My wife had the TDI Toureg and sold it. This is a sticky subject among VW owners, but to some and my wife was one, they have a peculiar odor that arises from the interior that is sickly. I could smell the odor and although it was unpleasant on a hot day, The ac would take care of it for me. the wife found she was getting nauseated on the ride to work, and anything longer was making her truely ill. It has something to do with the materials used in the interior and out gassing. to me it is the same crayola crayon smell.
The car itself is a gas. or was. A 5 litre V10 with over 300 hp and 550ft lbs of torque, beating ANYthing off the line was nearly a given. it got 25 mpg when she drove and it didn't break, it just went. But she could not stand the smell of it. we got a good price selling it, and paid for a new liberty. that has a mercedes common rail diesel. starts fast. gets good milage, does not smell. supposedly will idle for nine days on a tank of fuel. has a inverter in to run ac tools.
The problem with diesels in america is the lack of good quality fuel. they pass the emissions test, it is just with bacd fuel they soot up the air too much. get good quality diesel and they are cleaner than gas engines.
The best selling BMW in europe was a 2.7 liter diesel. plenty of go in town fst out on the Autobahn. new diesels have taken all of the cons out of them and just leave the pro's I now have two diesel jettas. my daughter is getting 50 mpg in an older one, my 2005 wagon will get up to 59 mpg on a hot day.
