Touareg - For Small Family?

[bigdp]

Is the room and cargo space in a 2011-2012 Touareg sufficient for a family of 4 (2 young kids in car seats)?

I am looking to trade in a sedan and get a road trip car for the young fam (we have our first due in about a month). My wife drives a Tiguan and we love the lil' Tig-ster, but its one downside is its lack of SUV-esque cargo space.

She's not quite ready to drive a minivan, so we're really looking for an SUV that can last us through the early car seat years for 1-2 kids up until they start doing carpools and soccer practice (at which point she will bite the bullet and trade in the Tiguan for a Routan or similar). The Tig should be good for her around-town but we also need something that we can pack up for a long weekend with the in-laws. We also don't want something too big (want it to fit in our not-huge garage and don't want two huge boat-like vehicles once we have the minivan).

I am thinking that either a new Touareg or Grand Cherokee would be good midsize SUVs to get us up to the minivan stage - particularly since they both seem to have some nice luxury appointments without the badge (as a business owner with ever-watchful employees, a more modest badge is actually a positive for me). However, reading through the numbers it sounds like the Touareg has a bit less space than the competition. Is it still enough? I've looked at all the numbers (32.1 sq. ft vs the competition, etc.) but don't really know just how much space will be needed for kids. Maybe some folks who have gone through that stage (or who own a 2011-2012 Touareg and know its cargo capacity well) can help me out.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Does the Touareg have enough cargo space for a young family of 4? Is there anything else particularly family-friendly that makes the Touareg especially good as a family car? Thanks!

[Mina08]

i have a T1 2005 and 2 kids 3.5 years and 4 months and there is tonnes of room, full size pram in the boot too, no problems with the front passenger seat being pushed to far forward, maybe look at a T2 instead 2009, i think the latest Touaregs are a bit smaller.
all in all perfect family Car

[MetsFan]

I have an 8.5 month old and an '11 T'reg and it works well for us. We have a fairly big stroller and it fits in the cargo space with plenty of room for other bags / suitcases.
We also use a rear facing Britax car seat in the middle. It's a fairly large seat, but there's plenty of room in front of it and for my wife to sit next to him.

[VW/Porsche Fahrer]

The new Touareg is actually larger ( roomier, longer) than the older model. It is also significantly lighter. Actually depending on what one needs, a Golf can serve as a good family car. If you need more room, SUVs are not the most space efficient. Car based wagons are often just as roomy as SUVs without the weight and costs. If I needed lots of room for a family, I would look at a Honda or Toyota minivan. The VW minivan is a re-badged Dodge with a Dodge engine and transmission. It simply has a somewhat upgraded interior and higher price.

So far I am happy with my new TDI. I am not an SUV fan ( first one for me) but I needed some sort of hatchback as my previous BMW 535 and MB E320 just could not accepet larger items. The new Toureg handles well for an SUV and mine averages about 27 mpg ( mostly highway). These features solve two of the things I do not like about SUVs in general.

[VolksTrooper]

Seriously? I grew up in a family of 7 our primary car was an 83 vw rabbit diesel. We all fit in the car and sometimes even brought friends. If you have seatbelts the car is big enough.

[grohgreg]

One thing to consider, is upholstery. With youngsters aboard, you'll likely find the V-tex easier to clean than the leather. And secondary floor mats will help protect the OE fabric mats (which have a tendency to hold sticky stuff).

//greg//

[kleinbus]

Is the room and cargo space in a 2011-2012 Touareg sufficient for a family of 4 (2 young kids in car seats)?....

Assuming one is infant and wife wants to be next to little one and the other is older, there is not enough room on backseat to have two car seats and one adult.

The car seat is supposed to be on back seat and as my brother-in-law haves Chrysler minivan, I would rather have minivan if we had two car seats (infant and older). I'm not saying Chrysler is the right van, just pointing out that van haves more room and allows to move between the seats while Touareg doesn't.

We had one of the first Tiguans released in States on early 2009 and hauled arse 28,000 miles in 8 months, traded it to Audi Q5 and hauled arse again, 70,000 miles in less than 3 years and now move one size up to Touareg.

[Harv2002]

We just have the one kid and a 5 lb dog and we get by with an 04 Jetta wagon TDi. However I can't sit in the right seat with Anna behind me as there is no room for her feet as she sits in her Recaro young sport. We have been looking at the Touareg for the room reason. The cargo area is a little better in the Touareg but not much and I bet the ceiling height is better in the Jetta.

In Europe, The MK4 Jetta is a mid size car.

I'm also looking at A4 Avant but would have to give up TDi for now......

John

[bigdp]

Assuming one is infant and wife wants to be next to little one and the other is older, there is not enough room on backseat to have two car seats and one adult.

