What do you all think?

There was a huge ad in the back of the Age Goodweekend this week

It arrives in September

http://www.volkswagen.com.au/site/home/

Not rich enough to buy one & would rather a 60's Beetle anyway!
Rob.....

Fair enough, I love seeing all the old VW's on the road as well:kiss

I reckon there are more old VW out there on the road than any other car make

You just see so many every day, or we do down here in Melbourne

V10 turbo diesel with over 700nm of torque, mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Hi Jenz
In sydney (when I was still there) we used to call people who bought things like this Pitt street farmer's, or Yuppie's, in Melbourne, I belive you call them Collin's street farmers, no doubting they are a good vehical, but not my cup of tea!
Rob....

They are actually selling this as the first VW four wheel drive. Just goes to show you how much they know of the brand.

Im sure all those Synchro owners will be happy to know that those front driveshafts arent doing anything.

I think its a rebadged reworked pile of junk porsche anyway isnt it?

Hi Amazer
Two very good points!:thumb:thumb:thumb
Rob......

Well the post was designed to bring about discussion:thumb

I'm not a 4WDer, we call them Toorak cowboys here. Lot's of rich mum's driving thier kids to school in them, and they look like they've seen a dirt road in their lives:o

I like to old army style Land Rovers if I was to go 4WD. Love the old, so much character:thumb

I read on jenz link that it has doorseals designed to prevent water ingress. I would hope that all cars doorseals would attempt that amazing feat. And its got sealed driveshafts. Which is funny cos so has my 1956 type 1. and my 1974 type 2. and my 1997 mitsubishi.

Quote:

Originally posted by jenz58 I like to old army style Land Rovers if I was to go 4WD. Love the old, so much character:thumb

Wah, so they are only carrying on a tradition in design features

It's used to be so much fun rolling around in the back of old vans and things, or sitting on the tray of a 4WD. Where has all the fun and discomfort gone?

OK I know about safety features, but.....

I'm just not a new car person:thumb

From the aformentioned site


PRESS RELEASE
30 April 2003
TOUAREG WINS CAR and DRIVER LUXURY SUV AWARD
Volkswagen’s Touareg has won the Luxury SUV Of The Year Award from North America’s top-selling
monthly automotive magazine Car and Driver.
In awarding Volkswagen’s historic first SUV, the Car and Driver jury said: “There are SUVs that are
fast, with similarly precise handling. Others are as powerful off-road and as comfortable as the
Touareg. But very few combine every characteristic as impressively as the Volkswagen.”
The Luxury SUV category, easily won by the Volkswagen Touareg, was part of the Car and Driver
annual ‘5 Best Trucks’ poll.
In snaring what is probably the world’s most prestigious SUV award, the Touareg accounted for the
category’s defending champion, the Range Rover. Other contenders left eating the Touareg’s dust in
the poll were the Lexus GX470 and Volvo XC90.
Volkswagen Group Australia will launch the Touareg locally on 1 October with a choice of three engines
– 3.2-litre V6, 4.2-litre V8 (both petrol) and the 750Nm/230kW 5.0-litre V10 twin-turbo diesel.

Commenting on the Car and Driver award, Volkswagen Group Australia’s Managing Director, Mr Peter
Nochar, said: “The Car and Driver Luxury SUV Of The Year Award has been particularly well-received
by our parent company in Germany because the Americans are the acknowledged ‘SUV World
Champions’ and obviously success in the North American market is crucial for our company’s first-ever
SUV.”
Mr Nochar added that from a global perspective, Volkswagen’s defeat of the Range Rover, Lexus and
Volvo was also significant: “The Range Rover has until now been perceived as the worldwide category
benchmark so there seems no doubt that the Car and Driver award will translate into other similar
awards throughout the world.”

Hey Amazer, I think they are refering to 4WD as opposed to 'AWD'.
Syncro's, along with many 'AWD' vehicles drive the secondary axle through a form of torque converter (each manufacturer has their own system), so they only drive when there is a speed difference between the axles.
A 4WD drives each axle all the time through a fixed gear system (again can vary), which is why you have to disengage them on the road.
Each has their advantage/disadvantage of course.
The Syncro also used borrowed technology and were made in a different factory.

As for buying one, it's way down the list of what I will get with the lotto money

I seem to recall that schwimm wagens were 4 wheel drive too

Do you think their owners will wave to us????:o

Not likely!
I used to wave to those new transporters, gave up after 6 months, with a nil strike rate!

Rob...

Yeh, they don't do they. Jay and I were talking about it today as we drove around.

Some of them just shouldn't be driving VW's cos they look so miserable, and just don't appreciate them. Have this image now is a sour looking woman driving a Golf today:jesus

I spose it mostly comes down to the old if you have to work your but off to get it adage, you appreciate it more. I spose those of us that have our old vehicals have a special bond with them that only we understand, we ARE Volkswagen people, they buy them for function, not love! and it's just a form of conveyence for them, it could well have been a toyota or holden.
Rob......

yeah they gotthe 'first 4WD' thing wrong, didn;t they. They've had Golf and passat (I think) AWDs in the past, as well as Syncros and Schwimms. I've driven the V8 Porsche Pepper and it ain't as good as it should be, unfortunatley. The VW has different engines and suspension tune, so it may be better - or worse...

The VW sure looks better than the porsche, think the prosche looks ugly.

Saw a review on this car on the tele (bris 31 motor magazine) a little while back and they took it through its paces offroad.

It looked pretty impressive driving on 3 wheels, too good of a car to keep on the road. Looks like thay buillt it to go offroad further than the latest trend of soft offroaders.

Just remember the synchro dual cab was voted best 4wd of the year by offroad magazine in the mid eighties, beating landcruisers, patrols and pajeros.

I rekon the touareg looks heaps better than the Cayenne (i saw a Cayenne Turbo on Grevile St 2 minutes after i saw a Cayenne S as well!) It may be more restained in the styling, but it suits the character and the stance it has.... the Porsche looks a bit like the Paris-Dakar Rally 959 they jacked up way back when...

and no, i dont know why i need 450hp to drop the kids off to school... 450hp to get to Apollo Bay in an hour though... suddenly it makes a bit more sense... but then, i'd rather an 993 911 cab innit? or a old skool beetle cab:thumb

700Nm would make changing gears a bit of an option... just use 2nd and 4th i think!

After driving the V10 I can tell you the torque is amazing.:thumb , and so is the price :puke

Hi

VW won the Overlander magazine Australian 4WD of the Year Award in 1990 with the Volkswagen T3 Syncro Kombi

VW also make the Type 183 Iltis 4x4 it won the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1980.

Only a mother could love this car,


When looking to update my old Audi 200 turbo last year, I looked at A4s etc, but I bought a Toyota Prado Grande, its light years in some areas behind my old 1987 Audi, but its suits my needs very well now, camping, towing and carrying lots of kids (cubs & scouts), Im happy with its on & off road behaviour, it gets around 13-15 litres per 100 around town. When the Prado is a bit older I might look at the Tourag, but they would have had to lift there game a bit though after some of there other recent efforts, Golfs, NBs & T4s.

1302Steve

KEWL, I'd love it:thumb

Hey I'm maternal