Whether it is aiming at electrification transformation at present, or the long-term intensive cultivation of market segments, in the brand DNA of imported volkswagens, the first thing to eliminate is to follow the stereotypes and go with the flow. Especially backed by a strong brand effect and technical heritage, imported volkswagens focus more on the product itself, know how to match the needs and tastes of users, and have a strong support in the civilian car market, but also make "high and cold" truly possible.
The reason why I say this is because in the product sequence of imported Volkswagen, there are two flagship products comparable to luxury brands, one is Phaeton from a transparent factory, and the other is the protagonist of our imported Volkswagen ice and snow test drive, Touareg.
Turning the history book, since the debut of the first generation of models in 2002, Touareg has developed into a third generation of products, although the 20-year product history is not very long in the entire history of automobiles, but there are quite a lot of stories worth telling.
From the three consecutive dakar championships, climbing del Salado volcano to break the Guinness World Record, to dragging 747 aircraft and crossing the Continent of Europe and Africa, Touareg's flagship SUV product with topicality and strength can be recognized by the market and endure for a long time, which reflects the imported public's own strong technical architecture, clear and accurate positioning and the ability to quickly respond to user needs. After all, as a model that comes from the Volkswagen MLB Evo flagship platform together with the Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7, product strength is always an unavoidable topic, so when Torui steps on the ice and snow forest sea, what kind of "stage play" will be deduced?
Not just "playing with the snow", but "conquering"
Driving in the Changbai Mountain area of Jilin Province, where the temperature is minus 20 degrees, the low temperature and complex ice and snow environment will be a test for the performance and ability of the vehicle. Although the large-displacement multi-cylinder engine has gradually withdrawn from the market in the context of energy conservation and emission reduction, the 3.0T V6 engine mounted by Touareg in such an environment is undoubtedly more able to show its hands and feet, and at the same time makes its own flagship positioning more righteous.
When crossing the Linhai Snow Road, because the potholes on the previous road have been covered by a thick layer of snow, it is easy to trap the car if there is no strong power performance. The 3.0T V6 twin-turbo engine on the Touareg has a maximum power of 250 kW and a peak torque of 450 Nm, maintaining a performance "same frequency" as the Porsche Cayenne.
From the actual driving experience, the powertrain performance of the 3.0T+8AT is not as grumpy as on the books, and the entire power output shows a rather "sophisticated" and stable appearance. Of course, this is not to say that this 3.0T engine has a slow power response, but in the vast majority of driving scenarios, it is not willing to release its performance reserves too much, and the foot feeling of the outer throttle pedal also belongs to the category of tight and calm, driving on ice and snow roads is to give people full driving confidence.
At the same time, the 8AT transmission from ZF also has a tacit understanding with this engine, continuing its historical advantages, whether it is shift logic or shift smoothness, there is nothing to pick, and even when you press the throttle to accelerate, you basically can't feel its presence.
Of course, in order to truly "conquer" ice and snow, in addition to strong performance, you need to have a sufficiently reliable four-wheel drive system. After all, in addition to the uneven interior covered by snow, there are more curves in the forest sea, and how the vehicle's grip ability can be intuitively realized at this time.
The Transfer Case of the 4MOTION All-Wheel Drive system used by Touareg uses the famous Towson differential in the transfer case, which is structurally identical to the Quattro All-Wheel Drive system on the Audi Q7. In layman's terms, the Towson differential intervenes faster than the electronic differential, and it also has the advantages of constant time, continuous torque control management, continuous operation, and no torque loss.
In the challenge of the ice and snow field, we successfully completed a number of complex tasks including ice and snow cross shafts, ice and snow step pavement, ice and snow climbing, ice and snow side slopes, etc. Note that these scenes are all made of snow accumulation, which is less friction coefficient than the conventional project made of iron frame, and has a more demanding test of the reaction speed, power distribution and grip performance of the vehicle's four-wheel drive system.
Especially in the extremely uneven challenge of cross-axles, the Towson differential will quickly lock up and distribute the power evenly among the four wheels, just like "hand and foot" to firmly grasp the ground, ensuring driving safety and passability.
