Which Volkswagen Touareg trim holds its value better?
Since its third-generation redesign landed in South Africa in 2018, the Volkswagen Touareg has proven to be a class leader in terms of value, packaging, and efficiency. We compare two of the Touareg’s trim levels so see which one holds its value better (and point out the trim level that makes for the best used-car bargain shopping, if there is one).
Launching with only one engine option but in two main trim levels, the 2018 Volkswagen Touareg is certainly not this manufacturer’s best-selling offering, although it does make for a rather fetching brand flagship. The engine is question is Volkswagen Group’s corporate 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel, tuned to deliver 190 kW and 600 Nm in this application. Since then, the R-Line package has joined the range – a styling package option for the “entry-level” Luxury trim, but standard equipment on the high-end Executive trim.
To evaluate the Touareg’s value retention, we hunted down 2018-vintage (current-generation) Touaregs listed on AutoTrader, and compared their current market values to what they cost when new. We set a mileage cap of 60 000 km, which corresponds with the upper industry average yearly mileage of 20 000 km for a 3-year-old car.
Related: Shop for new and used Volkswagen Touareg cars for sale here.
Unfortunately, there was only one non-R-Line Touareg Luxury from 2018 in our listings at the time of writing, so this trim’s sample size is really too small to be statistically significant. Other Touaregs are more plentiful, however, so we shall concentrate on the 2018 Luxury R-Line and Executive R-Line variants instead.
2018 Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI 190 kW Luxury R-Line
New Price: R 999 800
Current Market Value: R 949 900
Value Retained: 95.0%
Showing a remarkable value retention of 95% after three years, the “entry-level” Touareg is worth almost as much now as it was when it was new. This makes it an excellent investment, but not really a used-car bargain. Existing owners wanting to trade their Touareg Luxuries are also in for a reward, because they can expect R 807 415 on trade-in (80.8% of its new-car price) – that’s better than most cars’ retail value retention after three years.
2018 Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI 190 kW Executive R-Line
New Price: R 1 142 200
Current Market Value: R 1 099 900
Value Retained: 96.3%
The top-level Touareg puts on an even better show than its slightly lowlier sibling, registering a staggering 96.3% market value retention after 3 years. Even its trade value is far above industry norms, with current owners in line to get back R 934 915 (85% of the initial purchase price) upon trade-in.
* Pricing was accurate at the time of writing, but may change without any prior notice.
Verdict
Both Touareg trims show stunning mid-term value retention, and if it weren’t for the fact that the base-trim variant currently costs upwards of R 1.23-million, there would be little incentive to even consider buying used instead of a new one. This is good news for new-car buyers, who will most likely find their Touaregs still worth a pretty penny when the time comes to part with it. It is not really great news for used-car bargain hunters, though...
