As I exit my home tired from the sleepless night I am only awakened by the falling drops of cool rain from above. See, my bedroom has two large skylights that amplify the sound of rain about a thousand times. It rained so hard the night before, one could only rest with corks plugged in each ear. Corks were in short supply, so I had to tough it out.

Entering the Touareg was an extreme delight filled with luxury and quality. Nothing was installed just for appearance as every option in this fully loaded example had a great purpose of either form or function. All of this would come into play as I do my daily 35 mile commute to the office. It was a rare, extremely wet day in Southern California and as most of the nation likes to jab us for not being able to drive in inclimate weather this seemed to be the this early drive. I counted at least 10 different accidents within the duration of my drive. Each step of the way the Touraeg felt very sure footed and comfortable. Through deepest water the vehicle never hydroplaned nor lost control.

The Test vehicle was a fully loaded v8 model with what seemed to be every option available. Again all features on the vehicle might seem overkill until you finally use these and discover that all option serve a great purpose and work very well. Even the steering wheel heater was an very useful feature that I instantly missed once the car was gone.

The 4.2 liter V8 matched perfectly with the 4X Motion 6-speed automatic transmission  offered more than enough power to move the Touraeg out of any situation and seemingly enough to tow plenty of payload as well. The adjustable air ride suspension is a very worthwhile option as well. This enable you to raise or lower the ride height of the vehicle at the touch of a button in addition would self adjust height to hiway speed as well. The four place climate control as well as the individual seat warmers were yet another feature that the competition should catch up to. People will pay for sensible luxury options if there easy to use and make sense.

We used this test as a comparison to the other European offerings within this class. I personally own one of these "other" brands and hope soon to "upgrade" to a Touareg!

As far as overall looks there might be some competition there with one brand. The Touareg is a very modern SUV with the appearance of a high end vehicle more so than an inexpensive substitute. All angles facilitate a purpose and flow perfectly with the body lines and features integrated. The headlamps and grille work are some of the best designs in the automotive world. Our test car offered a nicely appointed brushed silver roof rack that was completely adjustable within it’s low profile track system. Very useful for hauling necessary water toys, bicycles etc… and an important note is the racks are sturdy enough to secure these items with confidence. The utilitarian function of the Touareg is defiantly only out weighed by the sheer pleasure of the driving experience in whole.