Even when driving on relatively flat snow, the four-wheel drive system can distribute up to 70% of the torque to the front axle of the vehicle in real time as needed, and can also distribute up to 80% of the torque to the rear axle, thus meeting the power needs of each wheel in different scenarios.
In addition, Touareg also provides a driving mode including economy, comfort, standard, sports, personality, off-road, snow, etc., due to environmental restrictions and safety considerations, we use snow mode most of the time in the entire driving process, compared with conventional driving mode, the difference is not particularly obvious, concentrated in the power response and steering force and other aspects.
If you go to a deep snow area, Touareg is also equipped with air suspension, and provides 5 different suspension height adjustments, the maximum adjustment range of vehicle suspension is 148mm-258mm, which can instantly transform into "big long legs", plus its 28° approach angle and departure angle, to ensure that the body will not be "stranded", convenient to cope with different road environments, and the field is controlled.
Static retrospective
Whether it is the lightweight concept and hard-core mechanical quality after replacing the new MLB Evo platform, or the performance of 4MOTION all-wheel drive, it is clear that Compared with most of the purely positioned hardcore off-road models, Touareg is more in line with the "diversified and composite" needs of Chinese consumers. In addition to being able to climb mountains and wade through the snowy sea, it also has to take into account the needs of daily use of cars, which is why Touareg has long been popular with consumers in the domestic market.
New Wei Lan: In addition to feelings, experience the most original crock pot
Another protagonist of this "Blue Action", Xin Weilan, accompanied us to the "Changbai Mountain Luneng Resort Ski Resort" at the foot of Changbai Mountain. As a travel car, the ice and snow challenge site is naturally not its home, the mountain road is its best home, driving the new Weilan, unlocking the unique humanities and natural scenery of the extremely cold White Mountain, but also allowing me to enjoy every aspect of the ice and snow world freely.
The model we test-drove this time is a longitudinal version, which is also the most equipped model in the series. Compared with the old model, it only has slight changes in body length, height, and wheelbase. The entire range offers a 2.0T low-power version of the 190 hp engine and a 7-speed DCT wet dual-clutch transmission.
In terms of actual driving experience, the power response of the new Weilan when starting in the economic mode will be slower, and the vehicle will have a more obvious power response until the speed reaches 50km-60km per hour. In Sport mode, the vehicle's steering is very light at low speeds, and the response is relatively fast, whether it is a sharp turn or a U-turn in place. As the speed rises, the damping of the steering wheel increases, especially on the Changbai Mountain Road, which is still covered with thin ice, which can give people stronger driving confidence.
It is worth mentioning that the new Weilan, like the old model, is also equipped with dcc dynamic chassis control system, and the personalized setting is increased from the previous three gears to fifteen gears, so as to more finely meet the driving conditions in different conditions. In better road conditions, the vehicle's Travel Assist driver assistance system can be activated, making the journey an easy and comfortable journey.
Changbai Mountain at the beginning of the new year is the best time for ice and snow fishing and hunting in the north, and after the driving experience, we immediately switched to another kind of leisure life. Speaking of which, it is necessary to mention the strong space expansion ability of the new Weilan, its rear seats support a 4:2:4 ratio of reclining, and provide a maximum expansion to 1725 liters of trunk space, coupled with a rear door with induction opening and closing function, you can put the other side of winter camping, skiing, fishing picnic in the ice and snow into the new Weilan.
It can be seen that the new Weilan upgrade idea is based on comfort, and carries out all-dimensional and segmented innovation for its own RV positioning in an attempt to lead this "niche" market. The final portrait also has obvious differences in the same price market, and has a precise and clear understanding of the potential consumers it faces.
The magical latitude of 42 degrees north, in the cold and empty of "all the way to the cold mountains and thousands of trees", Volkswagen imported the car "Blue Action" to bring together Touareg and the new Weilan, so that the author really experienced the unconventional lifestyle, and unlocked hidden ice and snow skills in many road conditions, returning the pure driving to nature, and bringing the brilliance of nature back into view.