2025 Volkswagen Touareg 210TDI Elegance review

Let’s be clear. Volkswagen is a mainstream brand, and not usually considered in the same premium vein as its German counterparts from BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. Nor is it considered in the same luxury league as, say, Lexus, or even Korean brand Genesis.

But the 2025 Volkswagen Touareg takes that perception and turns it on its head. Here is a big SUV with all the hallmarks of the premium set, but at a price that undercuts them and by some margin.

This is a Volkswagen that deserves to be considered among its fellow Germans; a considered and undeniably premium large SUV that blurs the line between mainstream and luxury.

The Touareg range benefitted from a midlife update earlier this year, the German brand adding standard equipment previously only available as options, while also updating its styling inside and out.

While that would usually come with hefty price increases, the German brand has taken a different path and dropped prices across the range, despite the addition of more standard kit.

What was already an appealing package in the large SUV segment, just got a whole lot more compelling.

The Volkswagen Touareg 210TDI Elegance we have here sits one rung up the wider Touareg ladder. It’s priced from $99,990 plus on-road costs, some $8250 more affordable than the pre-updated model. And you get much more bang for fewer bucks.

Standard kit highlights run to 20-inch alloy wheels in a stylish silver and grey design, Varenna leather upholstery, heated and cooled front seats with massage function, adaptive air suspension, a 360-degree camera, and VW’s new Innovision Cockpit that blends a 15-inch infotainment touchscreen with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

There’s also wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless smartphone charging, matrix LED headlights, inbuilt satellite navigation and power-adjustable front seats.

There’s more, of course, and if you want to get the complete run-down on just how much Volkswagen has crammed into the Touareg with this update, including all the new previously optional features, you can check out our price and spec rundown here.

Adding a swag of what had previously been optional equipment means there aren’t too many extras buyers can order with their new Touareg.

The $8500 Sound and Comfort pack adds some nice-to-have but not really essential goodies, such as a premium Dynaudio sound system, four-zone climate control, heated outboard rear seats, and a head-up display.

Standalone options run to a panoramic sunroof ($3300), metallic paint ($2200) and premium metallic paint ($2700).

Our test car came with no options other than a $2200 coat of Silicone Grey metallic paint for an as-tested price of $102,190 before on-road costs or around $111,644 drive-away (in NSW).

That places the Touareg in some elite company, and favourably, certainly in terms of pricing. The entry-level Audi Q7 starts at $117,284 before on-road costs and brings the benefit of seven seats, something the Touareg can’t match, Volkswagen’s big SUV strictly a five-seater.

The BMW X5’s starting point is the $134,900 (plus on-roads) xDrive 30d xLine, while a Lexus GX550 gets underway at $116,000 before on-road costs.

Looking to more mainstream brands, $94,630 will buy an all-you-can eat Mazda CX-90 Azami, while the Genesis GV80 range starts from $128,914 before on-road costs.

Anyone who thinks Volkswagen can’t play in the premium sandpit hasn’t sat inside the Touareg. There’s a simple elegance to the cabin, a space that combines swathes of plush materials with a pleasingly ergonomic design.

Beautiful Varenna leather covers the seats, with detailed stitching and perforations that look and feel expensive. Enhancing that feeling, our test car was upholstered in a stunning two-tone light grey and grey combination dubbed Mistral. It’s a no-cost option. Standard is black Varenna leather.

Power-adjustable seats make finding the ideal driving position a cinch; a position that offers a commanding view. The seats are beautifully bolstered and comfortable, ideal for long road trips.

Practicalities up front abound – from the obligatory pair of cupholders, to door pockets that can take bottles and a large central storage bin as well as an assortment of smaller cubbies, you’ll not be left wondering where to stow your stuff.

The second row highlights the Touareg’s generous dimensions with buckets of room in all key ears – toe, knee, leg and head. The seatbacks recline, too, for some added lounging ability.

The one minor downside is the presence of a chunky transmission tunnel that eats into foot space for anyone consigned to the middle seat in row two.

