VW kills Touareg in USA

Lets discuss because its interesting to consider for design philosophy.
So VW launched Touareg in 2002 and has managed to sell 17,000 of them since then. The same number of Ford Explorers that ford sells every month.

Now this isn't a terribly devastating number for VW because VAG sells the Q7 and Cayenne from the same platform, though the platform is modular and so they are different, particularly suspension and the Q7 has larger wheel base. The intent of the platform is to make an SUV that can drive like a sports car.

Regardless Touareg is dead in the USA. It was deemed 'too european' to sell here and the few US designers employed at VW were consulted on designing the Atlas, the American only version of the Touareg.

What are the differences?

Touareg is AWD only.
Touareg is sold as a luxury SUV starting at $49k. Has mostly leather interior with a little VW plastic. Touch screen and bluetooth are standard. The engine is 250 hp V6 and does 0-60 in 6.8 seconds. Just slightly faster than the Civic SI and the same speed as a Fiesta ST (LITERALLY KILL YOURSELVES VAG MEME POSTERS).
It seats 5 comfortably and can easily tow a boat. The styling is almost the same as the Q7 (they start at the same price) mostly sleek and smooth.

The Atlas is FWD 4cyl turbo or V6 with AWD. It has leather with plastic wood that looks decent enough. It starts at $30k but top trim with full Luxury trim comes in at $49k.
The atlas seats 7 comfortably or if you you luxury seats 6 as the middle seats are captain seats. Comes with the dope Fender audio.

The Germans dramatically changed the style between the Touareg and the Atlas. The Atlas has these contours that emphasize the wheels and a GIANT grill that melds with the headlights. Its basically copying a F150 or Silverado. I'm sure Germans in their steriotypical pea-brains just assume Americans want BIG AND POWERFUL AND FREEDOM.
Otherwise, aside from offering downgrades its basically a slightly bigger and boxier Touareg.

Other urls found in this thread:

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Americans getting what Americans deserve. Big, brash, cheap, trashy.

Also you forgot to mention that the Touareg hat optional V8s, W12s, I5 diesels, V6 diesels, V8 diesels and V10 diesels over the years, though I'm not sure which of these were offered in the US.

They're both overrated crap

too bad the atlas looks like its from 2005, inside and out

this, VW is the biggest meme in the industry

I'm really trying to understand WHY Americans didn't like Touareg and what about the Atlas would actually make it appealing. Clearly the Germans thought Americans didn't want VW Luxury vehicle. Which is fair because an informed buyer would realize the Audi Q7 is made on the same line and starts at the same price with the same engine.

However, is anyone going to care to buy a FWD only boxy Touareg just because its cheaper?

I bought a Touareg for my wife in 2012. ITs a good wifemobile as it is 4wd and has all the idiot proof features to scream at her if shes about to fuck up.

It also has the 'command seating' which makes her feel big and safe on the road. Otherwise I'm trying to figure out why else people buy SUVs.

Granted the Touareg would smoke you faggots in your FiST STs and Civic SIs but its not really fast so they dont care about that. AWD means they dont have to buy tires to drive in snow (in their minds anyway). It rides super smooth and absorbs most bumps.

Atlas itself to me seems like an ugly version of the Touareg with FWD to trick people who don't know better. Which is essentially what I think was the eternal krauts ultimate philosophical move here.

Americans dont care about power or safety. They care about the car LOOKING powerful and safe and big. Thus by adding big boxy design contours they were able to keep the wheel base slightly smaller than the Q7 and sell FWD to Americans to boost sales while making the car cheaper and lowering performance which in their minds will boost sales.

Heres the two US biggest SUV in terms of Sales both sell more per month than the Toureg or atlas have ever sold combined.

