2004 Volkswagen Touareg Long-Term Update

It doesn't take much to ruin an otherwise outstanding ride. We love just about everything the Touareg has to offer, but there's one glaring flaw nearly every staffer has griped about: The jerky transmission is at times downright intolerable. It seems to hang onto a gear way longer than it needs to and makes drivers look down at the shifter quadrant to see if they're in Sport mode--but no, just in Drive.

Part of what we're experiencing may be an overly sensitive gas pedal. Throttle tip-in is too jerky.

It might not be the engine's problem, but something to do with the electronic throttle; many electronic-throttle-equipped vehicles we've driven have an artificial feel with an overly abrupt tip-in.

One editor called out both areas as suspect, saying he wished the throttle/transmission were more polished off the line. Tip-in is almost too quick, with none of the delicate control of, say, the LR3. In stop-and-go driving, the combo of an abrupt throttle and a transmission that often seems uncertain what gear to select makes for hiccup-filled progress. Otherwise, no service problems or other quality issues to report.