Is The 2019 Touareg Good Enough To Be Considered The Poor Man's Bentayga?

A poor man cannot afford a Touareg.

You are absolutely correct. I do love this new Touareg but the price is just crazy.

Agreed +100. A new '16 Touareg TDI or V6 is nearly $65k today. Hardly a "poor man's" pricing range. However, cheap when compared to the Cayenne, Q7, & definitely the Bentayga. Still cost way more than the larger new Atlas CUV despite being noticeably smaller.

The Touareg still has a clean upscale exterior design with good proportions. And the interior is nice as well - not overdone. But I don't think it has the all-conditions-capable AWD system the early models had. Still plenty capable though.

Looks nice, but then it will cost too much for VW and people started to go to Audi. VW failed again.

I won't ever buy an Audi again, because my dealer experience was terrible. But I'd go back to VW gladly when they have a model I want to buy. The only reason I'm in an Outback is because my dealer (who sells Toyota, VW and Subaru) couldn't get their hands on a Tiguan SEL Premium when I needed it. Would have taken a factory order, and I had to get rid of the Audi because of oil consumption.

Is the Audi dealer NOT co-branded with VW there?

The Atlas simply is a better vehicle for the large segment.

Matt: in my area, the Audi dealer in Fife WA also has Mercedes and Porsche on the same property. Their VW lot is many miles away in south Tacoma. But I don't deal with that particular dealer at all. I go 15 miles in the opposite direction to Bellevue for my VW and Subaru dealer. Been dealing with them for almost 20 years and strongly support them because of the way I've always been treated.

Porsche-Audi/Mercedes in one dealer is nice if you can get it.

Matt. In our area VW and Audi are at separate dealerships at separate sites per Audi requirements. The VW dealer we dealt with wouldn't spring for the new Audi site and sold the franchise. Shortly thereafter Dieselgate hit. Stellar timing!

I still like the Touareg too. And would happily take a V8 version over a comparable Cayenne. It's just priced too high.

Remember, VW made the ill-fated Phaeton, trying to break into the luxury space. The biggest challenges were:
- It's a VW
- Luxury buyers don't think "VW" and "luxury" in the same sentense
- There are precious few die-hard VW fans who have deep enough pockets for a Phaeton

The Phaeton failed twice: Original launch, plus relauch (attempted revival/come-back).

Keep this in mind, VW, when you aim to make VW luxury vehicles.

This Touareg is pretty sweet - unfortunately for all the reasons mentioned, it will be a no-go in the US market. The VW Atlas is much better for US.

I have test driven the Atlas and find it to be great for what it is - heads and shoulders above Highlander, Pilot, MDX, Pathfinder, GX460, and the POS that Infiniti sells (QX60?) in this price bracket.

I think VW can effectively chase some more profits by plopping in the 292-HP Golf R turbo 4 or else the 252-HP version from the Q7 (instead of the 235HP that is standard and also in lieu of the 276-HP W6 that kinda sucks); add a much fancier interior (i.e. seat upholstery) and some real wood veneer and call it the Atlas Luxus (to play on German Heritage); maybe some special colors; and charge $62,000 for the whole thing fully loaded. It would do very well and generate fat profit margins.

The VW 6 year, 72,000 mile warranty seals the deal.

Atlas' two problems are (a) engine choices and (b) interior seat appearance - both can be easily addressed. It is an excellent package.

The Touareg interior is nice for a non-luxury (albeit upscale) vehicle. I bet more consumers would've interested if there was a selection of more powerful (& more efficient) engines & a sport-oriented R-line at the top end trim. US tastes are toward $50k-$70k larger/heavier vehicle - so assume more powerful. Ford has the best options that include their EcoBoost line of engines that fit those expectations.

The poor man cannot afford mst large SUVs these days. And the fact is - the Bentayga is for people who are more than just Rich as well

Certainly looks better than the Bentley. The only thing left for VW to come to terms with is that "VW" will never command luxury SUV pricing.

Bingo. Even with the "affordable" Tiguan and Atlas, they still don't fully grasp that they are a brand hoping one day to have Toyota's quality, reliability, volume in the US market, and pricing.

I'm assuming the Audi Q8 & the newest Touareg are using the same modular platform points. Still will be too expensive for a (larger) midsize SUV - if it were sold in the US anymore.

Looking at the video review, the 2019 Touareg has a ton of really nice features. It's like what I'd expect Lexus to be selling....today. It could sit b/t the LX & GX in the lineup. I'd take the new Touareg over the RX/GX any day. I imagine the V6 TDI has plenty of torque for towing. And the tow-hook feature is really cool too.

VW pricing is exorbitant. I priced a new GTI which came in at over $35,000. And that was not the R model which was $42,500. NUTS! VW is pricing themselves out of reach.