>FWD only boxy Touareg
There's a very major difference between the Atlas and the Touareg, and that's the platform. The Touareg has a longitudinal engine like all "proper" Audis. The Atlas, meanwhile, uses the MQB platform, which uses a transverse engine and also form the basis of cars like the Golf, Passat and Tiguan.
Basically the Touareg looked like a mombomber but was surprisingly capable offroad, the Atlas looks bigger and tougher but it's nothing but a pavement princess.

the 2017 SI is billed at 6.3 seconds in independent tests and a 2012 does it in 6 flat :)

you sound really butthurt btw. VAG is trash and americans aren't stupid enough to buy either the toureg or the Q7

>implying anybody actually took their touareg off-road

Here's the top selling Ford Explorer interior for comparison. The wood in both is really plastic btw.

I'll also add as a bonus that even with all the beeping and cameras and bullshit my wife still drove it into a light pole in a parking lot.

>I bought a touareg

why not a honda? cheaper better built and actually reliable and has all the nannies your wife needs

>that abysmal hard plastic lining the entire dash and center console
is this that VW """"""""quality"""""""" people always praise so highly?

The Touareg was a detuned Porsche Cayenne, with all the problems associated with it.

The Atlas is cheaper than the Touareg
That's the only thing that matters to Americans

Literally have not had one problem with our VW at 68k miles.

I've also just read that the Atlas is wider and....has wider seats.

>fuckhuge suvs
>barely mud capable
what the fuck is point, i never understood this

Muh safety, gotta think of muh chilluns

Americans are fuckhuge

>easier to get in and out of
>sitting higher
soothing the inferiority complex
>bigger = safer
>bigger = better
soothing the inferiority complex
>""more"" space

Women are a mistake

The problem with the touareg is that it is complex and expensive to produce has audi maintenance costs for a vw and does have a third row and most Americans are retarded and want a 3 row crossover instead of just getting a minivan

Minivans fell out of style so CUVs and SUVs took their place.

You're a fanboi, you can't judge anything without prejudice.

nah, I almost traded it this week for a BMW but I decided it was too comfy and big and my wife didnt need anything else.

I really couldnt find a better SUV.

Sorry I dont give a shit about your 'ecoboosted' shit box with a stick.

Civics and Fiestas are slow as fuck and arent even sporty. Deal with it faggot.

>I'm really trying to understand WHY Americans didn't like Touareg and what about the Atlas would actually make it appealing.

It's $20k cheaper, makes a big difference when we're talking economy brands. The people in the market for a $50k+ crossover are going to look at BMW/Lexus/etc.

t. burger

lel fat americunts

>30k more than a FiST

They only sold 17k last year in Germany from a peak of 44k in 02. Why don't germs want them either? My guess why americunts don't is the people that can afford one, had a vw in college or as a young professional, and found out what German quality and repair bills are really like. I really don't know, I liked the diesel version. Maybe vw just didn't market it like they did with all those quirky ads in the 90s that explodes sales. Da-da-da
Am I advocating for an explorer? Or a civic? It's exactly like I said before, you can't think clearly.

why are you so triggered by civics and fiestas in particular, cars that arent SUVs?

>tfw drive a civic and get shit on for no reason

what the hell man.

it's a pointless car. people who want a luxury SUV will just go buy an X5/LX/Land Cruiser/Land Rover. and none of those come with the stigma associated with VW. which brings us to another point. VW is known for cheap cars, and the touareg is overpriced for what you get. even the phaeton couldn't sell and that one was actually pretty decent value

also many americans are distrustful of VW/audi because they have a bad track record there.

and anyone with sense will pick a highlander or 4runner over it if they want a cheaper SUVs. those coming from a brand well known around the world for bulletproof quality

now tell us why you are so triggered by the civic and fiesta

given his particular interest for a non popular VW SUV he insists is.. sporty, writing style and inarticulate hate ,OP is probably on the spectrum

nothing wrong with that tho autism can be great power when you aren't concerned with what why a pos isn't selling

> economy brands
Eh? VW isn't an economy brand. We're talking upper middle class here. If you want an economy brand, try... Dacia?

>literally called the people's car

it's as economy as they come

In burgerland it is. Unfortunately we don't have Dacia here.

There's hardly any Touareg's in the US and Exploders aren't that popular either. Keep in mind most the ones from 2002 have fallen apart already. The Burban/Escalade ratio is still like 9-1. People here aren't going to spend $70k on a VW when they can go and get a Audi for $80k.

