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03/01/18
Wolfsburg
Models

Ready for the customer

Story: Ready for the customer
On "approval test run" with the new VW Touareg.

On "approval test run" with the new Touareg

Poor roads, rough terrain, hardly anyone around. At first glance, the area around the Spanish town of Saragossa is not terribly inviting. In other words: the perfect environment for extensive test drives in a car that's still secret. And not supposed to be photographed.

This means that the testers and engineers here did not need to put too much effort into masking the car. Beneath the partial camouflage, therefore, the new Touareg is quite recognisable. In four months, this third model generation will arrive at German dealers. In the province of Aragon, the SUV flagship completed its last test drives, called "approval test run" by the engineers.

The pre-series vehicles were already on the road in cold and hot regions. Eventually, they will have covered more than three million kilometres. Then the SUV is ready for the customer.

Through tight corners like a Golf

Everyone involved here is convinced of the quality of the vehicle: "Let it run, it can do it," encourages Karsten Schebsdat, Head of Driving Dynamics, from the passenger seat to the test driver. Despite his objectivity and quiet demeanour, he is visibly proud of what "his" Touareg is able to do. For example, steering around extremely narrow bends, almost like a Golf.

While on the road, Schebsdat repeatedly invites the driver to try out different driving modes, in order to experience the huge spread of the chassis. Bumpy sections are traversed sometime in comfort mode, sometimes in sport mode. "You don't even notice the poor road surface, do you?"

No, I certainly don't, at least less than I expected. That is due not least to the new stabilisers on the front and rear axles. In contrast to a conventional steel stabiliser, the separated stabilisers can be adjusted actively or also be separated and thus reduce the lateral tilt of the Touareg to almost zero.

As well as the new stabilising system, rear axle steering is also on board for the first time. At higher speeds, this gives the Touareg greater agility in bends and more directional stability. At speeds slower than 37 km/h, the rear wheels take the opposite direction to the front wheels, thus easing manoeuvring. The fact that this reduces the turning radius from 12.20 metres to 11.13 compared to the previous model, is perhaps not so important out here in the wild. But the Touareg customers will soon appreciate this innovation during the first visit to the car park.

Testdrive-Marathon

There are 17 more weeks until market launch – enough time for the last fine tuning, which, under the Spanish winter sun, is not limited to the chassis and steering. The high degree of interconnectivity, above all, constantly presents new challenges to the testers and developers. Each change can have an impact on other systems: some things can be managed by means of a software update, but that in turn leads to changes elsewhere. In this manner, many functions were tested and possible errors removed.

This effort is absolutely necessary: "Right away, from the introduction in 2002, the vehicle established itself as a premium SUV," explains head of model-development Jochen Brüning. The new generation aims to reinforce – and improve – this position. Andreas Reckewerth, Overall Vehicle Head Developer, repeatedly undertook topic-related test drives.

For example, it took a while for the developers to program the new digital cockpit to achieve perfect handling,. Now it works fine: an advanced control centre, consisting of two 12 and 15 inch displays. They provide all the important information to the driver, as well as access to infotainment, navigation and air-conditioning control. The two screens are integrated into the instrument panel and appear as one surface. The digital displays underline the technical-cool look conveyed by the Touareg.

Alternatively, and that is also new, radiate real wood and aluminium-applications classical luxury feeling.

In any case, the volume control, finished in high-quality metal, remains analogue. "We fought vehemently for that," says head developer Reckewerth. And incidentally, it worked from the very outset.

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Products as well as Volkswagen AG distributors can be found at: www.volkswagen.de.

The specified fuel consumption and emission data have been determined according to the measurement procedures prescribed by law. Since 1st September 2017, certain new vehicles are already being type-approved according to the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), a more realistic test procedure for measuring fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Starting on September 1st 2018, the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) will be replaced by the WLTP in stages. Owing to the more realistic test conditions, the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions measured according to the WLTP will, in many cases, be higher than those measured according to the NEDC. For further information on the differences between the WLTP and NEDC, please visit www.volkswagen.de/wltp.

We are currently still required by law to state the NEDC figures. In the case of new vehicles which have been type-approved according to the WLTP, the NEDC figures are derived from the WLTP data. It is possible to specify the WLTP figures voluntarily in addition until such time as this is required by law. In cases where the NEDC figures are specified as value ranges, these do not refer to a particular individual vehicle and do not constitute part of the sales offering. They are intended exclusively as a means of comparison between different vehicle types. Additional equipment and accessories (e.g. add-on parts, different tyre formats, etc.) may change the relevant vehicle parameters, such as weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamics, and, in conjunction with weather and traffic conditions and individual driving style, may affect fuel consumption, electrical power consumption, CO2 emissions and the performance figures for the vehicle.

Further information on official fuel consumption figures and the official specific CO2 emissions of new passenger cars can be found in the “Guide on the fuel economy, CO2 emissions and power consumption of new passenger car models”, which is available free of charge at all sales dealerships and from DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH, Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, D-73760 Ostfildern, Germany and at www.dat.de.