Volkswagen Touareg review
A classy and comfortable 4x4, but it's a little expensive to buy and there's no option for a seven seater.
It’s a little annoying that the car has to be in radio or media mode if you want the main computer turned on, as you don’t necessarily want to have audio just to turn on the heated steering wheel (an optional extra) or take control of the air conditioning system. It’s simple enough to mute the radio, but it shouldn’t be a necessity.
DAB and FM radios give you entertainment on the road, plus you can add TV, a DVD changer and even use an MP3 player.
Entertainment is provided as standard by the radio with both DAB and FM tuners present. If you want to listen to your own music, there’s a 30GB hard disk to load your music on to. Alternatively, there’s an input socket in the glove compartment, which comes with an Apple Universal Dock adaptor for iPods and iPhones. Connecting an Apple device lets you choose a song using the Touareg’s control system, either on the steering wheel or via the touchscreen, although it doesn’t support album artwork.
The iPod dock connector can be replaced with a standard 3.5mm audio jack for use with any media player.
If you don’t have an iPod or iPhone, you can replace the Apple dock cable with a standard 3.5mm phone jack to work with any audio device. Of course, you won’t be able to change tracks or do anything else clever but it does at least mean you can use any audio device inside the car. There’s also Bluetooth as standard for linking your phone to the car’s hands-free system.
Another useful optional extra is keyless entry, so you can just walk up to the car with the key in your pocket and open the door. This system also gives you keyless ignition, although it’s good to see that you can still slide the key into an ignition slot to keep it safe when you’re driving, or even turn it to start the car if you prefer the old-fashioned method.