Life as a rep isn't so bad these days. The quality of the Little Chefs is better. There's the Birmingham Toll Road to make cross-country commuting more bearable. And the standard of the kind of executive class motor the fleet manager's likely to give you for the journey has changed beyond recognition.

Think back ten years - then ten years before that. Motorway marathons were things you psyched yourself up for with a stock of Mars bars and a few bottles of Red Bull. No longer. At the wheel of a car like the Volkswagen Touareg 2.5 TDI SE we've been driving recently, you've the kind of luxury normally reserved for the Chairman.

Of course it helps that our car was one of the SE versions which, for over £3,000 more than the standard variants, offer full leather trim, satellite navigation and a host of other extras. It's well equipped then. As for the price, well the car we tried lists at £33,280 but you can buy Touaregs from £29,880.

For business buyers of course, these figures are often only the starting point for negotiation and Volkswagen Fleet Managers in times past often had to be very flexible, given the product on offer elsewhere. The Touareg however, is still universally recognised as a car sitting near the top of its sector. No other luxury 4x4 offers greater quality and in terms of running costs, the car is exactly where it needs to be. In other words, with an average fuel consumption of around 30mpg, this is a luxury off roader you really could use on a day-to-day business basis.

"With an average fuel consumption of around 30mpg, this is a luxury off roader you really could use on a day-to-day business basis ..."

Sales figures show the 2.5-litre TDI to be the most popular model in the entire Touareg line up and it returns some excellent figures. Although it's not quite got the mumbo of a 3.0-litre BMW X5 diesel, it's a good deal cheaper and feels a more modern package. It will accelerate to 60mph in 12.2 seconds and run on to a top speed of 114mph on the standard steel spring suspension. Plump for the optional air suspension and top speed falls to 111mph.

If you want more power from your Touareg diesel, the 3.0-litre 241PS V6 TDI has more than enough engine for the task of dealing with Mercedes, Land Rover and BMW rivals. Drive one and suddenly the asking price of around £32,000 doesn't seem quite such an obstacle. It's also an agreeably muscular engine, generating some 369lb/ft of torque and broadly similar to the unit found beneath the bonnet of the Phaeton V6 TDI limousine, except for the fact that the Touareg's installation has been tuned to offer more in the way of low down grunt. This means that the Volkswagen is adept at towing or hauling up steep inclines.

The overall fuel consumption figure of 25.9mpg is a reasonable showing given the V6 TDI Touareg's enormous all-up weight, and the acceleration to 60mph of 9.7 seconds is also firmly on the right side of acceptable. Top speed is quoted as 125mph, so motorway cruising shouldn't see the engine being flogged too hard. The emissions of 294g/km are hardly stellar but if you're buying this sort of vehicle, that's hardly likely to be a prime criterion. The engine is a good deal more advanced than either of its other diesel siblings, using an advanced piezo electric injector capable of making up to four fuel injections per cycle.

So why should your next executive company car be a boring three-box 2WD saloon? It's a good question. In a market sector dominated these days by excellence, it's easy for motoring journalists and Fleet Managers alike to take the Touareg's talents for granted. And especially to overlook the car in conversations dominated by cars like the BMW 5 Series, the Audi A6 and the Mercedes E class. That would be a mistake. Any Touareg owner will tell you that.

TOP 5 TOUAREG DEALS

The results below show the top TOUAREG deals on buyacar

	Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI CR DPF Altitude 5dr Tip Auto Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £654	Saving £6,469	Price £32,773
	Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI CR DPF 5dr Tip Auto Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £578	Saving £2,930	Price £30,249
	Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI CR DPF SE 5dr Tip Auto Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £605	Saving £6,195	Price £30,311
	Volkswagen Touareg 5.0 V10 TDI DPF R50 5dr Tip Auto Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £1,124	Saving £5,723	Price £55,393
	Volkswagen Touareg 5.0 V10 TDI DPF SE 5dr Tip Auto Off Road
	ETR	Mthly £1,006	Saving £8,000	Price £46,554

typical 11.26% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000