After test driving a new Volkswagen Touareg yesterday, I have even more respect for the brand than I did before. I have always thought of VW as a go-to brand for people who want German engineering and performance but don’t want to pay for an Audi. It is hard to argue with a V-10 turbo diesel rocket ship-of a vehicle that felt more like a sports-car than an SUV to drive. Granted, $70,000 is a lot to pay for an SUV, but I imagine the new Touareg still towers above the new Range Rover Sport in the performance-to-price price category– it sure did turn in impressive performances at Dakar and the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb this year. To continue their already impressive engineering track record, Volkswagen just spent $39 million on a new harsh weather testing facility. They can now put their vehicles through temperatures ranging from -40 to 302 degrees Fahrenheit and simulate direct sunlight and soaking humidity. One thing’s for sure: the people at VW are serious about engineering top-quality automobiles.
Via Gizmodo