2004 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI
When Volkswagen planned its midsize SUV, in conjunction with Porsche's Cayenne, they designed and engineered it to withstand extreme weather conditions, including the searing, arid heat of the world's largest and hottest desert, the Sahara. It was this challenging and demanding environment that inspired the name "Touareg", derived from a tribe of nomadic merchants in the Sahara known as the "Knights of the Desert."