Amenities run to some air vents (although no distinct climate controls) and manual sun shades on the side windows. There’s a fold-down armrest with a pair of cupholders, and like they do up front, the generous door pockets can easily accommodate bottles.

ISOFIX child seat mounts are fitted to the outboard seats, while all three seatbacks are equipped with top-tether anchors.

The second row’s generous proportions are enhanced by the lack of a third row. It’s an interesting decision to not offer the Touareg with seven seats, not even as an option. It does play into the big SUV’s premiumness, though, with generous space for all occupants a decisive selling point.

That’s further enhanced by the generous cargo area which, with five seats in use, measures in at 810 litres, expanding to 1800L with the second row folded away. The second row folds down in 60:40 split fashion, via a couple of levers in the boot.

Tie-down points and bag hooks in the cargo area keep your items nice and secure, while a blind keeps those same items away from prying eyes.

Thanks to its standard-fit air suspension, the rear of the Touareg can be lowered via buttons in the cargo area, making for an easier time of loading and unloading your gear.

A collapsible spare and inflation kit live under the boot floor.

Central to the Touareg’s in-cabin experience is a large and nicely integrated 15-inch infotainment touchscreen. It’s angled towards the driver, although remains nicely visible from the passenger seat.

It’s home to the Touareg’s key vehicle settings, as well as features like satellite navigation and AM/FM/DAB+ radio bandwidths.

Bluetooth connectivity as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration are standard, both cabled and new for this update, wireless. We used CarPlay, both cabled and wireless, and found the connection faultless, quick to pair up and with a stable connection throughout.

New for this update, too, Apple CarPlay now occupies the bulk of the screen’s real estate, which makes for a simpler and nicer user experience. Older Toauregs could only display a small-scale version of CarPlay with broad black borders.

Climate controls are also housed in the screen, but they’re helpfully permanently on display in a strip along the lower edge. While we’d love physical dials and switches, Volkswagen’s digital integration is a good one, easy to locate and use when on the move.

A 12.3-inch digital instrument display can be configured to show a wealth of information – from full-screen mapping to traditional-looking dials as well as a range of trip and driving data, there’s a range of customisation to suit all needs. It’s easy to use, too, with toggles on the steering wheel changing views and adding – or subtracting – data to show as much or as little as you need. Volkswagen’s is definitely one of the better applications of this tech in the modern automotive landscape.

Keeping devices topped up are five USB-C outlets (three in the front and two at rear) as well as a wireless smartphone charging pad.

As per ANCAP's six-year validation, the current five-star expired in December 2024, leaving the big SUV technically unrated.

That doesn't mean it instantly becomes an unsafe car, only that its safety score has expired. With ANCAP adding stricter test regines every few years older scores may not be the equivalent of a more modern score of the same value.

When tested in 2018, it scored well in all key areas: 89 per cent for adult occupant protection, 88 per cent child occupant protection, 72 per cent vulnerable road user protection, and 78 per cent for its safety assist systems.

Volkswagen has bolstered the Touareg’s active safety technologies with this update, adding reverse autonomous braking and a 360-degree camera, previously only available as part of the optional Sound and Comfort pack. Both are now standard across the range. Also new for this update is traffic sign recognition.

That’s on top of the already comprehensive list of advanced driver assist systems carried over including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping and lane-centring assist, front and rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, and driver fatigue monitoring.

The airbag count numbers eight covering both rows of occupants.

Volkswagen covers the Touareg with its standard five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is par for the course in today’s new car market.

Scheduled servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first), and under the brand’s Assured Price Servicing plan will set you back $2113 over three years/45,000km or $4114 over five years and 75,000km.

Comprehensive insurance for the flagship Touareg 210TDI Elegance runs to $2602 annually from a leading insurer.

That compares favourably when compared against the $4184 annual premium commanded by the entry-level Audi Q7, which shares much of the Touareg’s platform and powertrain.

All insurance figures are based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Volkswagen claims the Touareg 210TDI Elegance will use 7.4 litres per 100 kilometres of diesel on the combined cycle. Our week with the big family lugger spent over a variety of driving conditions – from traffic, to urban, to highway running – returned an indicated 8.6L/100km.

