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FYI VW has consistently been rate pretty low in quality and dealer service. This was an opportunity for them to sell a Touarag which is a pretty poor selling SUV. They got duped into a damn demo. Mind you the girl is a huge VW fan and insisted on this vehicle and they still could not sell the car which is just idiotic.
It says a LOT b/c this inept attitude will **** owners off when you dump 50-60k on any car let alone a VW.
Must say it comes as a surprise that VW has this attitude, having had the perception for many years that VW sees the US as its second home. I still remember vividly how we loved mags like Volkswagen Greats way back in the 70's with the guys doing the Baja Run in their modified Bugs. Thought that time that VW has sort of become Americana (which was quite something for a foreign to the US manufacturer). Well everything changes, recently still had boxes with the GM-logo and their Detroit address, but even Detroit is no longer what it was or so my American friends tell me. Well I don't want to digress too much. Here is something you might enjoy: http://www.leisurewheels.co.za
Note the Chevrolet Trailblazer under GALLERIES (under MULTIMEDIA). This is actually an Isuzu MU7 (sold as such in Malaysia). Quite a sweet truck based off-roader. Is it available in the US? Don't see it on these posts. We get a lot of stuff because it's also available in other right hand drive markets.
Last edited by nipponbird; Mar 29, 2014 at 01:59 PM.
Reason: want to add something
Volkswagen markets their Touareg here with the hype that's it the thinking man's choice regarding an SUV. Of course they will say anything, but if you carefully look at the specs and know the vehicle from more than seeing it on the road, there is an element of truth in it. Son-in-law has one ( I have the suspicion he wanted to up me on the Lexus - futile exercise anyway), but I must admin it scores very well in each department. Talking about the V6 Diesel with the off-road package here. Know it shares much with its Audi and Porsche cousins, but it comes in a bit cheaper.
Hasn't seen it in these discussions( maybe just a blind spot on my side) and would like to know how people over there, view it.
The Toureg has been one of the most unreliable problematic SUV's on the road, they have actually been named the most unreliable SUV in some comparisons, same with the Phaeton. They are very expensive to fix and maintain too. They have nice interiors and good off road capability but I would avoid them.
That would be nice, but I have read many reviews saying the ride is pretty harsh. I have a RAV4 v6 sport which had run flats and the ride was very harsh and i finally got it replaced with regular tires and the ride has become slightly better. i don't want to get out of the same ride as the rav4 and get into a similar ride paying more for the RX350 f sport.
Right now, i am waiting for the nx to be announced and see what the specs are, then I will decide.
I need a smaller suv because wife does not like biggers suv so the contenders are X3, Q5 and the upcoming NX and then next year i need to replace out second car for which I want something with more size and utility, maybe the regular RX350 4th ten or the MDX.
Just bear with us if we've gone on a roll, your questions have probably been all answered tin369, but it's always nice to talk about SUV's.
Yes, the Touareg. Can't comment on its reliabilty (son-in-law will in anyway not tell for fear of admitting my RX 350 was a better choice), it's the interior that bores me to tears. We get the VW Tiguan as well. Guess you too. Personally I've developed a taste for the Japanese SUV's. Seems they do at present well on a continent known for extremes. You can get an excellent second hand one in Japan for a song, but guess what?..... You're not allowed to import a second hand car to the Rep. of South Africa! Few exceptions, like when its 30 years old and you're a collector, but that doesn't help to solve something to cry about.
Last edited by nipponbird; Mar 30, 2014 at 08:09 AM.
Reason: edit
A good friend of mine had a Touareg, he couldn't wait to lease return it. It was always in the shop and he thought he was getting a Porsche Cayenne impersonator, not so.
I've been hearing negative feedback regarding the newest Acura MDX 2014-15 regarding build/quality issues and the tech/navi are not very intuitive. However, it's still selling well and it's ranked pretty high compared to others in it's class. If you dress one up right, you can make it look like this:
