The 2013 Volkswagen Touareg Execline TDI is VW’s most luxurious vehicle. Full of technology, ruggedness and refinement, it also has a price tag to match! The 2013 Volkswagen Touareg starts at $49,675 and includes an abundance of standard quality features for both performance and comfort. As the bigger brother to the 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan, the Touareg is sure to please those looking for a bigger, stronger yet more sophisticated SUV.
ENGINE & DRIVE
The 2013 Volkswagen Touareg TDI comes equipped with a 3.0L Turbo Diesel Injection engine outputting 240 horsepower and lots of torque (406 lb-ft) at lower RPMs. The powerful engine has a quick response time when acceleration is needed and provides a smooth and quiet ride. Pair this engine with the 8 speed automatic transmission and you achieve mileages of 10.8 L/100km in the city and 6.7 L/100km on the highway.
Having driven the 2013 Volkswagen Touareg Execline TDI for over 600kms, I attained a combined city/highway mileage of 8.8 L/100km, which is better than most small to midsize cars. I attribute this amazing gas consumption to both the diesel engine and the 8 speed transmission which allows the Touareg to travel at 100 km/h while the engine is only working at 1,600 RPM (or 1,900 RPM at 120 km/h).
INTERIOR & EXTERIOR
The smooth, clean lines of the 2013 Volkswagen Touareg Execline TDI give it a modest looking exterior at first glance. Upon further examination, one can see the Touareg is indeed a luxury vehicle that means business with its dual tone grille, chrome accents and aggressively styled dual exhaust. The Touareg Execline also features bi-xenon headlights that not only brighten a wide field of view, but also light around corners as you turn.
The luxurious interior is created using high quality materials (except for the interior door handles) and accented by chrome highlights, wood grain panels and dual tone leather seating. Sitting inside the cabin under the panoramic sunroof, the atmosphere is bright and clean and one can’t help but smile. The panoramic sunroof stretches almost the entire length of the interior and retracts for the front passengers as well.
The dash is simple and well presented with quality materials and a nice large touch screen which allows the dash to stay clutter-free from excess buttons. There’s plenty of storage space within the dash and the center console. The large touch screen also incorporates the backup camera and Park Distance Control (PDC) sensors making manoeuvrability easy and safe. One annoyance I noticed was the PDC sensors were a bit too sensitive and triggered too frequently while driving in tight spaces, parking and sometimes even driving on the road.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Despite the technology, interior luxury and marvellously engineered performance, the top of the line 2013 Volkswagen Touareg Execline TDI priced at $63,800 still seems a bit steep. With the base model missing a lot of the things that make this vehicle great (panoramic sunroof, leather seats, keyless entry/start, bi-xenon turning headlights), my recommendation is to go with the middle of the pack Touareg Highline for the best bang for your buck.
All in all the 2013 Volkswagen Touareg Execline TDI is a great SUV that has been well executed with great quality workmanship and materials, but slightly overpriced.
