“Sitting in a Touareg, I know what it feels like to be in heaven.”
As an off-road enthusiast who takes one trip a year through Africa, Lance Robertson from Pretoria tells us why he is such an avid fan of the Volkswagen Touareg.
How long have you been driving a Touareg?
As long as they have been in the country! I bought one of the first Touaregs that arrived in South Africa. I received it on the 24th of July 2004, and then bought my second one in 2005. They were both V10 Touaregs.
Tell us about your latest Touareg.
My current Touareg is the R50. I ordered it while I was on the Autostadt Trip in 2007. We were at the Volkswagen factory in Bratislava when I saw them test-driving the masked R50. It was not even completely developed, but I loved it at first sight and ordered it there and then. I really hoped I’d get it in 2007, but I got mine in March this year.
What do you enjoy most about driving a Touareg?
It’s simple: the power.
Have you ever tested your Touareg’s off-road capabilities?
Yes, I do it all the time. My 2005 model Touareg V10 had 60 000km on its clock of which only about 12 000 were on tar - the rest were all off-road.
My Touareg’s first trip took my wife and me from South Africa to Southern Namibia, then to Angola, then to Botswana and back. On the second trip we drove from South Africa to Botswana, then to Namibia and through the Caprivi Strip and on to Victoria Falls, Zambia and then Tanzania, where we visited Ruaha National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha, Serengeti, Lake Natron along the Kenyan border and Dar-es-Salaam. We then took a ferry to Zanzibar and eventually drove back to South Africa through Malawi and Mozambique.
The trip took 26 days and was 13 900km long. There were six other vehicles and I drove the only Touareg. We drove through rough terrain and muddy swamps and all the vehicles, except for my Touareg, experienced problems.
If you could take your Touareg anywhere in the world to test its off-road capabilities, where would you go and why?
It’s a dream of mine to take my Touareg to Iceland as well as to Patagonia in the extreme south of Argentina.
What comments have people made about your Touareg?
Once I was stuck in a traffic jam in my R50. A truck driver caught in the same jam stopped me and asked, “What is this?” to which I answered a Touareg R50. He then asked whether he could sit in the passenger seat. I said of course. He sat down beside me and said, “Now I know what it feels like to be in heaven!”
What is your favourite feature on your Touareg?
The entire package is just phenomenal. It has everything I need and nothing comes near it. If I had to point out one thing which really stands out, I’d say it’s the performance and power.
Have any of your family members or friends driven your Touareg and, if so, what do they think of it?
I have to fight to keep my three sons out of it!
What was is your fondest memory of your Touareg?
My trip through Tanzania. The off-road driving has been amazing.
Do you have any other interesting comments or stories around your Touareg and your experience with it?
I haven’t yet seen another R50 on the road. It really does stand out and is unique. But the next trip I’m planning in my Touareg is one to Sweden. That should be great!
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