With the third generation of the Touareg, Volkswagen is prepared to enter the premium SUV arena considering its latest model's “biggest leap forward”. Unveiled in Beijing, Volkswagen's latest SUV comes with a complete new exterior design and a new interior also wearing the logo named Innovision Cockpit.
“The new Touareg sets a new benchmark at the top of the automotive world and shows what VW can do in terms of design and technology. It is a reflection of our brand.”
Herbert Diess - Chief at Volkswagen
With the new Touareg Volkswagen aims to attract affluent buyers in China for the first time considering the consistent demand growth of SUV's registered in 2017 in the Chinese car market. The new SUV will hit the roads of both China and Europe this summer.
Under the hood we will have either a 3.0 V6 diesel with 228 hp and 442lb ft of torque or a 3.0 V6 petrol with 335bhp and 332lb ft of torque. There are rumors for a 417bhp 4.0-litre V8 turbo diesel to be launched at the end of the year, but it hasn't yet been confirmed by Volkswagen.
A 362bhp plug-in hybrid will arrive in the Chinese and European markets by the year 2019. Prices for the above mentioned versions to be first launched start at around 55000€ which is about 6000€ more than the previous model.
An eight speed automatic gearbox will come as standard for all models accompanied by Volkswagen's "4 MOTION" all-wheel drive system.
In an interview for Autocar, Oliver Müller, the chief of Touareg's development sector told that:
“We wanted to combine a sporty drive with comfort. The focus in on on-road handling, but it was important to make sure it was still good off-road. It’s part of the DNA of the car. The look is more on-road now, but it’s still an off-roader at heart.”
With that being said we will have to wait for the summer to bring the first MK3 Volkswagen Touareg test drives, details and other impressions.