Volkswagen Touareg sharpens its act for October UK relaunch
VOLKSWAGEN HAS revealed its facelifted Touareg in camouflaged form prior to a planned unveiling of the updated SUV in early May.
Set for UK deliveries in October, the model receives a range of detailed mid-life changes in line with its sibling models, the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne.
All are based on Audi’s MLB platform and are produced alongside each other in the former Tatra factory operated by Volkswagen in Slovakia.
Coming five years after the third-generation model was launched in 2018, the facelifted Touareg adopts a number of detailed styling revisions, including a lightly reworked front bumper and, in keeping with other models, a new LED light band across the top of the grille.
Among the changes is a first for a Volkswagen sold in
Europe: an illuminated logo within the tailgate.
For the inside, Volkswagen has provided the Touareg with softer material for the armrests and main contact areas as well as a reworked Innovision Cockpit.
The facelifted Touareg will be produced with three drivetrains in five models – all featuring an eight-speed automatic gearbox and Volkswagen’s 4Motion fourwheel drive with a multi-plate clutch as standard, as before.
Kicking off the line-up is the V6 TSI. It receives a 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine developing 335bhp and 332lb ft.
The traditional best-seller in the line-up, the V6 TDI diesel, continues to offer two different outputs: a choice of 228bhp and 369lb ft or 282bhp and 443lb ft.
The Touareg e-hybrid retains the same plug-in hybrid drivetrain as before, with a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine (375bhp and 443lb ft). The R e-hybrid variant uses a similar set-up, with an uprated version of the same engine delivering 456bhp and 516lb ft.
Both plug-in hybrids have a 14.3kwh lithium ion battery. Electric range is expected to be close to that of today’s model – up to 29.2 miles.