Mother Proof's view

Disco. Love it or hate it, you have to admit the tunes have an undeniable groove and danceable beat. This genre was at the front of my mind during my recent test of the 2008 Volkswagen Touareg 2. This SUV had me deep in funkytown, yet somehow left me wanting more. See the connection?

My journey started the first time I drove it at night. I was mesmerized by the headlights; they started out low, moved up the wall, turned outward, then inward. Cool! It made me think of one of those disco-era group dances, like the hustle. Suddenly KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Do A Little Dance” started playing in my head. (“Do a little dance, make a little love…” ha – got you too!)

Turns out, the funkadelic dance of the headlamps wasn’t just to transport me to disco-ville, it’s a systems test for one of this car’s coolest features: Dynamic Cornering headlamps. At higher speeds, the headlights adjust with the turn of the steering wheel to give more light to curves than fixed lights would. Even smarter are the Static Corner lamps that illuminate when you turn a corner at slow speeds, like turning into your driveway or onto a cross street. The light helps you negotiate corners that are otherwise difficult to see at night. Goodbye curb bumping, hello disco lights!

The disco theme continued with the red and blue ambient glow of the instruments, and got serious when I cranked up the Touareg 2’s Dynaudio sound system, which seriously rocked. I couldn’t help but turn up the music no matter what was playing – my daughter’s “High School Musical 2” obsession, my son’s Led Zeppelin obsession, or, best of all, this car’s disco theme song.

It was only when the headlamps went off and the sun came up that I stopped dancing long enough to notice some family-friendly features – as well as a few of the Touareg’s annoyances.

The kiddos had quite a view from the rear seats. While the high seatbacks and head restraints are an asset for protecting passengers from flying cargo, they limit visibility. Another backseat pleasure is the center fold-down armrest, whose cupholders are easily accessible to car-seat-bound kids. Even with two car seats back there, the backseat is roomy enough to fit a third backless booster or a large teenager if necessary. For driver convenience, the proximity key is a must-have. This optional feature allows you to keep the key in you purse and simply push a button to start the car once you (and your purse) are inside.

My complaints about the Touareg mostly involve the cargo area. A power liftgate is standard, which is great, just don’t forget to shut it before you get back in the driver’s seat because there’s no button up front to do it. The tailgate also has no warning beep to let unsuspecting pedestrians know it’s shutting. I checked the owner’s manual to see if I could find one, only to find several books within the ring-bound manual. I looked in the two most logically titled ones and couldn’t find anything, so I gave up.

My biggest non-cargo-related criticism is that the climate controls are cryptic. It took several minutes sitting in my driveway to figure out how to control the temperature in each area of the car, or how to let passengers be in charge of their own climatic destiny. Keep in mind, I looked into this after failing to find info about the tailgate beep, so I wasn’t going anywhere near that manual again.

I appreciate that the 2008 Touareg gets high safety marks, and as any dancing queen will tell you, this boogie machine’s style is right on. Somehow, though, I just wasn’t overly enthusiastic about it. It costs more than many other vehicles in its class and has too much non-charming quirkiness. Yes, I loved the nightlife, but in the end it just wasn’t enough.

*For more information on the 2008 Volkswagen Touareg 2 and its safety features, visit Cars.com. With questions or comments regarding this review, write to editor@motherproof.com.

LET’S TALK NUMBERS

Latch Connectors: 2

Seating Capacity (includes driver): 5

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair

Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Great

Fun Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove On): Good Times

Specs

2008 Volkswagen Touareg 2 V-8 FSI

Base price: $48,320

Price as tested: $48,320

Engine: 350-hp, 4.2-liter V-8

Fuel: 12/17 mpg

Length: 187.2″

Width: 75.9″

Ground Clearance: 8.3′

Turning Radius: 19.0′

Cargo space: 31 – 71 cu. ft.

NHTSA Crash-Test Ratings

Frontal Impact

Driver’s side: 5 Stars

Passenger’s side: 5 Stars

Side Impact

Front occupant: 5 Stars

Rear occupant: 5 Stars

Rollover resistance: 4 Stars