Those in the back should be comfortable with regards to room, that is unless someone extraordinarily tall is sitting up front. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

Despite the marginalized legroom, shoulder and headroom is decent for two adults while seatbelts are available for three in a squeeze. It's a shame Volkswagen didn't find a way to include a third row of seats, even tiny ones for kids. As my family grows I can't consider anything that only seats five, and I know quite a few potential customers that often express the same needs.

The seats fold relatively flat however, in a 60/40 configuration, opening up a respectable cargo area of 2,010 L (71 cu ft). VW has integrated a ski bag into the center armrest that also incorporates two cupholders hidden inside by the way, both good features to have in an SUV. With the seats up, the cargo area is larger than many competitors, and impeccably finished.

When it all comes down to it I can't help but like the Touareg. Except for only offering five seats and its financially draining fuel economy (it takes premium gas by the way), the V8 equipped model does pretty well everything I could want an SUV to do. It performs well on and off the road, appears to be well made, and is finished beautifully inside. Really, it could easily pass for an Audi rather than a VW, being

When it all comes down to it I can't help but like the Touareg, even when factoring in the price. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

premium in every sense of the word.

Every sense? Yes that includes price too. My as tested, and not completely loaded Touareg lists for a staggering $74,550. To put this into perspective, another $5,000 and you'd be driving a Porsche with more power, albeit fewer features. I was dismayed to see that a DVD entertainment system wasn't included, so tack on another few thousand when VW figures out that it is a feature that modern families don't want to live without.