Textar pads on my Touareg have been genuinely impressive through two Dubai summers of heavy stop and go commuting without any fade or shudder developing even during the hottest afternoon traffic. For a heavy SUV doing the kind of Hessa Street driving you described they are worth the mid range price without hesitation.

The price gap between brands on Touareg pads is real but it does not always correlate with performance in the way you would expect which is exactly what that friction rating comparison was showing you. I tried TRW on my previous set after a recommendation and found the heat tolerance perfectly adequate for Dubai conditions without paying the premium that some of the more aggressively marketed brands charge. Dust was heavier than I would have liked but for someone who prioritises fade resistance over wheel cleanliness that trade off is completely acceptable.

Brake shudder on a Touareg after cheap pad installation is something I experienced firsthand after trying to save money on a budget brand that a local workshop recommended and the vibration through the pedal during moderate braking became noticeable within about six weeks of fitting. The issue turned out to be uneven heat distribution from pads with inconsistent friction material quality rather than a rotor problem which a proper workshop confirmed after I brought the car in frustrated and confused. Switching to Pagid resolved the shudder completely and the fade resistance through stop and go traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road has been consistently good through a full summer since then. For a heavy vehicle like the Touareg where braking loads are significantly higher than a standard passenger car the quality of the friction material genuinely matters more than it would on a lighter vehicle.

Heat tolerance being higher on mid priced options than premium ones in that comparison chart is not as surprising as it sounds because some of the expensive brands optimise for low dust and quiet operation rather than outright thermal performance which matters less in European conditions than it does in a Dubai summer. For your specific use case of heavy stop and go traffic where fade resistance is the priority the friction rating and heat tolerance numbers are the right things to focus on rather than brand recognition or price. A VW specialist who knows the Touareg specifically can confirm which compound works best for your exact driving pattern before you commit to a set.

Getting the pads properly bedded in after installation matters almost as much as the brand choice for avoiding shudder on a heavy SUV like the Touareg and most quick fit workshops skip that process entirely which is how good pads end up with poor results. Making sure whoever fits them follows the correct bedding procedure for the specific compound is worth confirming before you hand the car over.