£100k Land Rover Discovery v £20k VW Touareg: OFF-ROAD RACE!

Thanks to the teams for lending us their cars:
VW Touareg: @DarksideDevelopments
VW Touareg: www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/
LR Discovery: timelessoverland.co.uk/
LR Discovery: / landroverdiscovery5
Here’s an off-road battle you weren’t expecting to see today! We’ve got our hands on a Land Rover Discovery, and it’s going up against a Volkswagen Touareg!
Both of these cars have been modded, although the types of mods they’ve had are vastly different. So let’s see what’s changed…
Starting with the Discovery, it’s powered by a 3-litre turbo V6 diesel engine which has been tuned slightly, and as a result, it produces 306hp and 600Nm of torque. It comes packed with a load of off-road tech, including low-range driving modes and central locking diffs. However, it’s had a whole load of extras added, from a tent box to the roof coupled with a fridge in the boot! As a result this tips the scales at an amazing 3,400kg!
Next up it’s the Touareg. It’s packing a tuned 5-litre V10 diesel under the bonnet which produces an almighty 352hp and 1000Nm! It’s also had a number of mods from a 50mm height lift through to the addition of huge off-road tyres, and it’s a whole lot lighter than the Disco, coming in at 2,500kg.
So will the weight difference prove decisive? Or will the Land Rover power to victory? Stick with Mat and see for yourself!
Mat’s top 10 SUVs: bit.ly/Mats-Top-10-SUVs
Cheap SUVs off-road: • Old BMW X5 v Range Rov...
Range Rover v Land Cruiser off-road: • Range Rover v Land Cru...

[@Reiberle]

First gen Touareg was so cool. And probably no car had a wider range of engines to chose from. 5,6,8,10 and 12 cylinders.

[@stoicapetruliviu8840]

probably? FOR SURE ever/never had/will

[@mattiagalluccio3649]

and in both diesel and petrol

[@spinnetti]

5? in what market? We had a MKI for 14 years... was a great car. I only sold it so I wouldn't spend 20k in mods to make it an overlander lol.

[@Reiberle]

@@spinnetti 2.5TDI in Europe

[@josema6694]

@@spinnetti Europe and Southamerica, a horrible 2.5 TDI, very underpowered.

[@falconleon2627]

That exhaust pipe coming out right under the rear fender flare is an interesting customization 😂

[@purwantiallan5089]

This one is downright epic.

[@annahenrietta9517]

It's to aid with rear departure angle , if you took it all the way back you could crush it off road and if it didn't fully break you'd choke your engine and have to cut it off before continuing, or worse , if you didn't have the tools you'd be stuck.

[@falconleon2627]

@@purwantiallan5089 yep, 37 degrees 💪

[@EvaCampbell]

Christ yousound fun at parties

[@4-8-4Northern]

I love the fender pipes!😂

[@Quattro_Joe]

Those V10’s are a bit dodgy for maintaining but they are absolute animals.

[@purwantiallan5089]

Yep. Especially the VW Touareg. It is very stable. As stable as even the Focus WRC 2001.

[@heinzketchup4558]

Or the Audi 6 Liter V12😂

[@wethumasilela1331]

I would prefer a Touareg with the W12, that version is just the coolest

[@Quattro_Joe]

@@heinzketchup4558 that’s a mad Jeep. Never been in one but I’ve seen one on the move and it’s pretty ridiculous

[@heinzketchup4558]

@@Quattro_Joe pretty much like a quicker Tank😂

[@harryrichardson6744]

Gotta love a V10 taurareg

[@drekipookiebear]

Touareg*

[@purwantiallan5089]

Harry, it is the Touareg. Not tauareg. More like Ford Taurus that you mention.

[@BigPimp222]

tiny ass bicep

[@mobninja_]

@@BigPimp222 You got issues, kid.

[@adgtesfgghee2143]

garbage

[@b8yep959]

That Touareg is legit just a real life Batman Tumbler

[@purwantiallan5089]

Batman Tumbler? Well its cool.

