The 3.2-liter V6 lacks the gusto to propel the Touareg with authority. It was revised to produce more power for 2005, bringing the total to 240 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 229 pound-feet of torque at 3200 rpm. Though smooth and quiet, the 3.2-liter V6 Touareg took about 9.4 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60, slow by anyone's stopwatch. Often it felt quite adequate but sometimes it felt distinctly underpowered, often at important moments, and it felt sluggish at altitude.

An all-new 3.6-liter V6 is replacing it late in the 2006 model year, so be sure and get that one. We haven't tried it, but it's rated at 280 horsepower at 6200 and, even more important, 265 pound-feet of torque at 2500 to 5000 rpm. That increase of torque, spread across a wide power band, should translate into better acceleration performance and throttle response.

The 4.2-liter V8 boasts 310 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 302 pound-feet of torque, capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 in 7.6 seconds, says Volkswagen. More important in daily use, the V8 delivers strong throttle response, aided by a transmission that always selects the right gear. So you don't need much throttle pressure to smoothly accelerate to the desired speed. Slam the throttle down and the V8 responds well, but it does not deliver breathtaking thrust. The reason is weight: The V8 model weighs about 5,300 pounds when empty. That makes the Touareg some 375 pounds heavier than a BMW X5 4.4i, and 650 pounds heavier than a 2006 Mercedes-Benz ML 500.

Neither the V6 nor V8 models are particularly fuel efficient, at least partly due to that weight. The V6 earns an EPA rating of 15/20 mpg City/Highway, while the V8 returns 14/18 mpg. VW recommends premium gas for maximum performance.

The 4.9-liter turbocharged diesel V10 develops 310 horsepower but at a much lower 3750 rpm and 553 pound-feet of torque at just 2000 rpm. Torque is the force that propels you from intersections, helps you crawl over rocks and tows trailers, so that massive torque should translate into impressive power.

The six-speed automatic that comes on all Touareg models is brilliant, a luxury-grade transmission shared with the Audi A8 L. Fuzzy logic senses the driver's intentions then smoothly selects the proper gear. Switch from Normal to Sport mode and it selects higher shift points for more aggressive driving. There's also a Tiptronic mode for manual shifting, useful in some situations, but ultimately the transmission will still shift up automatically when redline is reached.

Two suspensions are available for Touareg: a standard suspension with regular steel springs and an optional air suspension. The standard suspension works very well and we recommend it highly. It might even be our preference. It offers a nice ride and handles well, as we discovered on some winding mountain roads in Utah. Touareg boasts an impressive 8.3 inches of ground clearance with the standard suspension. Starting with the 2005 models, Volkswagen recalibrated the Touareg suspension for more sport.

The ride quality is good, though road vibration increases with wheel size and this is most noticeable with the 19-inch wheels and tires. The 17-inch wheels that come on the V6 models offer the best ride quality, smoother and quieter, though the aggressive tread pattern of the tires still generated some noise and vibration. The Touareg isn't as smooth and quiet as a Lexus RX 330, but we prefer the tautness and superior control of the Touareg.

On the road, the Touareg feels more substantial than the RX 330. Granted, the Touareg is heavier than the Lexus, but the Volkswagen suspension is beefier and more sophisticated than the RX 330 suspension, and the VW drive system is more sophisticated. We found the Touareg easier to manage and more pleasant than a BMW X5, which feels taller and jiggles more on bumpy pavement.

Steering responses are sharper with the 19-inch wheels, and more lethargic and mushier with the 17-inch wheels. The 18-inch wheel and tires fall between the two both in terms of handling and ride and may be the best compromise. Most of our time with the 18-inch wheels was spent off-road, but the ride seemed quite pleasant during the few, short highway sections that we drove with them. In short, we preferred the 17-inch and 18-inch wheels over the 19-inch wheels.

The optional air suspension features adjustable ride height and Continuous Damping Control, which varies shock stiffness according to driving conditions. The driver can select among three damping modes: Comfort, Sport, and Auto. The Sport mode is firmer, and we found it offered better handling on winding roads with less wallowing in corners and less chassis oscillation. The Comfort mode feels softer, and we found it to be more comfortable on bumpy roads. Road vibration can be felt even in the Comfort mode, however, particularly with the 19-inch wheels. And even in the Sport mode, this is a heavy vehicle that reacts more ponderously in corners than a sedan. We found it was often best to select the Auto mode, as the system does a good job of adjusting the damping automatically according to driving conditions.

The air suspension can adjust ride height automatically or manually. In normal operation, the driver need do nothing. The system maintains an 8.7-inch ground clearance in normal driving. At 87 mph, it automatically lowers the ride height to 7.7 inches, dropping the center of gravity and reducing wind resistance. At 118 mph, it lowers the ride height to 7.3 inches. We didn't hit the 118-mph mark, but found the Touareg quite stable at high speeds. When heading off the pavement or wading through deep snow, the driver can manually raise the high ride height to 9.6 inches by turning a knob. To ford extreme obstacles, the driver can select an ultra-high mode, raising the ground clearance to an impressive 11.8 inches. The extra-high level raises the suspension to the tops of the springs, making the ride uncomfortable, however, so you'll want to switch back to the high setting as soon as you clear the obstacle. It sometimes takes a moment to raise the suspension to the extra-high level. So the technique is to approach the obstacle, raise the suspension to the extra-high level, clamber over, and then lower it to the high level. We tackled Hell's Revenge near Moab, a challenging off-road trail, without any trouble and easily drove down the Dragon's Tail, only invoking the top level on a few occasions. On the other end of the spectrum, the ultra-low kneeling mode, which lowers the height to 6.3 inches, is quite useful for getting less-agile passengers in or out or when loading cargo or unloading big dogs. A handy side benefit of the system is that an air hose can be plugged into the system under the passenger's seat and used to inflate the tires or accessories.

In addition to adjusting the ride height, the optional air suspension automatically adjusts suspension damping, or stiffness, according to driving conditions.

When it was first launched, we drove the Touareg through Hell's Revenge, a trail that weaves through sandy gullies and the not-so-slick rock near Moab, Utah. With its articulated independent suspension, sophisticated drive system, and advanced technology, the Touareg handled this rugged terrain incredibly well. We wouldn't hesitate to follow a Jeep Wrangler or Range Rover anywhere in one of these. With the air suspension, the Touareg boasts an impressive approach angle (33.2 degrees), departure angle (33.6 degrees), and breakover angle (27.2 degrees). Touareg can be driven on a 35-degree offset angle (side inclination), which is an uncomfortable, unsettling situation, we might add.

With the optional rear differential lock, up to 100 percent of the engine's power can be used by any wheel that still has traction. The center differential is controlled automatically when the transfer case is set in the High position. The driver can shift on the fly into Low range, and doing so automatically locks the center differential.

Hill Roll-Back Control prevents the Touareg from rolling back on a steep incline by locking the gearbox, which makes accelerating up a steep hill from a standing start easier.

Hill Descent Control makes going down steep hills easier. HDC detects your Touareg is on a steep hill (greater than 20 percent) and automatically eases you down, applying the brakes to individual wheels as needed. Just take your feet off the pedals, steer and enjoy the ride. The system works extremely well, allowing you to adjust speed with the brake or gas pedal, and will maintain whatever creepy crawly speed you want it to hold. Slower is better in these situations.