[urq] NAC: Touareg V10 road test... still smiling a day later

[Louis-Alain_Richard at computerhorizons.com]

Hi all,

I am taking this opportunity to jump in and talk a little about, guess 
what?, the Touareg V10 TDI.

Yesterday, we had the opportunity, Brady and I, to drive the V10 Touareg 
for half a day.

Impressions?

Nothing short of "totally amazing" comes to my mind right now. This truck 
is a monster, and the V10 is the sweetest engine I drove, and yes I am 
talking of a diesel engine.

You know how you feeled when you drove your first real powerful engine?

Then, you now know how big we were amazed yesterday when I floored the 
throttle for the first time. The nose of the truck point 20 degrees up, 
some tires are searching for traction (and yes it's a full time 4wd), and 
the truck goes like hell! No fuss, no waiting, just Go! with a capital G.
This engine is so powerful, it behaves exactly like an old american 
big-block V8, all torque, right now. The sound is very similar too. Yes 
there is turbo lag, but it's more like half a second. 
And the most amazing thing is the throttle response: in neutral, you won't 
beleive me, but this TDI wants to revs like a japanese sport bike. No 
flywheel mass, no inertia, it's like a race engine. Brapp, brapp, brapp... 
 It's just amazing.

Compared to my urQuattro? I will not provoke any TDI V10 if I see one, i 
swear. Way to scary to lose a fight with a gorilla.

After driving it for a day, I can't see why anybody will buy the V8. Heck, 
the 0-60 time is around 7 second. This is a diesel, for krysake! No noise, 
no smell, 308 horses at 3750, 553 ft-lbs at 2000, why do you want a V8? 
Idle is 600 rpm and cruising is 1200 rpm. And if you want to pass: floor 
it, transmission drops 2 or 3 gears and the truck accelerates like a 
sportscar. In fact, the V10's 200 ft-lb of torque over the V8 are more 
impressing when passing than from a standing start. 

Ah yes, the beast costs 103 000$CAN (+16 000$ of sales taxes!), that is 11 
000$ more than the V8 with comparable equipment, i forgot to tell you. 
Ouch.

At the end of the day, after showing the truck to 2 other gearheads (both 
were real surprised too...), we stopped for fuel. 32 liters for around 200 
km, this translate to 16l/100 km, that is 15 mpg for a 6000 lbs truck 
going wide-open-throttle each time the road cleared. Not bad at all, if I 
compare to my own car.

I wonder how much these will go after a 4 year lease...

Damn, it is really a strange world: me speaking with envy of a 
compression-spark engine... 
At least it's "kind of" an inline 5 design and it has turbos...

Louis-Alain Richard
there might be a TDI in my future...





Steve R <srosen at starxray.com> 
Sent by: quattro-bounces at audifans.com
2004-07-19 16:00
Please respond to
Steve R <srosen at starxray.com>


To
audi group <quattro at audifans.com>
cc

Subject
Re: allroad tire recomendation






I think the biggest culprit is the air suspension as Brett says but how
would that cause the dead steering feel? Is the steeirng system different 
on
the Allroad? Personally speaking, I wanted the car cause it sat higher. At
the time the Toureg wasn't out yet. It' still not available with the 10 
cyl
turbo diesel by me yet.

I will check the Audi site tonight