The car seat is supposed to be on back seat and as my brother-in-law haves Chrysler minivan, I would rather have minivan if we had two car seats (infant and older). I'm not saying Chrysler is the right van, just pointing out that van haves more room and allows to move between the seats while Touareg doesn't.

We had one of the first Tiguans released in States on early 2009 and hauled arse 28,000 miles in 8 months, traded it to Audi Q5 and hauled arse again, 70,000 miles in less than 3 years and now move one size up to Touareg.

We talked about a minivan and I don't think my wife is quite ready for one, as she loves her Tiguan. We'll probably trade in the Tig and go the minivan route once the kids are playing sports and we have carpool duty.

I've been impressed with the build quality of the Tiguan so we are leaning more towards the Touareg over the Grand Cherokee. I'm going to go test drive both the VR6 and the TDI this evening - I don't tow and my business pays for business mileage so I don't think I need the diesel but it seems people have a lot of good things to say about the engine. Also trying to decide Lux vs. Exec - I like the features in the Exec package but am worried the 20" wheels will make a rougher ride for baby.

This thread has been really helpful so any additional thoughts or comments are much appreciated.

[SHUMopper]

I have a 2008 T2 and currently one Recaro ProRide in the back for my daughter (turning 2) and my wife is due in 13 weeks with our second child. Right now the recaro is front facing, but even when it was rear facing, the passenger front seat had plenty of leg room, so i expect the same for the driver when the second car seats goes in (another ProRide). The trunk is roomy and handles strollers just fine. Sometimes i wish it was a bit deeper, but all in all its great. Gas mileage sucks, but we all knew that.

[kleinbus]

I have a 2008 T2 and currently one Recaro ProRide in the back for my daughter (turning 2) ......

Yeah, German car needs German car seat

I'm 5.9 and if I keep the passenger seat at same level as drivers, our kiddo on her Recaro is unable to kick the passenger seat back, which means there is plenty room ( as on our ex Audi Q5 she was able to reach the seat back with her toes)

[texas_golfer]

I can help on several fronts. Random comments:

First of all, I get what you're asking. Forget the snarky responses that you can fit a family of 8 in a Yugo, etc., etc... I get what you mean - you want to be able to fit everyone and gear and maybe move around a little bit.

We have a 2012 Touareg TDI executive, and two kids aged 3.5 years and 8 months. We have pretty big car seats - our oldest is in a front-facing behind the driver (mommy is 5'2") - there's lots of room in front of him. The youngest is a rear-facing infant seat behind the passenger. It's one of those big removable seats with the base that stays anchored in. There is plenty of room for the seat, but we do have to move the passenger seat up - maybe about halfway in its travel. FYI The rear seats slide fore and aft, and we have the side with the rear-facing seat pushed all the way back. When I'm in the passenger seat, I have plenty of room (I'm only 5'5"), but for someone tall that could be a problem. We haven't tried rear facing in the middle and front-facing behind the driver - there may be room, and there may not be. There are not latch anchors in the middle.

One note is that in this configuration, my wife or I *CAN* fit in the rear center seat between the car seats, with seat belt fastened. Granted, she and I are small, but our car seats are really big. It's not super-comfortable, but it can be and has been done. If you have regular-sized car seats and medium build, you could fit an adult (uncomfortably) in between the rear car seats. A lot depends on the size/shape of your car seats. E.g., if you had two front-facing convertible seats, you probably wouldn't have enough shoulder room to pull that off. Probably.

We road trip between Austin and Dallas, Texas quite frequently (200 miles or so one way), and one of us can jump in back when the baby gets fussy - there's not much room for that, but we can do it. It's a very good road trip car - but I won't lie it's not perfect. After a while the size can start to wear on you. There is something to be said for being farther away from screaming kids. My last car was a Ford Flex which was a little better size and space-wise, but not really on the same level for audio/HVAC/fuel efficiency/suspension/transmission/ergonomics (nor price). Come to think of it, you might consider the Flex - top of the line (Ecoboost Limited AWD) is pretty nice. I sold mine after we got the TReg so I could get something smaller. (If you do consider a Flex, do yourself a favor and get one of the remaining 2012s before the 2013s come out. MyFord Touch is a train wreck.)

Someone mentioned wagons. We've owned a Jetta Sportwagen and an Audi A4 Avant, and I've had some time in Passat wagons as well. The JSW is quite roomy, but it's not really up the same level as the Touareg, particularly when it comes to rear passenger volume. I haven't looked up the numbers, which are readily available via Google, but my point is the numbers for cargo are misleading. The Touareg probaby has a smaller rear cargo area than the VW Passat Wagon, but it has more rear passenger room than the Passat. That's my impression - again I haven't measured. The A4 Avant doesn't feel much bigger than my WRX hatchback, frankly.

