DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

I know luxury SUVs are about as far from a DDK ethos as you can get, but the engineering of them is my day job so forgive me celebrating a bit when we launch a new one as it’s been my life for the last year!
This one is also ready right now from your friendly neighbour dealer.

Looks less Austin Allegro than the old one - well done







In all seriousness - looks so much better and I could entertain in that interior with class

Nice! Which bits are you responsible for?

You can tell it's in the VW family from the outside and yes it looks better than the old one.

Ollie wrote:Nice! Which bits are you responsible for?

I'm project engineering lead for my sins, which I guess to some extent means all of it...

Do car manufacturers make the original versions as ugly as possible so the gen 2 can be seen as an improvement? I went out in one a little while back and the inside is a lovely place to be. The outside made me which and ask "why?".

It's not deliberate honest!
It's just part of the learning and evolution of styling themes. Part of it comes down to cost, but also mainly what's technically or legally possible at the time.
For instance when we did the first one with Xenon lights it legally needed washer jets (which are never pretty) this one has full matrix LED lamps which don't legally need them so it doesn't have them and it give more styling freedom.

I can't believe there is still a market for such vehicles in this day and age. To me nothing says FU more than vehicles like this. But that's just me.

Sold over 20,000 of them, so guess there is.
In a discreet spec they are no more (and possibly less) obtrusive than a full fat Range Rover. But you could argue there’s no place for those either

Gen 1 of every car is always viewed as the best eventually. Always.

With that thing it’s relative of course.

Each to their own and all that but I’m with KS and won’t be buying one.

Whenever I look at an SUV, I check to see if it has a (worn) tow bar and dual-purpose (or off-road) tyres. If it doesn't, then that person doesn't need a big 4x4 as he's not towing a trailer/boat/horse box in conditions that warrant four-wheel drive. He can get by quite happily with a regular estate car if he needs some space. An old Volvo 740, for example!

Gary71 wrote:Sold over 20,000 of them, so guess there is.
In a discreet spec they are no more (and possibly less) obtrusive than a full fat Range Rover. But you could argue there’s no place for those either

I don’t reckon anyone buys one with aim of looking less crass than a Range Rover owner. Just of looking richer.

Limited options if 7 seats are a requirement. High ride height also liked by many people. The old 740 fails both of those requirements. Yes a ‘bus’ is an option or aN MPV but SUV is less of ‘car death’. My family car is current generation XC90. Not fast or fun to drive but very comfortable & very safe. Bentley interior sumptuous, well done.

Big improvement in terms of looks. I drove the old one on a test drive, I hated the look but was amazed by the drive, better than the old Bently Continental GT.

Fiendishly raiding the VW Group parts bin and using 356 rear lights, but switching left to right so no one would notice eh?