The new model of Volkswagen Touareg is now revealed in full featuring a new design, a new hybrid variant and upgrade equipments. The car has been completely redeveloped as VW says and is now longer, more dynamic and more efficient as the old model. For the sake of being efficient, VW dropped the V8 and W12 petrol and the V10 diesel from the options list, but instead offers a hybrid powertrain which is powerful, but not powerful enough!
But being green is apparently a very important goal for VW as they have also reworked the whole body of the Touareg and shaved off 208 kilograms of its weight! They have also tweaked the four-wheel-drive system for more efficiency. In the base version (“4Motion”), all new generation Touaregs have all-wheel drive with Torsen limited-slip differential (4MOTION; climbing ability: 31 degrees). Like the Tiguan Track & Field, the Touareg also has an “Off-road driving programme”, which – at the press of a button – tunes the ABS, EDS and ASR for off-road duty, activates Hill Descent Assist and adjusts the automatic gearshift points.
2011 Touareg Hybrid comes with a 333 hp V6 TSI petrol engine with a 47 hp electric motor. They deliver a combined power of 380 hp 580 Nm of torque, which can take the car form zero to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds and onwards to a top speed of 240 km/h, while averaging 8.2 L/100 km (about 30 mpg). In pure electric mode, it can reach a top speed of 50 km/h.
There is also a variant of the car with the V6 petrol engine alone, which averges 9.9 liters per 100 Km.
The car also comes with two V6 and V8 TDI engines. The V6 has 240 hp and 550 Nm of torque and returns 7.4 l/100 km, while the 4.2 liter V8 delivers 340 hp and 800 Nm of torque with 9.1 L/100 km fuel consumption.
The interior of the Touareg is also refined with high quality materials and has a sense of absolute luxury. You get leather upholstery (“Cricket” pattern) with comfort seats, including electric 12-way seat adjustment in front, pedal caps in stainless steel look, footwell illumination, multi-function display with large colour display, storage compartments under the front seats, decorative inserts in the fine wood “Walnut Root” and tread plates with stainless steel accents.
It is also equipped like a luxury car. Standard features here include a chrome pack (side window frames, lower cooling air inlet, load sill guard, tread plate, door sill trim and exhaust pipe ends), Bi-Xenon headlights with dynamic cornering lights, LED daytime running lights, Coming Home and Leaving Home lighting feature, self-dimming outside mirror on the driver’s side, electrically opening and closing cargo area tailgate as well as the “Keyless Access” locking and engine starting system.
