The largest of the Volkswagen R-badged cars promises power and speed. But unlike all the smaller models, this SUV is powered by a plug-in hybrid engine. Volkswagen Touareg R looks good, rides great, but does it deserve the “R” designation?
Effective Plug-in hybrid
The Volkswagen Touareg R replaces the eight-cylinder Touareg V8 TDI in the range. However, the petrol eight-cylinder had to be discontinued due to emission limits, and now you’ll find a petrol six-cylinder with an electric motor under the bonnet with the ability to travel several dozen kilometres purely on electricity.
This means that the three-litre V6 petrol engine with 250 kW/340 hp and 450 Nm with a single turbocharger takes care of propulsion and is assisted by a 100 kW/136 hp electric motor. The four wheels All four wheels are propelled by 340 kW/462 hp and 700 Nm via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Battery efficient but not green
With full battery capacity, you can drive around 40 km on pure electric power alone. However, with a capacity of 17.9 kW/h (14.3 kWh is practically usable), the battery is too small to guarantee emissions of under 50 grams per kilometre. Unfortunately, the Touareg R’s ecological benefits are therefore not applicable.
What Volkswagen Touareg R reviews agree on:
Volkswagen Touareg R – is the “R” deserved?
Although this car has been given the letter “R”, it’s certainly not a sharp model you’ll be cutting corners with. The Touareg R’s performance isn’t explosive like, say, a Golf R. But even allowing for the 2.5-tonne weight, it drives more than very nicely. Especially in Sport mode, where the throttle response is brisk, the Touareg R can move around very well.
However, the transition between pure electric mode and the engagement of the combustion engine is very limited, as if the Touareg R didn’t want to activate the six-cylinder engine until the last moment.
Consumption significantly higher than expected
And while the manufacturer confidently claims a combined consumption of 2.8 litres per hundred kilometres, the reality is vastly different. Even if the Touareg R is economical to drive, you rarely get below nine litres of petrol. The electric motor alone simply can’t keep the 2.5-tonne SUV down,
R-designed SUV
The Volkswagen Touareg Rse is also different to look at. Because it is the R version, it follows the R-line design line. This means a specifically shaped front bumper, complemented by air inlets, decorative trims and exterior mirror caps in gloss black. The “R” designation is also present on the radiator grille, front wings and tailgate. And because it’s a plug-in hybrid, there’s a tank cap on the right and a socket for connecting the charging cable on the left.
Volkswagen Touareg R in numbers:
- Price: 107-136 700 EUR
- Fuel Consumption: 6,5-7 l/km in diesel engines, 9-9,8 l/km
- Boot space: 810-1800 l (with folded seats)
- Curb weight: 2169 kg
- Length: 4878 mm
- Width: 1984 mm
- Height: 1686 mm
- Wheelbase 2899 mm
The interior is classic Touareg
The interior is virtually indistinguishable from the regular Touareg. At the heart of the dashboard is a huge 15-inch touchscreen display. It controls virtually the entire car and thanks to its size it can display a really big amount of information. There are two basic home screen displays, each containing several segments. There is always a bar at the bottom of the display with heating and air conditioning information, so the temperature can easily be lowered and raised without having to change the display.
Touareg R history
The first off-road Touareg with four-wheel drive and air suspension was based on the same underpinnings as the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne and came out in 2002. It offered engine options with a power range of up to 331 kW. With it came the first Touareg R50 with great performance.
The second generation brought the first Dynamic Light Assist in 2010 and offered V6 and V8 petrols and turbo-diesels and electric hybrid instead of V10 and W12. The third, pumped-up generation went into production in 2018.
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