glad you enjoy it and hope you have many miles and smiles with it. i owned a v10 touareg in the past and i have to say the touareg is most likely one of the most underrated under-appreciated SUVs on the road. the build quality is above it's price point and what you would expect from a "non-luxury" marque. i've been through a lot of SUVs since but most likely will revisit the touareg for a long term vehicle (only downside is no more air suspension on 2011+ models).

Last weekend went with some friends to test drive an '11 diesel Touareg with 51k miles. Nice smooth power train and great materials inside. BUT: the steering rack was groaning something awful.
A quick google search uncovered a widespread problem. Curious how owners have resolved the issue.

Interesting. My 2008 Touareg was relatively reliable in the 52k and 3 years I had her. The only issues that needed to be fixed were:
1 Bi-Xenon Bulb (warranty covered)
2 Power Tailgate Motors (warranty covered)
1 Battery (warranty covered)

That was it other then the brakes etc

Prior to my x5 the touareg was my favorite SUV I had the V8 and it was a great truck
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/9ea86c84.jpg

I've listed after the v10 diesel Touareg forever. But the steering rack groan is a characteristic of the new body style Touareg. Just to clarify.

We (wife's car) have a 2011 X5 Xdrive 5.0 Sports Package Adaptive Drive and love it.

I bought a 2013 Toureg TDI for my work vehicle - I have put 21,000 miles on it in 6 months and I absolutely love it too.

The above two vehicles are quite different, but both excellent in their own way.

X5 - very fast and great handling esp. with adaptive drive. Only complaint is the throttle is a little edgy, esp. at lower speeds - needs to be feathered with a little too much care. It is loaded and we love the heads up display and the super adjustable seats are very comfy.

Touareg - unbelievable smooth (and gutsy) motor and drivetrain - this car is so effortless to drive. Great build quality and I think the Touareg body lines are about the best of any SUV right now, although I think the E70 is also very nice looking. The TDI gets very good MPG - I drive the crap out of it and even with a Thule cargo box rack on top I still average 28MPG.

ATL Markus, I also participate on the clubtouareg.com forum and I can't say I have read about your described "steering box groan" problem. Are you referring to the "steering wheel shake"? This has been discussed at length and has been very frustrating for some Touareg owners, although it is not very common (although maddening to the owner who has it).