Volkswagen Touareg

 


VW says that it had a different vision for the off-road capable SUV: VW envisioned a more modern vehicle that made use of lighter weight, more aerodynamic and fuel efficient design, but without a compromise in terms of off-road capability.

The exterior changes to the latest Touareg reflect the refinements under the hood. Compared to its predecessor, the new Touareg is wider and has a shorter overall height for a stronger presence. A longer wheelbase and greater length provide more room inside the cabin, while the use of new materials and other adjustments have removed approximately 350 pounds from the vehicle.

At the front is a narrower grille opening that connects to the trapezoidal headlight housings that carry U-shaped LED running lights and Bi-Xenon High Intensity Gas-Discharged headlamps. The housings flow into the new fender flares, and a pair of compact fog lamps at the lower portion of the front fascia stand underneath the Touareg's front air intakes.

The hood features a raised portion that runs from the grille back, finishing at the side mirrors and giving a more muscular appearance. A chrome accent strip carries from behind the front wheels, and runs along the bottom of the doors to complement the chrome touches bordering the windows.

The back of the Touareg is defined with pronounced curves around the hatch area, new "L-Design" taillights, and a blacked out lower bumper with a set of shaped, chrome exhaust tips.

Another new design feature in the second generation Touareg is the automatically opening and closing tailgate that can be operated from inside the vehicle, at the tailgate itself or through a remote control on the fully redesigned key fob.

The Touareg will be available in nine different colors including five new colors: Cool Silver Metallic, Flint Gray Metallic, Toffee Brown Metallic, Night Blue Metallic and Tungsten Silver Metallic (Hybrid only).

The V6 and TDI Clean Diesel powertrains are available in three different trims: Sport, Lux and Executive. Each trim comes with one of three different wheels. The Sport trim has an 18-inch Tacora alloy wheel, Lux trim comes equipped with 19-inch Everest wheels and the Executive trim comes with 20-inch Pikes Peak wheels.

Powertrain details
A signature feature for the Touareg, this SUV is available with a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 TDI Clean Diesel engine, which offers class leading fuel economy of 19 city, 28 highway miles per gallon.

A special DeNOx catalytic converter, augmented by a special injection system that sprays a synthetic urea-based solution (AdBlue) into the exhaust, helps reduce Nox emissions by up to 90 percent, and lets the engine meet the Tier 2, Bin 5/ULEV II standards imposed across all 50 U.S. states.

A 3.6-liter V6 FSI gasoline engine comes standard with the new model, providing 16 city, and 23 highway miles per gallon, which represents a combined 19 percent improvement over the previous model.

All Touareg models now come with a standard eight-speed automatic transmission. 7th and 8th gears are laid out as fuel-efficient overdrive gears. The 8th gear reduces engine speed by 33 percent compared to 6th gear, which reduces fuel consumption and significantly lowers emissions.

The Touareg continues its tradition of providing high-torque performance, with the V6 engine bringing up the rear with a maximum torque of 265 lb-ft at 2,500 to 5,000 rpm while producing 280 horsepower at 6,200 rpm. The TDI provides a more impressive maximum torque of 406 lb-ft at 1,750 to 2,250 rpm while producing 225 horsepower at 3,500 to 4,000 rpm.

All Touareg models, regardless of the powertrain configuration, have a towing capacity of 7,700 lbs. when equipped with the factory-installed tow package.

 
Interior
The Touareg's interior has also been refined with a focus on comfort and functionality. Cabin noise has been reduced compared to the previous model through optimized insulation and acoustics. The greater use of curves and further attention to details on the door and dash trim coincide with redesigned, available leather seating surfaces for five, and cross-stitching on all panels and surfaces. Both the front and rear passengers can enjoy greater legroom with the Touareg's new overall dimensions and fully adjustable seats, while the rear seatback can be folded from a release in the luggage compartment, for more storage and convenience.

When looking up at the roof, drivers and passengers will enjoy the new optional panoramic sunroof which is a full 350% larger than the sunroof in the previous model. A ventilated, power release wind deflector eliminates turbulence and associated noise to help ensure a quiet drive even when the sunroof is open. The sunroof is standard in the Lux, Executive and Hybrid trim lines.

A seven-inch display, located between the main gauges in the instrument cluster, provides the driver with the latest vehicle status information, including turn-by-turn navigation directions.

Standard and found only in the Touareg is Volkswagen's new premium RNS850 touch screen radio-navigation system. It features a large eight-inch screen, with a DVD/CD player that has MP3 playback capabilities and Satellite/FM/AM stereo, along with a 60GB hard drive with 18GB of space available to upload media. Located conveniently in the glovebox is access for iPod or auxiliary input, SD cards, and a DVD drive. The navigation system can display maps and directions in a 3D view, and highlights major landmarks to further assist when traveling.

In addition to navigation, the Touareg Sport comes standard with a multitude of premium interior features including navigation with rearview camera, BiXenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, an 18-inch alloy wheel, power adjustable and heated front seats in V-Tex leatherette, Bluetooth connectivity, Sirius Satellite Radio, Climatronic dual-zone, and silver metallic interior inlays with a black high-gloss center console and trim surrounds.

In addition to the Sport features, the Lux trim features a 19-inch alloy wheels, large two piece panoramic powered sunroof, 12-way power adjustable front seats and leather seating surfaces with driver memory, power lumbar and Burr Walnut interior inlays with a wood center console.

The Executive trim level offers all Lux features along with a 20-inch alloy wheels, heated multifunction steering wheel, heated front and rear seats, keyless entry system with push-button start, rearview camera with Park Distance Control (PDC) and a Dynaudio premium sound system.

Chassis and Suspension
The design changes in the all-new Touareg resulted in a reduction of approximately 350 pounds, from the previous model, creating a more responsive and precise driving experience. The Touareg's optimized running gear offers very good vibration control and ride comfort, a low roll angle, responsive handling and improved dynamic stability.

The Touareg utilizes aluminum in its double wishbone suspension, which helped with reducing the weight of the vehicle. The vehicles 4MOTION all-wheel drive system is mated to a rear limited-slip Torsen differential. The pairing results in a 40/60 distribution of the propulsive force between the front and rear axles to improve the vehicles weight and efficiency while improving overall driving dynamics.

The Touareg contains six airbags, including dual front units (dual-stage for the driver, single stage for the front passenger), thorax units for the driver and front passenger and Side Curtain Protection for the front and rear outboard passengers, all are standard on the Touareg.

For the all-new Touareg, Volkswagen developed an improved head restraint system. A whiplash-optimized head restraint (WOKS) rear impact protection system uses the contours and foam firmness in the backrest to help reduce relative movements of the torso and combines a patented shape of the head restraint structure to minimize head rotation after contact.

The Touareg also includes safety programs and management systems for a poised ride through most any situation: Anti-Slip Regulation, Anti-lock Braking System, Auto-Hold and Hill Hold Assist and Volkswagen's Electronic Stabilization Control.