We woke up one morning and over a leisurely latte on Sister Carol’s deck in
South Reno, we decided her new Volkswagen Touareg needed a road test. I had
just returned from spending time on the sprawling Misfit Ranch in the remote and
rugged northern Nevada desert but am always up for a road trip. We decided to go
look at a small 50-acre parcel that a friend mentioned was for sale. Since the
property is located at the end of a five mile mountainous dirt road, what better test
drive could there be?
Whether you travel the breadth of extremities…
After the mandatory stop at Starbucks, ordering lattes to the tune of Joni Mitchell's
Hejira, our trek seemed to be off on a good note. The Touareg was smooth and
luxurious as we sped up the two-lane highway on the way to the BLM Wild Horse
Ranch. Here, is where the Touareg would transition from the urban ride of comfort
to a four wheel drive ranch truck.
Cruising up the highway to the sounds of Hot Club of Cowtown, we realized that
the cattle ranches were a blur…whoops, 95 mph, better back off, we aren’t locals
yet but the Touareg has the power that lulls you in to a comfort zone. How many
SUV's can make that claim ? Pulling off the highway, we were daunted to see an
endless dirt road cutting through the valley. The poorly graded road was no match
for the Touareg's suspension, we could still sip our lattes in comfort. The six-
speed automatic transmission has low range gearing which distributes plenty of
grip. Compared to the other trucks we have driven, this is a pretty sophisticated
4WD system. Sister Carol was pretty sure that the Touareg would handle in the
same manner on graded gravel as on asphalt. Thinking that she was a WRC
driver, Carol put that to the test on the first turn. Sister Liz’s life passed before her
eyes, but when the dust cleared and the airbag didn’t deploy, it was pretty darned
impressive. We were constantly amazed at the high rate of speed at which the
Touareg could take these gravel roads. Having spent some time traveling similar
dirt roads in a new Dodge RAM 2500, among other vehicles, we can say the
Touareg out handled everything. It was a stable ship in an ocean of dust!
Or stick to some straighter line…
Continuing on to unexpected terrain, the endless dirt road became a twist of
rocky corkscrew turns. With a vague topo map in hand, with landmarks noted on
said topo map (ie: veer left at the pond after the extra large sage brush bush) the
Touareg allowed us to carry out a trip that we may not have otherwise attempted
without army fatigues and canteens. With the Touareg we felt unstoppable.
Imagine our excitement when we found the gate in the middle of what seemed an
endless desert, which was the final landmark for our destination. The property
was fantastic but a little too remote for your average daily driver. But it was all
about the journey! We decided to head back and do it in reverse, hopefully turning
the right way at the correct sand dune and broken fence post… not a problem,
although Carol now wishes she got the NAV system. Maybe next time when the
new Touareg Diesel gets to the U.S. or the one that I want, the Touareg W12
Sport. That would be the perfect ride when I return back to the Misfit Ranch in the
spring.
Returning to civilization, we were dusty, the Touareg was fashionably dirty, the
dog was muddy…time for a nice civilized lunch at the local bistro…. the Touareg
is truly the vehicle to have for the refuge of the roads.
And then I looked at myself here…
After this outing, Sister and I discussed the reasons for her Touareg purchase.
She has owned BMW's, Porsches and Mercedes, Volvo's, all the high-end
models. She wanted to have the German excellent driving machine
characteristics combined with an all terrain vehicle at a somewhat reasonable
price. At the suggestion of some clients, I looked at the Touareg. My first reaction
was as a seasoned high end realtor…a VOLKSWAGEN???? But I’m over that
and proud that I am the lone VW owner in a real estate office parking lot that is
filled with Mercedes, Audis, etc. I know that I have made a more personal choice
rather than that of a status symbol. I challenge any of my co-workers, with equally
luxurious yet more status symbol cars, to a day in the Nevada dessert with my
sister. Plus the Touareg looks better than its higher priced cousin, the Porsche
Cayenne. Who would ever have imagined that ?
|
