As a follow up to my previous email, my brakes were finally replaced at 48,000 just yesterday. My dealership indicated that this total was common and it was not out of the ordinary. Other than the usual items mentioned above, overall the car has been a great ride.

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.

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.

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!

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?