[@damarfadlan9251]

More like downgraded Oval Racer.

[@THESLlCK]

literally just a janky old SUV. The uk has no clue what offroading means anymore

[@defiantrascal6214]

should have done a quarter-mile race to see which is the fastest.

[@juanc5149]

Touareg would of won that race.

[@alexnotlando]

@@juanc5149 *would have

[@zoyuu]

@@juanc5149would of what

[@CrazySpartan150]

@@alexnotlando *would of

[@alexnotlando]

@@CrazySpartan150 no

[@jamesmoist1184]

There is something about sport SUVs where they are so big and clunky that the massive engines feel redundant, but then they have amazing speeds like this off-road, and even on road. really cool to see

[@lonerider5315]

Sport suv........ Sport....Sport utility vehicle.

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@lonerider5315 the SUV cars kinda reminded me a lot to FORD RACING OFFROAD again.

[@JoriDiculous]

yea, the Sports Sport Utility vehicle is quite sporty, twice as much as a regular SUV.

[@BloomingHeathers]

Double the sportiness

[@Rndmaniacs]

Who would have thought when it came out but the Touareg TDI V10 is now considered an icon. Luxury, build quality, power, off-road ability and modifiablity. It's no LC, Patrol or Defender but it definitely has calved itself in there and in the heart of so many.

[@C_R_O_M________]

It actually has better 4X4 than any of the above, locking difs from the factory but worse articulation as it doesn't have a chassis but is of a monocoque design.

[@moogle68]

@@C_R_O_M________ The off-road abilities may be greater in number or useful more of the time, but the reason the others became icons was primarily reliability. You can have all the options you want that make it easier to do things, but they simply aren't as valuable if they reduce the most important metric of all; "Likelihood to get Home".

[@C_R_O_M________]

@@moogle68 The only such reliability issues (that can leave you stranded) these face (along with the Cayennes) have to do with the drive shaft center support and the rubber that disintegrates about every 80K kms. Mine did just that but there are many DYI and commercial solutions to address this (even on the trail). I chose the DYI route and after about a year everything's fine. The V10 has been with me for the past 10 years and it never asked for anything than regular maintenance. Remember, these engines don't even have drive belts in there. Nor timing chains (V10s and R5s not the rest of the Touareg models). Everything is driven with gears (apart from a very short and very wide and robust belt on the alternator that sits on top and at the back of the engine, in the "V" of the V10). That's it. Of course they are not as rugged as an old Land Cruiser or an old-school Defender but they will surprise you with their abilities. I used to own a highly tweaked K5 Blazer, lifted and suped-up and the Touareg has outperformed it in every single aspect apart perhaps from ground clearance. My V10 is standard. Not modded at all. P.S. The only real inmportant thing you need to be aware of with these is which oil you use. 5W40 and 501.01 for non-DPF models (like mine). DPF models need some 507 variant (can't remember which exactly). The 506.01 longlife oil VW has as an option resulted in premature camshaft lobe wear of the PD design.

[@moogle68]

@@C_R_O_M________ I wasn't trying to say the Toureg V10 was/is bad in any way, sorry if it came across that way. Not everyone is willing/able to do DIY fixes, and not everyone is well read/informed about common faults of the engine, so regardless of the technical consequences of those common faults, the fact that there are even just a couple problems with it that seem to be common might nag at driver confidence and make it feel a bit less approachable.

[@C_R_O_M________]

@@moogle68 No problem and there's nothing personal anyway. I'm just sharing my side of reality here as a long-term owner of one of these. I'm not married to it. Just like it a lot. It's not such a demanding vehicle to live with unless you want everything perfect at all times in which case the Touareg has a lot of complexity built into it and complexity usually means more little things malfunctioning but not in a way to leave you stranded.

[@anonymousanonim7615]

Damn V10 TDI is true beast incredible power and torque. hard to deny the raw power.

[@purwantiallan5089]

The Touareg with V10 TDI has around 411 bhp.