It looks like a rebranded Grand Cherokee.

>OP will never tell us why the civic and fiesta bother him so much

it's actually really really interesting desu

the Explorer is the best selling suv since it's inception

The expedition/Tahoe/explorer/suburban are bigger, more comfortable, actually have big engines unlike your anemic shit and look better all while probably in the same price range

>>literally called the people's car
The design was stolen from the jew

come on now i love vw but just because they made two high-ish end cars doesn't mean they're not an economy brand deep down
things like mqb just make sure that you get the most amount of car for the money,the jetta being the best example of this

you mean tatra? I love how Veeky Forums is finally getting redpilled on this

based ferry outjewed the jew?
madman

Still called the people's car, I really don't understand what point you're trying to make.

USA, aaaaaaand zero fucks given.

I work at a VW dealer so I can add a thing or two to this, because I have had alot of thoughts on this topic as well.

The Touareg is literally just a Porsche Cayenne just with a different badge. As a consequence, it also has the reliability of the Cayenne, which is atrocious. The Touareg is THE most unreliable VW on sale today and its owners also have to bear paying out the ass for parts because of how much is shared with the Cayenne. We have a few new ones on our lot and haven't sold any new ones in almost a year. Because it is spaced about the same as the Tiguan, everyone will just buy that since it doesnt cost an arm and a leg. Having driven alot of them though, I can say the Touareg IS the nicest driving car VW offers. Everything feels very premium and it has a nice ride.

The Atlas is based off the Passat and drives like one. Very tall and spacious with materials that are a noticeable step down from the Touareg but nice on their own accord. They still offer all the cool features the Touareg had like the 360* camera and a fully digital dash. We are selling these like crazy and the new Tiguan with the 3rd row has completely overtaken any consumers wanting a smaller SUV like the Touareg.

Why the fuck do Europeans care so much about what we like? Holy fucking shit

Because we (Americans) pay too much for cars we don't need.

Next-gen Touareg. It looks nice desu.

...

...

>we (Americans)

...

Remember Americanized Passat? It works for awhile. This tells that most Americans want cheap, large car.

In Australia we get the only get diesel Touaregs, currently the V6/V8, at one point we got the V10 but those weren't known for reliability.

>V10
yeah they are badass.
youtube.com/watch?v=k62gW3Se5e0

Touareg looks like a 2001 Passat

So, jeuros want real cars, and americans want computer renderings?

>jeuros want real cars
huh
They already have the real one.

You know the Toureg was offered in a 6l W12 with 450hp and both a 750nm 5l V10 diesel(from 2002) and an 800nm 4.2l V8 diesel(from 2010) which puts most of the cars you mentioned to shame.

The Diesel was really good. Thanks LIbshits.

I just didn't want my thread to get filled with LOL VAG THERES YOUR PROBLEM
stupid badge war memes that ruin everythread so I laid a pre-emptive strike against the FiSt and CivicSI faggots who are obviously the only people who spend all day making VAG memes.

It worked too.

This guy is right. I love them too

VW is an economy brand, always has been, always should be. The atlas is in line with this reality, the Touareg was not...end of discussion

>68k miles

We don't keep out shit stock here. Any of those with a supercharger would put those unreliable pieces of shit to shame.

How much you selling new Touaregs for these days?

The Atlas isn't based off the Cayenne anymore??

Ofc you don't, because the stock shit is wheezy 200hp fuckboxes.
>Imagine having to modify every car you buy because it's that bad

>>The Atlas isn't based off the Cayenne anymore??
Not anymore. Just stretched Tiguan

You know it was the other way round right?

>i want to be the only survivor in a car crash
>i need to be bigger than you

sounds like your avg midsize SUV

good riddance

THE FERD FISTO STD IS A SPROTS CAR SO FUN TO THRO ON THE TWIZZTYS

VAG, THERES UR POBLEM

Americans may be stupid, but still not stupid enough to spend $50k on a Volkswagen (unless they put a Porsche, Audi, or Lamborghini emblem on it). Same story with the Phaeton.

