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I'm a published journalist in Northern Ireland and test-drove a UK specced new VW Touareg in April this year.

The New Touareg went on sale in the UK in January 2007, having debuted at the Paris Motor Show at the end of 2006. Complete with revised front and rear styling, updated interior and seats as well as many mechanical and engineering improvements, the new Touareg was expected to be an improvement upon perfection. The name is pronounced Toowa-reg and is also the name of a North African nomadic tribe.

Capable
I was very keen to discover how the Touareg, already a fantastic luxury SUV could be improved and was kindly offered a test drive by Volkswagen. As a well-respected and capable off-roader (a Touareg came second in the 2006 Dakar Rally), many customers are emerging from the working' SUV market the rugged nature, incredible towing ability and pulling power of this vehicle are very strong qualities. Luxury and safety are attracting orders from premium car consumers whilst the affordability is pulling a very sizeable demand from all points in between.

The tested vehicle was a 3 Litre V6 Tdi Altitude, equipped with the unbelievably dynamic (and very loud) Dynaudio sound system. Visually, the exterior of the car has been greatly enhanced new headlights, wings, grille, mirrors and modified rear lights, spoiler, exhaust pipes it looked nothing short of stunning in the Metallic Black finish and definitely the sort of car you want to be seen in. I was lucky enough to have the full leather interior, finished to the usual high standard Volkswagen quality. All controls, switches and displays were ergonomically placed and the array of information available to the driver from both the centre and driver control displays was very impressive. The famous Volkswagen build quality is present throughout the car and has the look and feel of something that would not only withstand general wear and tear, but also Biblical plagues and natural disasters.

Refreshed
Technology has also been refreshed and improved, including ABS Plus (complete with Brake Assist a pre-emptive Braking System) and Additional Electronic Stability Program. A whole host of features is present within these programmes, mainly designed to keep you between the hedges and out of the fields (unless that's where you want to be), Understeer Logic Control, Acitve Rollover Protection and Rain Brake Support. These all help to combat problems classically associated with driving 4X4s; understeer, body-roll and general shortcomings

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