The fuel tank measures in at 90L.

Let’s talk nuts and bolts and the reason this sub-$100K large SUV feels like a million bucks to drive.

Powering the entire Touareg range, bar the performance-focused Touareg R, is a meaty 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

In Elegance 210TDI trim it makes a healthy 210kW and 600Nm, enough to propel the big family SUV from 0–100km/h in just 6.0 seconds, according to Volkswagen.

And straight off the bat, the Elegance feels mighty powerful. There’s an easy nature to how the big SUV moves off the line, at once effortless and smooth. Refined.

The big-six diesel under the bonnet only adds to that refinement, barely perceptible at idle and with only a hint of engine noise at urban speeds. Even out on the highway, there’s little of that tell-tale diesel clatter. Instead, the cabin remains nicely isolated from the outside world, and that includes the 3.0-litre doing the heavy lifting under the bonnet.

The Touareg 210TDI makes for a pleasing and pleasant road-trip companion. Cruising at 110km/h out on the motorway barely raises a sweat, the big SUV simply eating up the kays in quietude and comfort.

That’s underpinned by Volkswagen’s excellent standard-fit air suspension, which does a great job of cushioning the cabin from the worst of the nasties that blight our roads, while road noise is also nicely kept at bay.

The eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission is a gem too, with slick and intuitive shifts that never feel out of place or unwieldy. Simply, the transmission is good at knowing which gear is needed for almost any situation.

You can opt for manual shifts via the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, but during regular driving, you really don't need to.

While the urban environment and our nation’s motorway systems are the Touareg’s sweet spot, there’s an inherent joy to be had during some more spirited driving on some nice sections of winding rural back road.

It’s no corner carver, thanks to its size and heft, but linking a stretch of flowing bends together brings its own satisfying joy. The air suspension set to its firmest settings keeps the big SUV nicely connected to the road. Yes, there’s a sharper edge to ride comfort, but the trade-off is an almost surprisingly adept back-road tourer.

But the Touareg’s real charm lies in just how quiet and refined it remains, and in how effortless it is to drive in almost any situation. It’s the very definition of premium.

The Touareg is rated to tow a maximum of 3500kg braked and 750kg unbraked, which is pretty decent and certainly enough for a boat or caravan.

The maximum downball weight is rated at 215kg, which is a bit skinny considering its 3500kg braked towing capacity. Gross combination mass, the sum of the vehicle’s weight, any and all passengers and their stuff, as well as the weight of the trailer and the item being towed, runs to 6350kg.

The 2025 Volkswagen Touareg 210TDI Elegance certainly makes a good case for inclusion with the established premium players.

Yes, Volkswagen is a mainstream brand, but with this Touareg, the German manufacturer has demonstrated it can do premium and do it well.

Already an immensely well-equipped large SUV before this midlife update, this refreshed model is now better value than ever before. That it’s also priced more affordably than the pre-updated models is just the icing on the cake.

The big downside is the lack of a third row, which could potentially limit its appeal to a section of buyers in the segment. But for those who only need five seats, the Volkswagen Touareg is definitely worth a look.

We’ve previously suggested the mid-spec Touareg 210TDI Elegance represents the sweet spot in the range. And our week with that very spec has done little to change our opinion.

Volkswagen currently has a decent selection of stock on hand on its website. You can also find Volkswagens for sale at Drive Marketplace.

No matter which specification of Volkswagen Touareg you feel might best suit your needs, it’s worth booking in for a test drive. You can find your nearest Volkswagen dealer at this link.

If you want to stay updated with everything that's happened to the Touareg range since our review, you'll find all the latest news here.

Rob Margeit is an award-winning Australian motoring journalist and editor who has been writing about cars and motorsport for over 25 years. A former editor of Australian Auto Action, Rob’s work has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Wheels, Motor Magazine, Street Machine and Top Gear Australia. Rob’s current rides include a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a 2000 Honda HR-V Sport.

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