The Volkswagen Touareg I (Typ 7L) debuted at the 2002 Paris Motor Show. Engineered jointly with Porsche on the PL71 platform shared with the Cayenne and Audi Q7, it married serious off-road capability with luxury sedan comfort. The chassis featured a unibody construction, double-wishbone independent suspension, permanent 4Motion AWD with low-range gearing, and optional air suspension providing up to 300 mm of ground clearance.

Engines included 3.2/3.6 V6, 4.2 V8, and a exclusive 6.0 W12 (450 hp) petrol engines. Diesels featured 2.5 R5 TDI, 3.0 V6 TDI, and a monumental 5.0 V10 TDI generating 750 Nm of torque. A 2007 facelift updated the front fascia and electronics.