Hi BlackPerth

Took my D3 for its first outing this last weekend on a trip with the Club Touareg guys, which was good because I could make a direct comparison between what I saw, what the D3 was doing and what I remember my Touareg doing.

There was range of Touaregs to make the comparison interesting (R50, V10, V6TDI, R5, 2 X V6 petrol and a ring in Q5). We did the Sunny Corner track near Lithgow, which provides a good mix of surfaces to play with the knobs and buttons.

From a straight comparison, the Touareg and D3 are very similar in their off-road ability particularly when comparing air suspension models. The beauty of the D3 is when compared to the steel spring versions. The extra clearance means you don't bounce as much, which in turn gives you more confidence. The good-lady-wife was very happy with the D3's performance and she concedes it was a good buy.

The bottomline is, if you want a good looking drive, choose with your heart and buy a Touareg. If, on the other hand, you want a sensible, capable off road vehcile with a good selection of aftermarket accessories, go with the head and buy a D3.

Would I buy another Touareg, probably, but I need to rack up a few km on the D3 yet :-))