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Touareg?

Really dumb name.

Worse than Passat.

Wouldn’t want Volkswagen to have a hand in naming the kids!

The ’04 Touareg (tour-reg) went on sale last month as the newest member of the VW stable.

VW calls it a sport-utility even though it more closely resembles a crossover between sport-ute and wagon and looks like a member of the Chrysler Pacifica genre.

To save both money and time, Touareg was developed in cooperation with Porsche, which got its own version called Cayenne (Transportation, July 13). Thankfully, the Germans are better at engineering motor vehicles than they are at naming them.

Though Cayenne/Touareg share platforms, they have different and distinct characters.

Cayenne is the 0-to-60 performance machine with suspension tuned for optimum handling, a vehicle designed to spit exhaust in the grilles of BMW X5s. Cayenne comes with only one engine, a 4.5-liter V-8 in 340-horsepower or turbocharged 450-h.p. form.

Touareg offers more refined than raw power and comes with a suspension tuned more for smooth ride than aggressive handling. Yet at the same time it’s a machine designed to be at home on or off the road. Range Rover was the target vehicle for off-road capabilities.

“Cayenne is more on-road performance while we went for a balance of on-/off-road usage,” said VW spokesman Steve Keyes. “Touareg is very off-road and extreme-trail capable.”

“We’ve always found that when people leave our franchise they go for more upscale cars or SUVs,” Keyes said.

Touareg will temporarily fill the gap left by dropping the EuroVan for ’04, though VW said when the Microbus replacement for the EuroVan comes out in ’06, Touareg will stay in the lineup.

Touareg offers a choice of two engines, a new 3.2-liter, 220-h.p. V-6 that eventually will be offered in other VWs, and a 4.2-liter, 310-h.p. V-8 borrowed from the Audi A8 sedan.

Touareg comes with a 6-speed automatic teamed with Tiptronic that allows for clutchless manual shifting. The mileage rating is only 15 m.p.g. city/20 m.p.g. highway, the reason a 26.4-gallon fuel tank is standard.

As a subtle reminder of the difference in both image and character between Touareg and Cayenne, when you slip behind the wheel of the VW, a decal in the instrument panel warns that the standard 17-inch radials (18-inch are standard and 19-inch optional with the V-8) are speed rated up to only 130 m.p.h. The Porsche doesn’t carry such a decal. Of course, you’d never get the Touareg up to 130 m.p.h. anyway, but it’s the thought that counts.

We tested Touareg with the V-6–and decal.

While Porsche and VW took pains to offer very different front ends, the side profiles of the two are rather similar. The belt line (where the sheet metal reaches the side windows) stands high on both, a design feature to make occupants fee l more protected inside the cabin.

The greenhouse, the glass from the belt line on up, also stands high, which is good because not only does it add to the styling and look of room inside, but it also provides very good visibility front, side, and rear.

The Chrysler Pacifica, by comparison, has a tall belt line and low greenhouse, a look that appears to sacrifice interior room. While Chrysler calls Pacifica a crossover and VW says Touareg is a sport-ute, the two sure look like they compete in the same segment.

The 4-door Touareg features two rows of seats to hold any combination of adults and children that adds up to 5. The cargo hold is generous and comes with a pull shade to hide contents, though we’d appreciate a less wiggly and quicker-to-fasten shade.

Some may gripe that three rows of seats would better handle larger families with child safety seats. VW responds that a longer Touareg is not planned, but if you can wait a few years until the concept Audi Pikes Peak becomes reality, demands for more people capacity will be realized. The Pikes Peak, by the way, is built off the same platform as Touareg.

If VW feels it’s OK to ask folks to wait for a third-row seat, we feel it’s OK to ask that in the interim, the second-row seat back and bottom be softened to make the wait more pleasant.

And, as long as we’re on gripes, when you lift the top of the center console armrest a huge cupholder pops up big enough to hold at least 64 ounces of any beverage you and your bladder can handle. Unfortunately, once the beverage is consumed, getting the cupholder to fold so you can close the armrest is next to impossible.

Touareg features full-time all-wheel-drive in which torque is directed front to rear automatically based on need at the time. With optional locking rear differential ($550) you can set the system to “low,” which automatically locks the rear differential for more strenuous off-roading. Since Touareg is meant to be taken off road, it has 1 inch more ground clearance than Cayenne.

On road, you can get optional air suspension ($2,300) that automatically adjusts shock settings based on road surface and vehicle speed to smooth the ride.

On or off road, Hill-Roll Back Control and Hill Descent Control are standard. Hill-Roll Back automatically locks the gear box on steep inclines to keep you from rolling backward, and Hill Descent Control automatically reduces engine torque and/or applies the brakes during slow, steep descents.

Also standard: four-wheel anti-lock brakes and a traction control system that prevents wheel spin on snow or loose ground through braking and/or torque management. That means security on or off road.

Nice or novel touches include easy-to-reach and -use fuel-filler door/hatchlid release buttons in the driver’s door; second-row seat bottoms that flip forward and seat backs that fold flat (after headrests are removed) to expand the cargo hold; stowage trays in the dash top for change and/or cellphone; heat-reflective glass in all windows; and, in the event of air bag deployment, all doors automatically unlock and the fuel supply is shut off.

Standard equipment not previously noted includes AM/FM radio with CD player, trip computer, automatic headlights, steering-wheel-mounted cruise/audio controls, heated front seats, roof rack, rain-sensing wipers, front and side-impact air bags as well as side air-bag curtains for both rows of seats, redundant turn indicator lights in the outside mirrors, power sunroof, rear window washer/wiper/defroster, air conditioning and power windows/locks.

Base price is $34,900. Options are pricey, such as $2,200 for a premium package with such features as upgraded leather trim and power folding mirrors, a $2,350 navigation system , the $2,300 air suspension, $600 electronic parking assist (beeps when too close to an object ahead or behind when parking), and $750 Xenon headlamps.

With the V-8 edition, which starts at $40,700 or $5,800 more than the V-6, the premium package runs $7,000, but includes the navigation system, Xenon headlamps, air suspension and upgrade leather interior.

VW expects to sell 25,000 Touaregs in the U.S. this year, 40,000 annually starting next year.

TEST DRIVE

2004 Volkswagen Touareg.

Wheelbase: 112.4 inches

Length: 187.2 inches

Engine: 3.2-liter, 220-h.p. V-6

Transmission: 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic

Fuel economy: 15 m.p.g. city/20 m.p.g. highway

Base price: $34,900.

Price as tested: $40,750. Includes $2,200 for premium package with leather trim, 12-way power seats (driver’s side memory), heated power folding mirrors, center console wood trim, and front sliding armrest; $2,350 for navigation system; $750 for Xenon headlamps and $550 for differential lock. Add $615 for freight.

Pluses: Stylish, roomy sport-ute though you may consider it an SUV/wagon crossover. Above average ride. Ample power from V-6. Full-time all-wheel-drive for all-season motoring with optional locking differential if needed to get out of really tough situations. Spacious cargo hold. V-8 optional for those who need more power.

Minuses: Really dumb name. Try getting pop-out 64-ounce cupholder back into console. Stiff second row seats.