I’ve often mentioned my grandson Marc (Wee Man), the smaller of the my 5-year-old twins that I’ve given up my financial future for. He’s a real animal enthusiast and his favorite television channel is the Animal Planet. I had the opportunity last week to get inside the Volkswagen Touareg 2 and emulate a mountain goat climbing mountain trails until reaching the peak of a 4,500-foot mountain, getting out of the vehicle and doing a Rocky Balboa (rent the movie if by some off-chance you can’t fathom what I’m talking about). Volkswagen has taken what is an otherwise luxury SUV and made it one of the most capable off-road SUVs on the planet.

The Touareg was introduced to the North American market in the 2004 model year. Since then it has sold almost 300,000 units worldwide. I had driven the first generation Touareg over some of the off-road trails of Moab, UT. Among some of the trail names are “Poison Spider” and “Hell’s Revenge.” Needless to say they’re not your family drive in the country nor were they anything the Touareg couldn’t handle. I was sitting in the back seat while my driving partner was behind the wheel, one of VW’s German engineers was sitting in the passenger seat and I was taken by the oxymoronic feeling of sitting on a rich, leather seating surface in air-conditioned comfort while the vehicle was making molehills out of mountains.

» Click to enlarge image

PHOTO GALLERY

2008 Touareg 2

Since then Touareg has been busy setting records from the volcanic peaks in Chile to the sand dunes of the legendary Dakar Rally, and along the way it won a host of honors such as “4x4 of the Year” to “Best SUV.” It has received more than three dozen prestigious international awards.

The 2008 Touareg has a completely redesigned front end and a new stylized front grille that now states undeniably it’s a member of the Volkswagen family. A new front bumper, new side mirrors with improved airflow and sleek new organically shaped headlamp housings with polycarbonate lens covers further distinguish the Touareg 2 from its predecessors.

In the rear is a new roof edge spoiler, the brake light housings have an improved LED lighting visual effect and the exhaust system tailpipes have been tweaked to give a fresh new look.

One thing I liked about the Touareg is that you don’t have to climb into it or rappel from it like the helicopters you trained in Special Forces school. Depending on whether it has standard steel spring suspension or the (optional) 4-Corner air-suspension, ground clearance can run anywhere from 6.3-inches to 11.8-inches. The optional air suspension is really cool. As you analyze the degree of difficulty at the geographic obstacle facing you and set the height adjustment you can watch as Touareg beefs up or squats down like a warrior ready for combat.

There are three engine choices in the 2008 Touareg 2. A 3.6-liter VR6 FSI six-cylinder that puts out an impressive 280 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque. The second choice is a 4.2-liter FSI V-8 with 350 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. The third choice is a V-10 TDI twin turbo diesel that puts out 310 horsepower and a whopping 553 pound-feet of torque. I didn’t get a chance to drive the diesel, but I have driven the first generation and it is awesome! Volkswagen expects the V-6 will account for 68 percent of the sales; the V-8 will be 22 percent and the diesel will be 10 percent. The EPA classifies the ’08 Touareg as a Light Truck. Maybe technically, but this beauty is about as far from the classic definition of a truck as I am from a health club. Speaking of the EPA, fuel consumption estimates are 14 mpg city/19 mpg highway for the V-6; 12/17 for the V-8; and 15/20 for the V-10 Diesel.

The transmission used in all three engines is a six-speed automatic 4XMotion permanent four-wheel drive system with low range gear and adaptive torque distribution.

Other technical aspects that makes Touareg 2 such an athlete are permanent all-wheel drive, anti-lock brakes, power-assisted front vented disc brakes, center locking differential, optional rear locking differential, anti-lock Brake System Plus, anti-slip regulation, electronic differential lock, engine braking assist, electronic brake pressure distribution, electronic stabilization program, hill descent assist and hill climb assist. Don’t bother trying to figure out what these will cost…they’re all standard.

The V-6 comes with newly designed 17-inch alloy wheels and the V-8 and V-10 feature standard 19-inch alloy wheels. 20-inch wheels are coming and will only be available with air suspension.

As capable as Touareg is off-road, VW estimates only 2 percent will ever use their vehicle for that function. That means one of two things … either 98 percent of Touareg owners are missing the thrill of using their vehicles for this driving fun … or that the 2 percent who do use their Touareg for off-roading know the joys of owning a 100 percenter.

I refer to the new Touareg as an “all-day vehicle.” That means you can drive it all day long and not feel the least bit uncomfortable. Interior comfort plays no small part. Inside you’ll find great seats, standard Sirius satellite radio and card-carrying audiophiles can opt for a Dynaudio sound system featuring 10-speakers, a 100-channel amplifier and 620-watts of output. Driver’s-side cockpit, HVAC and console controls are not only ergonomically functional…they’re pretty (alright, Brutus…handsome). Stick a few pop cans and candy bars in the cold-air fed glove box and life gets awfully sweet (no pun intended).

Another thing I’m delighted about is VW didn’t try to shoehorn in a third-row seat. Nice call, Wolfsburg.

There is three options packages: the Lux Package, the Lux Plus Package and the Technologies Package. VW has also made some options stand-alone instead of the customer having to buy a package in which they’re included, like a trailer hitch, rear differential lock and 19-inch alloy wheels (V-6 only).

Volkswagen has already announced pricing for the 2008 Touareg 2. Base price for the V-6 is $39,320. The V-8 begins at $48,320 and the V-10 Diesel starts at $68,320. All three also have a $680 freight charge.