The latest iteration of Volkswagen’s Touareg has arrived on the local market and the newcomer looks set to build on the current car’s virtues of style, quality and off-road ability while paring down fuel consumption.
The exterior design brings in Volkswagen's familial face, with its narrow horizontal grille and headlamps echoing those of the Golf, Scirocco and Polo. The overall length has grown by 43 mm, with wheelbase 40 mm longer and overall height 20 mm lower than before. The new car is also 208 kg lighter than the current Touareg.
The cabin is more spacious than before, with the rear bench featuring 160 mm of longitudinal adjustment while an optional push-button function to drop the seats frees up to 1 642 dm³ of luggage space.
Three powerplant have been earmarked for the South African market – a 3,6-litre V6 FSI petrol engine and a brace of diesels: a 3,0-litre V6 TDI and a 4,2-litre V8 TDI. The petrol unit develops 206 kW and 360 N.m of torque whilst returning 10,4 litres/100 km. The 3,0-litre diesel unit is VW’s first BlueMotion offering on the South African market featuring start/stop technology, a kinetic energy recovery system and optimized thermal management measures that help to pare fuel consumption down to a claimed 7,4 litres/100 km. The outputs for this particular unit are 176 kW and 550 N.m of torque.
The V10 TDI will be replaced by a 4,2-litre V8 TDI developing 250 kW and a brawny 800 N.m of torque whilst returning 9,1 litres/100 km, 2,1 litres/100 less than the outgoing engine. All of these units are mated with a new 8-speed automatic transmission.
Prices:
3.6 V6 FSI R562 600
3.0 V6 TDI BlueMotion R622 000
The 4,2 V8 TDI will arrive on the market towards the end of the year.
The new Touareg comes standard with a 3 year/ 120 000 km manufacturer warranty and 5 year/100 000 km Automotion Maintenance Plan.
All models have a 12 year anti-corrosion warranty and 15 000 km service intervals.
Read CAR associate editor Ian McLaren's driving impression of the new Touareg
You can download press releases and specifications by clicking on the DOCUMENTS tab to the top, right of the above images.