I like VW Touareg 19” wheels better than 18” – not the size so much, but rather their design. The seats are equally good, but if your back is sensitive, then a seat with 12-way adjustment helps. The major reason for selecting LUX over Sport for me was leather vs. leatherette. Somehow I do not fancy myself sitting on the vinyl. I was also told that if you love wearing jeans, especially dark blue jeans, leatherette seats will pick up a bit of indigo hue over time. Another thing is that leatherette gets very stiff when it gets cold - though you might not care about it if you live in a warm climate. On the other hand, many people are saying that leatherette will outlast leather and will look new after years of use. Half a year of LUX’s ownership made me come to an appreciation of panoramic sunroof, though initially I was upset that there was no option to exclude it from the LUX package. In any case, you’d be glad to drive TDI – they are awesome vehicles! Good luck!

 

I am in the process of purchasing a new one as well and I drove all three models.
The sport is nice, but I really like the perks on the LUX. Im not a fan of the 19" wheels since they will cost more money than the 18" to replace, but so be it. The split armrest is great too, the sport doesnt have that. The leatherette will not work for me with kids. Its only time before they stretch the perforated holes in the back seat. The panoramic view is awesome and my son loves it. It just felt weird without having any sunroof on the sport model. I really don’t care for the electronic rear seat release, but that’s part of the LUX model. The rear camera is cool. FYI I had an 06 V6 with lite tan interior and my blue jeans would stain the seat, I will never buy lite tan again. Im going to go with saddle brown, I hoping the color is dark enough that I don’t see any jean stains on it.
Good luck in your purchase

 

Between the Exec, Lux and the Sport, I bought the Sport. I guess if one wants to needs all the "luxury upgrades" and are willing to pay the premiums (5,480 to 10,880 and higher taxation) and longer term maintenance and repair costs for them, I say more power to one ! The majority of the upgrades I did not want, let alone need. I actually prefer the 18 in wheels over the 19/20 in wheels. While you probably will not be able to do a side by side test, the mpg will probably be better with the shorter and smaller tires. Replacement will be cheaper. Mine has no sunroof nor navigation. I actually wanted the vinyl vs the leather seats. I know over time (yes we have the 1994 and 1996 TLC (one in cloth and leather) both the cloth and the vinyl both wear better and look newer longer than the leather. The 2003 Jetta TDI is also a GL, aka cloth interior and no sun roof. The 2009 Jetta has leatherette and a sunroof, but the sunroof was the wife's call and she certainly has made ZERO use of it. The leatherette looks BRAND new and 10 years have not gone by yet to really judge. I use it to evacuate the hot air. At speeds above 55 mpg, the wind and background sounds are punishing. On the freeways, the speeds are more like 65 to 90 mph. I think you get the picture. 80-90 % of the driving is highway.

 

I went with the EXEC. While all the extra goodies were not needed, they are all nice to have. I hate when I 'go less expensive' and have regrets wishing I had them after the fact. With any purchase it is personal preferance...If you want the bells and whistles, the EXEC is the way to go. LOVE THE TREG

 

I went with the EXEC. While all the extra goodies were not needed, they are all nice to have. I hate when I 'go less expensive' and have regrets wishing I had them after the fact. With any purchase it is personal preferance...If you want the bells and whistles, the EXEC is the way to go. LOVE THE TREG

Dude, you are 100% right. I went less expensive at Lux thinking I didn't really need all the extra gadgets at the Exec level, and now regret not getting the Exec because this car rocks.

 

My two cents.

It all comes down to how much you want to pay and what gadgets you need/want/don't care about. The big deliverables on the Lux level are the NAV, leather seats, the full moonroof, and the 19-inch wheels. I wanted all of these and was willing to pay the few thousand bucks more. After 60+ days in the Lux, I can tell you the NAV is outstanding (super user-friendly), and the leather seats are very stylish. My kids (who sit in the back) love the moonroof. Yes, the tires on the 19-inch wheels will cost more to replace than 18-inch tires, but in theory you get better cornering performance and a smoother ride, so take that for what it's worth.

My only regret with the Lux is not having purchased the TDI Executive because this is simply an outstanding machine in so many respects. So if you have budget constraints and can't go higher than the Lux, between the Sport and the Lux, I would get the Lux -- because you're going to love the car so much at the Sport level that you'll kick yourself for not getting the Lux.

 

It will be interesting at the end of the 2012 MY to see both how many Touareg TDI's and what trim levels were sold. I do not sense Touareg's are a high volume seller for VW. I am guessing 5,000 units? TDI's might be 30% of that or 1,500 units? That would further break out to 500 each of sport, lux executive?

http://www.volkswagengroupamerica.com/newsroom/2012/01/04_vw_sales.htm

 

Exec! It's pricey but wanted all the toys. There are not a lot of them, either.

 

Black on black exec TDI.

 

I went with sport because we didn't want the sunroof. That overrode the desire for leather and 12 way seats.

Here are some other Treg sales numbers but not broken down by engine/trim. Volkswagen Touareg Sales Figures - GOOD CAR BAD CAR

 

Went with the sport model for the following reasons.

1 Didn't want the pano roof.

2 VTEX wears like iron and is easy to clean.

3 18 inch tires offer a softer ride.