Anamit Sen, is not an suv person really, but when the car is german, has links with porsche and is being offered for a test drive how could he refuse

Volkswagen (VW) is not in India as yet but the firm is testing the waters so to speak by appointing an exclusive dealer in India, Kashyap Vehicle Works. I’m not an SUV person really but when the car is German, has links with Porsche and is being offered for a test drive, how could I refuse. The Porsche Cayenne has been seen on Indian roads for some time now but the VW Touareg, which shares the same platform, is now available in India as a CBU import.
The version we drove had the 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine and the six-speed automatic gearbox with Tiptronic function. Like the others at this price, this too marries comfort with off-road capabilities. VW admits that this is more like a luxury saloon rather than an all-out mud plugger.
Features include Xenon headlights, supplemented by a cornering light, which we could not try out as the driving was done in the day. The four-zone Climatronic air-con worked a treat and anybody with a yen for gadgets will spend a lot of time fiddling around with the controls. So what’s it like to drive, guv? Well, to tell the truth, Its not a brilliant car with glorious performance and I wasn’t expecting it to be for two reasons – one, its an SUV for Gods sake and two, it has a diesel engine. Yes, it’s a 3-litre V6 and its turbocharged, and it develops 224bhp but…Once I got behind the multi-function steering wheel however, my apprehension was replaced by curiosity. Yes, it’s a bit like an aircraft cockpit inside complete with overhead switches. The instruments are large and quite legible, even a little retro. Ferry Monne, GM at Kashyap has told me the Touareg has 50:50 onroad and offroad capabilities unlike the BMW X5 or the Cayenne but checking that will not please the importers. So I just drive the Touareg… and then drive it some more. By which time I’m not grinning, but there is a bit of a smile on my face.
Don’t know whether I think I’m in a Porsche but I’m very aggressive with the car. Floor the pedal and one is rewarded with rapid acceleration. I do throw it around a bit – as much as the thought that the Touareg costs Rs 45 lakh, which could probably get me a decent flat anywhere in India – and the car proves to be quite nimble. No surprises on that count. Turn in is sharpish but on a straight road, the ride is a bit wallowy – which could be more due to the undulating road surface than anything else.
Drive over, I go around to have a look at rest of the car and as I am inspecting the cavernous boot – Monne informs me helpfully, ‘ample room for lots of gold bags’, … or did he say golf bags? Anyway, the tailgate action is power assisted and there is a 230-volt power socket in the luggage compartment which should take care of most of one’s needs as far as gadgets go. And diesel power means one will pay less for tanking it up everytime, which is also the card VW is holding up its sleeve.