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05/25/18
Wolfsburg
Technology
Story

What a work horse!

The new Touareg¹ is perfect for towing.

He turned his passion for cars into his profession. Dr Friedbert Weizenecker, freelance car journalist and publisher of “Der-Autotester.de”, tried out the new Touareg for us. This is his report, which is devoted to the technical innovations in the new Volkswagen flagship. Today he looks, among other details, especially at the “trailer assist”.

“Anyone who has to tow heavy loads, or would like to, appreciates a vehicle which does more than just look good and have plenty of space for passengers and baggage. Whether you have a huge horse trailer or a voluminous caravan to pull – you need something extra when driving a rig!

Namely, a powerful engine with plenty of torque that can really pull things. In the case of the new Touareg, that is a nearly unimaginable 3.5 tonnes. An eight per cent grade with 3.5 tonnes in tow is easy as pie for the Touareg. Even mountain goats watch in envy. And when your vehicle can help you manoeuvre, making child’s play of towing a trainer even for novices, you’re a winner with the Touareg.

A trailer load of 3.5 tonnes and a new towing bracket
Volkswagen is offering the optimal engine right from the start: the V6 TDI produces 210 kW (286 PS) and a powerful 600 Newton-metres! Combined with all-wheel drive and a smooth eight-speed automatic gearbox, the Touareg can pull the heaviest loads in the large-SUV segment. And of course it fulfils the newest exhaust emissions standard, the Euro 6d-TEMP.

Trailer Assist makes child’s play of manoeuvring with a trailer
Trailer Assist does only the steering for the driver. Actually, when driving backwards with a trailer, the driver must turn the wheel to the left when the trailer is supposed to turn to the right and vise versa. But how does it work in practice? I drove the Touareg with a trailer and tested the Trailer Assist.

To manoeuvre the vehicle and trailer backwards, the driver stops behind the opening to the parking space and engages reverse gear. The system is activated by pressing the Park-Assist button.

The display now shows the joystick for adjusting the mirrors. The driver receives a message how he can select the desired steering angle. As soon as he moves the switch, a symbol with a trailer appears in the display. The display indicates the current trailer angle as well as the new angle set by the driver. The driver then uses the exterior-mirror switch to set the direction he wants the trailer to go, and Trailer Assist uses the specified steering angle. The automatic alignment of the vehicle and trailer is performed by the Park Assist control unit using the electromechanical power steering. During the manoeuvres, the driver selects the trailer angle (up to 75°) in order to turn in a specified direction while backing or to drive in a curve.

As soon as the trailer is aligned in the direction of the goal, the driver pulls back on the exterior-mirror switch.
Now the vehicle and trailer back up without requiring any correction.

Personally, I haven’t had much experience driving or manoeuvring vehicles with trailers. So the thought of parking with a trailer was a horror for me. And now? On just the third attempt with the Touareg Trailer Assist, “I” managed to position the stylish Touareg with the huge horse trailer perfectly in a parking space. And if I can do it, so can you, once you have familiarised yourself with this very helpful system. Give it a try!

Luckily, no one knows that you’re not really a king of the road. Modern technology can be a fine thing.”

Dr. Friedbert Weizenecker

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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.