[@mediocreman2]

Yeah I used to think that too, and almost bought one, but the maintenance threw me off a bit. Found a BMW M57 engine that actually produces more power when tuned and has more potential. The V10's don't really show much benefit from tuning and mods, unfortunately. And they weigh more, are harder to service, and get worse MPG. Easy choice.

[@rasherbasher8203]

​@@purwantiallan5089 no it hasn't its 352 Bhp. What nonsense are you talking about..😬

[@Insetta]

​@Rasher basher he's the biggest nonsense talker on this channel. Comments 100 comments under every video

[@rasherbasher8203]

@@Insetta its some sort of bot I reckon.. theres loads that comment on this channel.

[@carstart69]

The Touareg screams badass while the Discovery screams geeky. Good performance for both

[@skylined5534]

Geeky?😂

[@carstart69]

@@skylined5534 yes, to me, the T-reg is 🦍 while the Discovery is 🤓 with its tech and the new design

[@raed.gilani]

The way Matt drifted the Touareg just made my day!

[@purwantiallan5089]

Yes. Imagine if Mat also drifted the Renault 5 Turbo.

[@lmao6769_]

Yes i believe he learned that skill on a previous video

[@savereport8788]

V10 TDI, love to see it, hate to repair it when it breaks.... Like the W12...

[@purwantiallan5089]

Yes. Like even the Buick Special and VW NARDO CONCEPT W12.

[@EFerrorfile]

Touraeg looks really damn good when modified like this. I love it.

[@purwantiallan5089]

Yes. I also love it.

[@wollt6417]

4:04 no one gonna talk about how nick jumped?

[@cameronbichener1124]

Love to see Nick in another video, he doesn’t get enough screen time. Love his sarcasm and humour

[@purwantiallan5089]

Agree. Nick is a very charming guy.

[@josh.299]

@@vuckomrakic3760 HAHAHHAHAHA that was so funny.

[@briandavid2378]

I didn't expect that from the Touareg, it's just a beast.The next off-road challenge I request a Land Cruiser 79 series vs Land Rover 110.

[@jaimemalumbane4192]

Landrover defender will win

[@briandavid2378]

Am curiously waiting to see which will emerge the beast. Though I doubt the Land Rover defender,but we shall see.

[@animalscars3799]

@@jaimemalumbane4192 no way 😂 79 low range with fromt + rear lockers ain’t no way its losing

[@CamCanCam]

The suspension lock button is for off road mode, the second highest setting. The highest is Xtra mode and lowers to off road height at 15 mph. Off road mode auto lowers to Comfort height at 25mph. If you activate suspension lock off road mode won't lower until 45 mph. Built-in protection for axel angles.

[@Mellow6996]

Graham makes this so funny 😂 he's oblivious to your jokes😂😂😂😂

[@okithdesilva129]

Mat thank you so much for this insane video!

[@DoubleDeckerAnton]

The battle of the off road beasts...😂

[@Jay2020F1]

Is it just me or do them "one life, live it" badges grate on you 10x more than the after market M badges on a BMW 🤣

[@skylined5534]

No.

[@fr61d]

Discovery 1 & 2s from the council estate, near straight through exhausts and all where Hi Vis jackets

[@tolgaergin5688]

Touareg has hill decent system too. It just does not have a button for that, activate low gear and put the gear in first in manual mode... It handles the rest

[@rorymcleod4463]

Love Darkside developments!! I have a 3.0l tdi in Canada and I dream of them added their special sauce 🔥

[@realchestro2986]

The sound effect when Graham runs. I sorta missed him when it played in a drag race during the week, only to be given Graham content soon after. Well done! Love it when he falls over. My toddler has better balance.

[@Presto_001]

Thank you carwow for finally adding a Discovery 5 to your off-road test. We haven't seen this car on the channel in yonks. I like the addition of the rock crawling too.

[@Simoon68ROBLOX]

Lovely comment

[@purwantiallan5089]

The VW Touareg has far better engine mileage than even the Nissan Pickup and 240RS.

