Engineers prepared meticulously to ensure success without straying far from stock specification. They added 4,345 kilograms of concrete blocks to the Touareg, boosting total pulled weight to 7,030 kilograms and allowing the 5.0-litre V10 turbodiesel producing 313 horsepower and a staggering 737 pound-feet of torque to fully deploy without wheelspin. A slightly shorter gear ratio from the related V8 FSI model went into the rear axle, tyre pressures rose to 4.5 bar for better grip, and speed limits kept stresses in check. Otherwise, the Touareg remained a showroom example.
With the Boeing coupled via a reinforced tow bar, technician John Eggleston selected low-range off-road mode and second gear on the six-speed automatic. He eased the throttle, and the massive aircraft lurched forward across 150 metres of runway. Observers held their breath as the SUV strained but held firm, braking smoothly at the end with no damage to chassis, drivetrain or brakes.
The feat leveraged the V10 TDI's low-end grunt, ideal for such absurd loads, and highlighted engineering margins in premium SUVs. Volkswagen repeated similar demos with later models, but the 2006 original remains a benchmark.
