The Volkswagen Touareg was initially a somewhat crude large SUV, available with a very ambitious V10 diesel or even W12 petrol engine. But the Volkswagen Touareg has now grown into a luxurious and more environmentally friendly plug-in hybrid car. Reason for the Dutch importer to bring it back to the Netherlands. How do you like it?
The Volkswagen Touareg quietly disappeared from our country in 2020, because the largest SUV in the world Volkswagen was not available with a plug at the time. The high CO2 emissions of more than 200 g/km and the resulting extremely high BPM amount made the car practically unsellable to us.
But the updated Volkswagen Touareg is also not exactly the bargain of the month. For the Touareg R eHybrid, the most powerful version tested by us, Volkswagen requires a minimum of 99,990 euros. Like emptying a bucket.
Hobby project of King Ludwig II of Bavaria
With the new Touareg, Volkswagen presents its calling card in terms of craftsmanship. While the home-garden-and-kitchen models are developed under strict supervision of critical accountants, the Touareg seems to be a hobby project of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The interior is reminiscent of his fairytale castle Neuschwanstein and consists of the finest materials, with the stitching of the leather upholstery applied with extreme precision.
All surfaces you see are covered with beautiful and often soft materials. Yes, also the panels that are located at knee level, something that is not always common in this class.
Volkswagen also has sensors on the roof that detect when you are traveling with a roof box or tent. They pass this on to the Touareg’s stability program, which adjusts its operation accordingly. The result is that you experience the same comfort and driving dynamics as when you go on holiday without a roof load.
Pietjes-exactly
Volkswagen’s precision workers have also subtly adjusted the damping of the air-sprung chassis (standard on the R eHybrid) and increased the stiffness of the stabilizer bars. The different on- and off-road modes of the 4Motion all-wheel drive are now further apart. The result is a chassis that offers rolling and suspension comfort that is among the best in its class.
Towing capacity of 3500 kg
The powerful plug-in hybrid drivetrain does its job just as comfortably. Volkswagen combines a 340 hp V6 with a 136 hp electric motor. That is enough power to accelerate the SUV, weighing almost 2,400 kilos, to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, or to tow a braked trailer weighing 3,500 kilos.
The fact that CO2 emissions amount to 51 g/km, exactly 1 gram too much to get a discount on road tax, does not hurt for long. The so-called half rate will disappear from 2025.
Seems stingy, doesn’t it
Volkswagen has further developed the Innovision Cockpit system from 2018 for the facelifted Touareg. That seems stingy, but why replace something if you already like it? It includes digital instrumentation and a navigation system with high-resolution maps. The operation of the large touchscreen is exemplary. What is new is that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto now function wirelessly.
The infotainment menu has been expanded, but fortunately it is just as clear as the price list of the Volkswagen Touareg. It consists of only two versions: the Luxe Elegance (from 89,990 euros) and the R eHybrid we tested.