[@midifire]

it's cause most Discovery 5's are at the garage getting their engines fixed :))

[@v12mercedes-benz72]

If you have them both, i am sure you will love the Touareg more.

[@skylined5534]

God no, not with that engine in particular.

[@v12mercedes-benz72]

@@skylined5534 not with v10? Probably w12 6.0 is better, low end torque is so smooth

[@kristianolsenlarsen]

That's not a Touareg that's a VW Tractor.

[@4-8-4Northern]

3:16 side fender pipes was a cool idea! I love the smokeshow too

[@NOTFATEEN]

Why is Graham Humiliated in every off road challenge video 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@edu4818]

now that is a proper car video super intresting, do more quirky stuff like this !!

[@gtbweo]

3:23 we all love that last bit Mat, we all do…

[@purwantiallan5089]

Agree. 😂

[@plutoniapeach]

he was talking abt the exhaust but my dirty mind tells me that he could've been describing the feeling of a BJ♿️🤨

[@deegl]

0:17 "Off-road expert" as the guy is falling over 😂😂

[@kingazhar1212]

Perfect place to get knowledge about cars .. Awesome

[@somerandomfella]

Next episode : See which engine lasts longer till it blows? 🤔

[@reul11]

No these cars are in pretty good condition

[@Simoon68ROBLOX]

Not a bad idea lol

[@chrism869]

Hell nah, these cars are to prestine to be broken, if it was falling to bits then maybe. Vw would win 100%

[@somerandomfella]

@@chrism869 but we can't be certain until tests are run from now on 🤣

[@chrism869]

@D who knows, either way it's most likely not going to happen, these are not beaters.

[@MrCosmin94]

We aint getting V10 suvs anymore thats for sure.😢

[@vibeslide]

No way that Disco has more ground clearance than that Touareg.

[@carholic-sz3qv]

It actually has lol!!!

[@nombre1248]

Those side steps..

[@jasonlawrence3862]

It had LLAMS installed and set to extended ride height

[@imelusb1528]

This Touareg has fixed 15 inches clearance, all first generation Touaregs up to 18 inches.

[@thevileone91]

I have an executive package '14 Touareg (2) and it's as well equipped and handling as a new car, only the nav system is dated, even the gauge cluster had a screen and is quick to respond :) seeing this beast is giving me an itch 😍

[@danieljones5514]

Darkside developments another excellent example of what they can do

[@kgaogelomaphanga2452]

Here come another entertaining video from my favorite KZbinr

[@Adam-nv9zo]

Their never gonna let Ghram live down that fall, 😂

[@thadynakat]

Damn that V10 has got quite a few miles

[@purwantiallan5089]

Touareg has extra power.

[@thadynakat]

@@purwantiallan5089 ik

[@rasherbasher8203]

@@purwantiallan5089 stating the obvious🤔

[@ryanp6138]

It loves it. I've been all over in this car!

[@thadynakat]

@@rasherbasher8203 🤣

[@okithdesilva129]

Another awesome Carwow off-road race with 2 tuned beasts from VW and Toyota!

[@gamerdon6]

the off-road expert's entry was awesome 😂😂

[@scottmason2756]

Disco wins the now challenge, see which one is still running in a couple of years 😂

[@jamesmccormack3229]

You can see Nick is not ad confident an off road driver, the Disco did really well, both times the Touareg bet it, was down to driver error sadly. Have to say to Touareg looks awesome!

[@DanteJDM]

The random belt lying in the mud @ 11:31 Lol

[@Michael_Michaels]

Now this was proper off-road testing!

[@jamarie1972]

We have the Touareg V6 remapped to a shade under 300 bhp and it’s a monster Only problem is that it’s in the garage at the moment with a fuel issue. Just had it’s diagnostic done and there’s a problem with the fuel pump/ fuel pressure regulator.

[@belltolls1984]

This channel reminds me of classic Top Gear; great job mates!

[@markbennett9043]

Cracking video. Took. Me back a few years. Did a bit of quarry driving in my gaylander

[@chir0pter]

Awesome episode. I feel like the recording of the exhaust didn’t do it justice, if you tune and delete a diesel v10 it should sound better than I heard and from Matt’s reaction in the car there seemed to be something he heard that we didn’t.

