Atlantica - 01.07.2004, Side 48

46 A T L A N T I C A
A ROAD LESS
TRAVELLED
P
H
O
TO
: P
Á
LL
S
TE
FÁ
N
S
S
O
N
Volkswagen introduced its first off-road
vehicle, the Touareg, in late 2002. One
and a half years later, the Touareg is
Europe’s best-selling luxury class off-
road vehicle. Much of the appeal comes
from the diesel engines–85% of
European buyers opt for diesel engines,
either the R5 TDI with 174 hp, or the V10
TDI with 313 hp.
A new factor in Touareg’s success may
be Iceland. With the cooperation with
Hekla, Iceland’s VW dealership,
Volkswagen in Germany is inviting its
customers to test the Touareg on the
ideal off-road terrain—Icelandic moun-
tain roads.
In the Highlands of Iceland, customers
learn to cross un-bridged rivers and to
navigate mountain roads safely. At their
best, the Highland throughways can be
described as dirt roads. Most offer a
challenge even to experienced off-road-
ers.
As important as developing driving
skills may be, customers seem just as
taken with the scenery. Indeed, the most
common impediment for the factory-
model R5 TDI’s used in the tours was
not driving difficulty– true to form, the
Touareg’s handle their off-roading
duties with ease– but something entire-
ly more pleasant. Drivers were com-
pelled to stop and photograph the
rivers, glaciers, and other-worldly ter-
rain, often with their Volkswagens in the
foreground.
Based on the satisfaction of customers
so far, Volkswagen plans on continuing
these trips well into the future.
046 Hekla ATL404 22.6.2004 17:37 Page 46