Touareg. I upgraded so I could get home).
2. Engine was hesitating and was misfiring even after the ignition wires were replaced. The dealership admitted that VW knew of the problem but did not have solution to it when the car was manufactured. Eventually, the dealership got a flash memory from VW to correct the program. This took over four months to get it repaired. (Warranty)
3. Headlights, which supposedly automatically adjust as you drive, were blinding everyone. There was a bad sensor which had to be replaced. (Warranty)
4. With 26,000 miles on the car, I am just finding out that I was “lucky” ot get that many miles on performance tires on the Touareg. So, I now get to spend $800-$900 replacing the tires. VW of course is not responsible, Perelli tires is not responsible as VW put performance tires on an SUV vehicle. Basically, I am out of luck.
5. Breaks squeak routinely and from what I am hearing from other owners, I will need new breaks in about another 10,000 miles.
Love the cars looks, ride, comfort and I have a good dealer who works with me. I currrently own four VW’s, and this is the first VW that I would not recommend to others. I may just garage it now and drive my 96 Jetta until the wheels fall off.