The new Volkswagen Touareg is lighter by 106 kg courtesy of the MLB platform and has sharper design cues complementing the highly-advanced interior
After running a teaser campaign for several weeks, Volkswagen has finally introduced the third-generation version of its Touareg SUV at a special event in the Chinese capital of Beijing. In the days leading up to its unveil, VW has boasted a number of changes in the all-new SUV and breaking covers in Beijing shows the importance of the vast market potential in China.
It is expected to go on sale in summer in Europe and may ask for a big premium over the outgoing model due to the incorporation of new technologies and advancements. It may not reach North American anytime soon as Atlas has a big role to play in the market and it will adopt a five-seater which is making debut at the upcoming New York Auto Show.
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The 2018 Volkswagen Touareg adorns a stylish exterior with a sleek profile that iterates the modern design bits as opposed to the off-roading nature of its predecessor. The German auto major says only the front windscreen is shared with Porsche Cayenne despite being based on the same flexible MLB platform and it brings more lightness to the vehicle.
The all-new Touareg has most number of changes taken place on the inside and it’s in fact described as totally revolutionary. Stepping inside, it comes equipped with an ‘Innovision Cockpit’ that features a massive 15-inch touchscreen infotainment display rightly in sync with a 12-inch digital instrument cluster via single glass layout. The switches and controls are rather minimum as well.
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The SUV measures 4,878 mm in length, 1,984 mm in width and stands 1,702 mm tall. Thanks to the new architecture, it is now 77 mm long, 44 mm wide and 7 mm shorter than the outgoing version. Amidst the increase in proportions, the Touareg weighs substantially lighter by 106 kilograms. It has strong mechanicals to back up the completely revised exterior and interior.
The air suspension is provided as optional while the chassis gets active roll bars for improved ride and handling dynamics. The range-topping all-wheel drive configuration gains lockable centre differential and a number of drive modes. Customers can choose an additional off-road package giving four more drive modes and rear-wheel steering.
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A variety of engine options is made available for the new Touareg including petrol and diesel powertrains. The 3.0-litre V6 gasoline unit pumps out 335 horsepower and 450 Nm of peak torque. The diesel options include a 3.0-litre V6 in two configurations: 228 hp and 282 hp. However, the 4.0-litre V8 will act as the top-of-the-line engine making 417 hp and a massive 900 Nm torque.
China will get the plug-in hybrid variant with 382 hp of combined power output and nearly 60 km electric range later next year. All the engine options are connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Other major features in the new Touareg include a host of safety and driver assistance systems such as lane keep assist, traffic jam assist, autonomous emergency braking, etc.
2019 Volkswagen Touareg Images
