While the reviews state that there aren't a whole lot of changes to the new 2015 Touaregs - we're finding they've made some very nice improvements.
Compared to our 2011 version, it's almost three inches taller along with the nose extending six inches more. The added height worried me with the thought of more body roll - but it's just as solid in the mountains as the older version, and our tire expert commented on how much smoother the ride was when he tested it after putting on our ice tires - compliant and tight - nice.
The seating seems slightly more cushy with an improvement in leather quality. Interior lighting is a chilling LED white - not as warm as the incandescent bulbs, but tolerable. We have the Black Oak metallic with the Ebony wood trim - which are nice color improvements. Voice command doesn't seem to have the annoying confirmation requests (disappointing to my grandkids since the enjoyed grandbob's smart remarks back at the annoying lady) - and all of the electronics from the past seem to work very smoothly - NAV, Bluetooth Phone, Sirius Traffic and radio...
The assist package is pretty sweet - adaptive cruise control works like a dream - just have to get used to allowing it to do the work. Have been in heavy traffic and it maintains the selected gap between you and the vehicles you're following. Lane assist has no "off" switch that I've found yet - which would be nice. I've dialed back the setting to "late", but on mountain roads when you go from clipping the outside white line to being very close to the center line as you hit the apex, it sends the steering wheel into a vibration warning mode (the side cameras are watching the lines on the road). The lights on the mirrors do a great favor in warning you if a vehicle is in the blind spot when you want to change lanes.
The cameras on all four sides - front, back, and sides - are great The overhead view is crazy, like from a drone hovering thirty feet above. Not sure whether it's due to the brighter LED taillights, but the backup camera doesn't seem to have as good a resolution in low light at night as the 2011 version. I'm sure I'll use the frontal view cameras to pull out into traffic at some point, which will be helpful with the challenging spots where parked cars and landscaping/signage block your view of oncoming traffic.
Before leaving on our cross-country trip, I had Xpel PPF applied to the entire hood (the plastic on the bumper and outside rear-view mirrors seemed to flex enough not to get chipped on the 2011) and a 70% nano ceramic window tint on the front side windows that matches the factory green shade. The 70% is almost clear but this newer generation blocks out the heat and glare as well as the darker films of the past.
I'll report any discoveries on our journey. Overall we're quite pleased with the newer version, at this point.
Compared to our 2011 version, it's almost three inches taller along with the nose extending six inches more. The added height worried me with the thought of more body roll - but it's just as solid in the mountains as the older version, and our tire expert commented on how much smoother the ride was when he tested it after putting on our ice tires - compliant and tight - nice.
The seating seems slightly more cushy with an improvement in leather quality. Interior lighting is a chilling LED white - not as warm as the incandescent bulbs, but tolerable. We have the Black Oak metallic with the Ebony wood trim - which are nice color improvements. Voice command doesn't seem to have the annoying confirmation requests (disappointing to my grandkids since the enjoyed grandbob's smart remarks back at the annoying lady) - and all of the electronics from the past seem to work very smoothly - NAV, Bluetooth Phone, Sirius Traffic and radio...
The assist package is pretty sweet - adaptive cruise control works like a dream - just have to get used to allowing it to do the work. Have been in heavy traffic and it maintains the selected gap between you and the vehicles you're following. Lane assist has no "off" switch that I've found yet - which would be nice. I've dialed back the setting to "late", but on mountain roads when you go from clipping the outside white line to being very close to the center line as you hit the apex, it sends the steering wheel into a vibration warning mode (the side cameras are watching the lines on the road). The lights on the mirrors do a great favor in warning you if a vehicle is in the blind spot when you want to change lanes.
The cameras on all four sides - front, back, and sides - are great The overhead view is crazy, like from a drone hovering thirty feet above. Not sure whether it's due to the brighter LED taillights, but the backup camera doesn't seem to have as good a resolution in low light at night as the 2011 version. I'm sure I'll use the frontal view cameras to pull out into traffic at some point, which will be helpful with the challenging spots where parked cars and landscaping/signage block your view of oncoming traffic.
Before leaving on our cross-country trip, I had Xpel PPF applied to the entire hood (the plastic on the bumper and outside rear-view mirrors seemed to flex enough not to get chipped on the 2011) and a 70% nano ceramic window tint on the front side windows that matches the factory green shade. The 70% is almost clear but this newer generation blocks out the heat and glare as well as the darker films of the past.
I'll report any discoveries on our journey. Overall we're quite pleased with the newer version, at this point.
