Interesting how we're obviously Porsche-folk. However, the consensus of this thread leans in favor of the Touareg.

Good to hear that VW quality seems to be improving. I've always preferred the lines of the (handsome) Touareg to those of the (ugly) Cayenne. But past experiences with crappy VW products have turned me far away from the marque. But if better quality control and engineering are becoming a VW trait, maybe I'll reconsider.

funny..
the 04 cayenne had electrical problems I've heard.

Both the early Peppers and Tregs had electrical problems, transmission vibrations, alignment issues... (we were on our 3rd set of tires by about 18,000 miles with the '04 Touareg).

I have an 04 V8 T'reg with 29k miles, no problems so far. vwvortex.com has an excellent touareg forum.

I love porsche as much as the next guy, but I'm not married to the marque. The Touareg has the same chassis, better looks (to me) and an available world-turning TDI engine. Plus, on the V10 you get Cayenne Turbo brakes all around, but in a stealthy dark gray instead of the Porsche reds, yellows, silvers, etc.

To me, the T-reg is a better value when compared to the Cayenne.

Again, I am a fan of the Cayenne. I think they're really cool and have really unique looks, and all but the V6 can go pretty darn well, and they provide Porsche with a lot of income so they can keep making 911's and so they can keep on racing.

Plus, the V10 TDI probably gets better mileage than the CS or the CTT.

I love porsche as much as the next guy, but I'm not married to the marque. The Touareg has the same chassis, better looks (to me) and an available world-turning TDI engine. Plus, on the V10 you get Cayenne Turbo brakes all around, but in a stealthy dark gray instead of the Porsche reds, yellows, silvers, etc.

To me, the T-reg is a better value when compared to the Cayenne.

Again, I am a fan of the Cayenne. I think they're really cool and have really unique looks, and all but the V6 can go pretty darn well, and they provide Porsche with a lot of income so they can keep making 911's and so they can keep on racing.

Plus, the V10 TDI probably gets better mileage than the CS or the CTT.

Noah, most problems i had were dealer issues...not quality. I bought a 06 gti mk5 new...and as a long time vw owner, it was by far the best car i ever owned. I actually liked it better than the car that replaced it (it was t boned and written off 6200 miles :( ) which is a cpo 02 boxster. The 04 tregs did have alot of electrical issues, but should have been ironed out already if serviced by a good dealer. VW's biggest problem is that they have some of the worst dealers in the industry, they have poor service practices at best.
when the tregs get a bit older i will definetly be looking to get one...

Is the big TDI available in California? I thought I heard it wasn't going to be