In reality, most people don't buy an SUV for its ability to charge to 100 km/h in milliseconds, and therefore most won't have a

The new 220-hp VW 3.2-liter V6 produces a maximum of 225 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 rpm. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

problem with the performance of any of the 'utes I just mentioned, the V6-powered Touareg included. It gets off from a stoplight with adequate punch, and it passes at highway speed with even greater ease.

What's Volkswagen's trick? Looking down the spec sheets of the more powerful, yet lighter rivals that didn't perform as well as the Touareg V6 and the only major discrepancy I could see was fewer gears in the automatic transmission. A 4- or 5-speed automatic couldn't make a competitor's SUV perform that much worse than a 6-speed automatic, could it? Oh yes it can.

It makes sense really. The extra cogs allow the VW automatic to maintain the V6 engine's sweet spot, or optimal rev range to

The Touareg's 6-speed automatic transmission maintains the V6 engine's sweet spot. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

maximize power and torque, more effectively. Therefore the engine is almost always producing maximum output when called upon to do so.

Likewise, when not called upon the 6-speed will shift sooner in the rev range on its way up to highway speeds, and therefore optimize fuel efficiency. At cruising speed the engine lulls along at lower revs than if fitted to a comparable 5-speed gearbox, which also improves gas mileage. So if some salesperson is trying to coax you into spending your hard earned dough on an SUV with only a 4-speed automatic by saying the recent upsurge in 5-, 6-, and now even 7-speed automatic gearboxes (the latter in select Mercedes-Benz and BMW vehicles) is nothing more than marketing hype, find another salesperson. This one feature can make a giant difference in performance and fuel economy.