Little makeover for Volkswagen’s large SUV, which only exists with us with plug-in hybrid engines.
The third generation of the Touareg, Volkswagen’s largest SUV available in Europe (there are larger in the rest of the world), is finally going through the restyling box, five years after its birth. The aesthetic changes are not that numerous, but they are noticeable.
At the front, the grille is widened to better encompass the optics. On the French market, the latter adopt the new HD matrix headlight technology as standard. Each headlight has 19,216 micro-LEDs. The system can project “an interactive carpet of light in the traffic lane”. This mat thus follows the lane, which makes it possible to better guide the driver at night. The shield is new, with enlarged air intakes.
At the rear, there is now a strip of lights that crosses the tailgate. In its center, the VW logo is illuminated in red, a first. The light signature of the lights is unprecedented. The restyling is accompanied by new rims, 20 or 21 inches depending on the finish. On this point, there is the Elegance level, which relies more on chrome, and the sporty R.
In the cabin, nothing moves, or almost. The Innovision cockpit is standard. It includes a 12-inch display for instrumentation and a 15-inch center display for infotainment. The latter is polished with navigation that offers lane-wide accuracy. Voice control has been improved, as has the power of the USB-C ports. Volkswagen has added soft covers on the armrests and on the knee contact area in the center console, to improve comfort. On this point, the chassis settings have been tweaked.
On the other hand, nothing has changed on the technical part. In France, as was already the case, the Touareg only offers the rechargeable hybrid, which allows it to avoid penalties. The eHybrid version announces 381 hp. The sporty R version is also plug-in, with 462 hp. These two configurations are equipped with an 8-speed automatic gearbox and 4MOTION all-wheel drive.
Prices start at €86,300 in eHybrid and €102,200 in R.
Read also
New electric Opel Corsa (2023) – Design, autonomy: what changes with the restyling