Wouldn't this make them more stupid user, given that they're then paying badge tax and getting less car for the $

isn't not buying a nice car because of the shape of the badge actually the stupid move?

>$50k VW crossover
>nice car
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

No

The Phaeton was a fucking steal for the level of car you got though.

Name a better crossover faggot

literally anything not made by VAG

almost worked

rekt

The 2 we have are 47k and 58k

And the Atlas was never based off the Cayenne, the Atlas is using a modified Passat platform. The Cayenne and the Touareg are the sisters

So Atlas is a giant Passat.

The AWD shit too?

Hey volkswagen! Stop trying to ask Veeky Forums for advice.

Yeah, Americans still won't buy it no matter what you name it.

I remember riding in my neighbours one as a teenager and I was shocked at how fast it was for an SUV, up until that point I had always associated diesels with slow pieces of shit

Was designed as an offroad rally car.

Diesel Touaregs are one of the more reliable Volkswagens, as they have neither the shitty TSI engines nor the stupid dual clutch transmissions.

Yeah I remember a V10 getting dyno'd at work in about 03, just about fell over when it got over 700nm, absolutely unheard of at the time, second best diesel I'd seen was an FTE Landcruiser at about 480nm.

Landcruisers would be more powerful if Toyota didn't understress them so much. Any of the big diesel Landcruisers are gutless compared with European diesels of the same size/cylinder count. But then again Landcruisers are built to last forever, not just until the lease runs out.

Nah, we've modified FTE cruisers, the engine can handle some grunt but the turbo snaps turbine heads off if you push some boost and that was Toyotas best output turbo ever, hence them going to Garrett for the V8. Now the TT V8 does make some grunt but it's not reliable.

In my experience with the 4.5 twin turbo they haven't been overly unreliable, but they do seem consume an awful of oil.

And turbos and have injectors and fuel desu.

They don't look anything alike. One looks like a Porsche and the other looks like a Kia

VW's reputation is ruined in my eyes as basically it's the brand of the numale mcbeard soymaster, or the brand of the basic bitch that's prissier than a Mazda3 driver (Jettas).

It's sort of like how certain Cadillacs and Nissans are for black people. VWs are for the Soylent. Naturally none of these type of people have real jobs so it has to cost 30k or less.

So if VW is for regular issue soylent does that mean Porsche is for Soylent red?

This user gets it. The Touareg hasn't made sense for VW in years.

The market was different in 2002. People still throught that mainstream consumers wanted offroad capability, and much of the SUV market was still truck-based. Every carmaker was coming out with some kind of SUV. The Touareg made sense at the time- plus they were able to co-develop it with the Cayenne and later the Q7.

Now, the features offered on the Touareg are pretty nice compared to much of the SUV and crossover market, and people who want those features are most likely going to get a Cayenne or Q7 anyway. Those who actually want to drive on dirt are going to opt for something American or Japanese because they're going to be more robust and abuse-tolerant than a fiddly German car.

The Atlas isn't something I would want to drive, but it's a perfect fit for Volkswagen- a relatively inexpensive people-mover.

Though I really wish they'd find a way to resurrect the Bus without making it atrociously expensive and/or electric-only.

VW is seen as economy-level in the United States- though maybe not to the extent it once was (A lot of modern-day drivers don't remember the Beetle being the stereotypical broke person car). VW is also the "lowest" brand that VAG offers in the USA- we don't get Skoda or Seat.

youtu.be/G9_jqBoIw0c?t=30s
youtu.be/r46BKOCVKGA
youtu.be/-U5odcxLAhI

>Americans getting what Americans deserve.

We are still getting the best though, and the cars we get are cheaper and better features than VW ever trying to get into the Luxury scene with only standard features. The Toyota 4runner does better and VW is trying to compete against Ford of all people? It sounds worse than Cadillac trying to be a better sports car than a BMW when a Benz has better high end luxury options then both.

Goddamn that’s some shitty looking plastic

that'd be Audi