[@oskar6661]

I don't think Carwow has good enough audio capture in pretty much any of their videos. I just think it's not a huge priority or something. All of their tests in their videos sound flat/boring/muted.

[@codexnecro666]

Car wow always do sound checks before a drag race and it is strange they never bothered to record the sounds properly

[@jamesgreen1561]

Need to see more of Nick in your videos, he's great!

[@jamesdarren9149]

The BF Goodrich Comp TA’s all-terrain tires probably help the discovery out a lot too! That’s what I always use on my Tacoma great Tire!!!

[@IamDude2]

There’s something very cool about Touaregs, timeless

[@gusto8069]

Those V10 Tourag transmissions couldn't handle the torque. I was in one with orange seat belt straps, coolest car, quick too!

[@EarthRover]

The D5 is underrated it’s a very capable vehicle!

[@MBLDN32]

I love that lass bit 😂

[@lennykibet6689]

Land Rover's terrain response system is so impressive. 3.4t and it still did it so well in the mud.

[@skylined5534]

This isn't getting commented on enough! Such a heavyweight with a high centre of gravity and yet handled everything with ease!

[@nairv]

Love that V10 Touareg!

[@jrtiura]

Love that Graham's default intro card is him falling over

[@MARCUS_PROGAMER]

Bro Mat on the hill descent control challenge you could just start driving and put your car on cruise control 😂😂

[@mrg-ghx8052]

If the back of a car had a stroke, it would look like the discovery

[@oneshotfocus1975]

This is amazing

[@pyromaneism]

A pulling challenge would be nice!

[@Mr-mz4bb]

I, for one, would love to see Nick do a car review episode. I've got a feeling he'd be great.

[@leizhuang9109]

Finally got the video for the Touareg!!!!!!

[@hellcurve]

Looking forward to seeing an off road race between Ineos Grenadier, current Land Rover Defender 110, and old shape Land Rover Defender 110,

[@er.8213]

in harder off road conditions, that touareg with that lift and tyres size (maybe 33' inch) would be way better than the discovery

[@azazz1596]

The best show! Greetings from Bulgaria!

[@asorasayoda]

great vid as always

[@klassicman1324]

It's quite obvious that Mat is the one who is paying Graham 😂. He gotta secure his paycheck

[@siraff4461]

The Touareg had me at the exhausts. A puff of smoke thrown straight out of both sides is just one of the coolest things you can see on an offroader. Fair play to the Disco on winning though. Never bet against an LR offroad. Both great cars to watch and another interesting match up. Can we please get rid of the silly hill descent control bit though? If you're testing what the car can do it should be fine to use HDC or the brakes. Its not like the brakes don't work if you don't have HDC in the first place and a lot of the time just the ABS can do at least as good a job. It would be nice to see a bit longer drag race aswell if there's anywhere around there with the space.

[@kylemcc260]

can you do a heavily modified old defender vs a standard old defender

[@CETGRG]

Excellent test Matt

[@okithdesilva129]

That tuned VW Touareg is the Darkside of the VW Touareg!

[@rasherbasher8203]

That makes no sense

[@jrich7277]

Great video .. PLEASE get the V12 Q7 on here!!

[@emilsydykov6613]

Matt we're waiting to hear from you about you getting married and having a kid! You're a great guy and great guys deserve best things in life! Cheers from Kyrgyzstan!

[@seanlemar1268]

Nick didn't lie😂 That touareg was on some o'dat mad max shit🥴

[@alexanderkritsek]

The Graham introduction with the sort falling scene cracked me up

[@ConnorBrown99]

Hi Matt. You try everything to lose that challenge. The drag race. Why? The down hill. Why did you spin the wheels to start?

[@ConnorBrown99]

On video you can see the ground clearance is different. VW is I bid higher

[@katzicael]

Matt out here showing off his mastery of girth, haha ;).

