The Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI has a mixed reputation for amazing performance, and painful costs. Tommy’s interview may shed some light on this.
Lucas brought his T1 (first generation) Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI to Tommy to do a walk-around. T1 Touareg When he bought it, it had about 175,000 miles on it, and it was for sale for $6,000. Since then, his main focus has been the suspension – not the engine. It now has 205,000 on it, and it runs well.
As it happens, Lucas is a mechanic, which helps. He explains how the V10 hasn’t been as much of a nightmare as many people think. In fact, the only engine repair he had to do is replacing the thermostat, which was a $300 part, and it took him about two hours.
Is the Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI better than people say?
He’s about $16,000 into the Volkswagen Touareg, but much of that money was invested into making it an overlander. He seems pretty convincing when he says that they are much better than many have made out. Indeed, if you look at the V10 strictly from a mechanical perspective, it’s a hell of a design. Yes, we hear about the immense cost of repair (often requiring an engine extraction), but he seems to think it’s pretty solid nonetheless.
Lucas is a brave man. He’s taken it off-road several times, including a journey up and over Black Bear Pass. In the future, he hopes to take on the Rubicon Trail in California. We whish him well on that endeavor.
In this video, we get an in-depth tour of the Touareg, and hear from an expert about its mechanical challenges!
By the way, one thing Lucas said during the interview, “Life’s too boring to drive a Jeep or Toyota.”
