There are only 41 Volkswagen Touareg R50s currently registered for road use in the UK – a fact highlighted in Top Gear’s recent feature on the car. To put that in perspective, there are more Bugatti Veyrons on British roads. If you own one, you are part of an extraordinarily small club.
But what’s it actually like to live with one? We spoke to owners in the VW Owners Club Touareg community to find out.
The first thing every owner mentions is the torque. Even knowing the numbers – 627lb ft at 2,000rpm – nothing prepares you for the physical experience. The R50 doesn’t surge forward so much as rearrange the fabric of space around it. Motorway overtakes are dispatched with a casual wave. Towing? The car barely notices a loaded trailer.
Fuel economy sits in the mid-20s mpg on a run – remarkable for what the engine is. But with a 100-litre tank, filling from empty is still a significant event at the pumps.
Reliability is a mixed picture. The V10 is robust when properly maintained but servicing is a challenge – as Top Gear’s feature describes, working on the engine is notoriously difficult in a standard engine bay. Finding a specialist who knows the R50 is half the battle, which is exactly why the VW Owners Club Touareg forum is such a valuable resource.
At around £3,500 for a good example, the R50 is arguably the most car per pound you can buy right now. Go in with eyes open, find a good specialist, and lean on the knowledge of fellow owners at VW Owners Club.