[@brightbaah8659]

Matt always brings something fantastic 💥💥. I am just waiting for the Mercedes ML w163.

[@purwantiallan5089]

Matt should try out Jaguar XJ13.

[@ethan928]

As a Touareg owner, it impresses me every time I go off-road and my landcruiser and patrol owner friends never think I can keep up or even out drive them sometimes

[@un-_-known688]

Please can you do more 1 mile drags

[@Carlifurafollas]

A tuned Land Rober is truly a workshop owner dream 😅

[@vladislavdimitrov4646]

Rober :)

[@AJ_46_VR]

I love how the Volkswagen is a 5.0 V10 and the Discovery is a 3.0 V6 (proportionality)

[@eaproductions9370]

Mat survived the engine explosion!

[@module79l28]

How on earth does the Discovery has 385mm of ground clearance when the 290mm of the Touareg make it look like a monster truck compared to the Discovery???

[@BabyIshii]

Wow that discovery Gorgeous beast

[@Peter1pan1]

Discovery for ever come on England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@Gazza-is2tk]

*india

[@Peter1pan1]

@@Gazza-is2tk MA men I am telling you India is a part of the British empire 🤦‍♂️🌹. Is the same !!!!

[@andrewjones-productions]

As a Discovery 5 owner, I am ecstatic about this result! I have seen this Disco 5 on KZbin before. I mentioned then (in jest), but we used to have an endearing, but oddball Minister (of Chapel) in our village in Wales who's number plate started with PEJ (just like this one) and got the nickname from his number plate. Once again, I suspect that divine intervention was at play during this challenge also 🤣. Seriously though, Land Rover have some fantastic off-road technology in their vehicles and I honestly think it is criminal that they don't put as much effort into quality control of their electronics and rid themselves of their poor reliability reputation. So far, touch wood, I haven't had any problems with mine though.

[@amrit7054]

JLR CEO said last year that they want to actively work towards increasing the reliability of all their vehicles. So hopefully all Land Rovers will be problem free like yours! 🤞

[@snakeybriskins6432]

There absolutely crap allways have been allways will be. Best thing to do is sell it 😂

[@jabberwockytdi8901]

Landrover are buying their parts from all the same suppliers as the other manufacturers, if Landrovers are less reliable than other brands then it's about the overall vehicle/systems engineering or LR skimping on the specs , not the quality of the individual components.

[@skylined5534]

​@@jabberwockytdi8901 Which parts in particular? This should be good...

[@skylined5534]

​@@snakeybriskins6432 Seeing as you've never sat in one less owned one how could someone like you possibly comment😂

[@3DVikig]

And we want a 1600 hp gtr vs McMurtry

[@Presto_001]

Hopefully this comment gets enough likes so carwow sees this because that would be an awesome one to watch.

[@purwantiallan5089]

Or what about XJ13 vs 1000bhp R34GT-R?

[@aitorgallego98]

Mc murty wins gtr has no chance even if 3000hp

[@moradbacha2063]

Am I the only one who's thinking of Jude Law's " Repo men "...this Touareg looks like the same BEAST !!

[@_-KOEN-_]

What a dream that VW is. Unfortunately when driving a v10 diesel in Holland nowadays is almost seen as a environmental crime.

[@JackInDaBoxx]

Cracking test, although Graham needs to go to Off Road School. Him saying narrower tyres are better for rock crawling is utter bollocks. The thicker the better.

[@droppy41]

„Offroad Expert“ this fucking got me lmao

[@cabottaxi]

That course going over the rocks was exactly like the road i had to drive to get up to a villa in Andalucia. And i had rented a VW Caddy !. Needless to say we only left twice in the week. Taxis refused to pick us up.

[@heasent]

Volkswagen back then was crazy. Engines just for this first generation Touareg: 2.0l TDI, 3.0l V6, 4.0l V8, 5.0l V10 and the Bentley/VW 6.0l W12!

[@INCREDIBULHULK]

awesome TOUAREG beautiful modification

[@bashdaromar8734]

great! bring more touareg in your videos Matt.