I've had both the leather and the fake stuff, and I don't know I didn't notice a difference. The real difference is between cloth (forget it) and everything else.

20" wheels - not an issue in my opinion. They look good. The ride is pretty plush. I haven't driven the other wheel options, so I really couldn't tell you, but our Treg is super smooth and doesn't disrupt naps, etc.

I don't know if backup cameras are back in stock/installed, but ours doesn't have one, so if that's important to you be sure to ask.

If space ever becomes an issue, just get a luggage rack for the roof (or tow hitch).

Finally, if you try out the Grand Cherokee, which we rented for a week, please try your car seats in it first. Ours didn't fit in the latch connectors due to the rear seat bolsters, which was VERY frustrating. It's the 2nd Grand Cherokee vintage I've tried to put car seats in, and so far that model is #1 on my most hated list. I also constantly banged my head on the roof line strapping them in, and just climbing in myself - and somehow in the trunk area, too. They've hit some perfect height there in their design and it drove me crazy. Dynamically it was a fine car - interior was ok. Price is nice. Space was ok, but it seemed like rear legroom was short.

Good luck to you!

[barryroad]

The issue with the Touareg always has been that there just isn't enough hauling space behind the second seat. What VW should have built was a Touareg L (long wheelbase) version for the US market. Alas.
FWIW, I've been impressed by the amount of room in the back seat of my B6. If you can find it, VWs best design was the 2008 3.6L TSI (hard to find). All downhill since then.

[schubie]

No problem with my family of 4; kids are now 5 and 7. As others have said, a slim adult can sit between the child seats. We also bring a large dog on roadtrips that gets half the cargo area. Vehicle supplies/tools are stored in a large bin taking up most of the other half. So dog provisions and stuff we want at stops rest on the bin. Everything else goes into a roof-mounted cargo box (Yakima Skybox 16). Works like a charm for us.

[Tregger]

We have 2 grandsons that are 4 and 2. Good size car seats and we have taken then on several road trips with bags, stroller, etc. With plenty of room.

That being said. If you are concerned go to the dealer with your car seats in hand and maybe even some suitcases loaded with stuff.....instead of clothes just throw some towels or blankets in there to fill them up. And look at a Touareg you want and load it in there.

That way you have an idea of what will fit. I take my time before I purchase to make sure I have checked things out "real world" to see if they will work for my needs. Just my 2 cents.

[rich!]

We have a 1.5 y/o (in a Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 car seat), a 90lb dog, and another baby due in a few months. So far - no big issues - the wife is an OCD packing machine, so that helps getting things organized in the back. I'd say upgrading from the JSW - the rear footprint is about the same though the dog enjoys the headroom. Easier to place those folding strollers upright too.

I do plan on picking up a cargo hitch box this summer for extended trips.

[Black06GLI]

I can actually fit a front facing car seat and two pumpkins in the back of my T2...

[TIGSEL]

Hi there, I guess I can chime in. We have 3 kids ranging from 7 to 1.5 and all of them require either a car seat or a booster. I was able to fit all of them in the back seat of my B8 A4, it was very tight but they did fit. Before we had our 3rd. child we could fit 2 car seats (Recaro's) and my wife (5.6 slender built) in between, again kind of tight fit but not too uncomfortable. We also purchased a 2011 Honda Odyssey which is excellent in fitting all 3 car seats/booster in the same raw with space to spare. By the way Odyssey does not ride or feels like a minivan. I only wish it came in AWD which would make it a perfect vehicle. Anyhow back to Touareg, considering that Touareg has 56.7 shoulder room vs A4 54.3 and depending on what type of carseats you'll be using I'd say you'll probably be just fine. Of course it will also depend on dimensions of the person sitting in between. Said all that there is nothing better than visiting a dealership with your carseats

[shepherdgti]

I bought the Treg as my family hauler. We have a 7 month old girl, a 90 lb german shepherd, 10 lb poodle (doesnt really count), and we plan on on least 1 more child. So far, there is more than enough room for daily driving and our needs. I purchased a thule atlantis 2100 box for family trips- just got home from our 1st road trip to Canada. 1500 miles total with 4 adults, my baby, and my dogs. There were no complaints about space or comfort- hard to do when you travel with the in-laws. Everyone was impressed with the seats and the ride. I was very surprised as well, as the treg exceeded my expectations on the trip. I also feel very confident with its safety ratings. We test drove the JGC as well, (obviously chose the treg) and it just did not seem to give the same 'feeling' the treg did- fit and finish, road manners, etc. I could not be happier with our decision.