New Volkswagen Touareg: Nip & Tuck

Motoring Channel Staff - 12/Sep/2007

Botany, Australia — The new Volkswagen was launched on the 1st of July (2007) at dealerships around Australia, and though pricing hasn't changed, the V8 petrol model has been cut from the line-up leaving the one petrol option, a 3.6-litre V6 with 206kW.

The front end has a new look with slightly curvier headlights the clearest identifier of the mid-life upgrade, adding a more stylish element to the previously rugged look. Pricing is as follows:

VW Touareg 2.5-litre R5 TDI: $64,990

 VW Touareg 3.0-litre V6 TDI: $74,990

 VW Touareg 3.6-litre V6 FSI: $74,990

 VW Touareg 5.0-litre V10 TDI: $121,990

Together with the new front end - which includes a new grille, hood, front quarter panels and bumper sections, plus the new headlight clusters and aerodynamic mirrors - the rear end also gets some new treatment. The rear lights, spoiler, bumper and exhaust pipes have also been modified to freshen the 4x4’s appearance.

From the side, the most noticeable changes are the new alloy wheels and the aerodynamic mirrors, and some new colors are also available.

Other changes to the new Touareg model launched in Australia include refreshed interiors, with new seating systems, and high end Dynaudio sound systems. The Danish audio company has developed a 600 Watt sound system for high end models.A new instrument cluster is also part of the upgraded model featuring a large multifunctional display, complete with a multicolour information display.

There's also a new braking system called ABSplus, which Volkswagen claims can reduce the braking distance on loose [gravel] surfaces by up to 20 percent.

Volkswagen has tweaked its 4XMotion AWD system as well, and in addition to a 6-speed automatic transmission as standard across the line-up, the new VW SUV also gets 'extra low' off road gearing. In normal driving, the power is split 50:50 between the front and rear axles, but can be changed to 100% to either axle in certain situations. 

Australia misses out on the 4.2-litre petrol V8 engine, the engine range is skewed towards diesel - 75% of the four-vehicle range is diesel.

Apart from the 3.6-litre V6 FSI worth 206kW (280hp), the rest of the range is diesel, which are much more suited to these medium sized SUVs, and more efficient than similar petrol engines.

The three diesel engines include a 2.5-litre 5-cylinder motor with 128kW of power (174hp), a 3.0-litre V6 TDI with 165kW (225hp) and the range-topping 5.0-litre V10 TDI with 230kW (313hp). 

The lane changing assistant (Side Scan) that European models get doesn't appear to be available on Australia models at this stage.

Volkswagen claims the new Touareg can master tough off-road tracks and extreme tours and yet can still offer the comfort of a sedan and remarkable sportiness. Having tested the previous V10 version of the Touareg, we've no reason to doubt this. 

As well as the standard suspension setup, Volkswagen will add an air suspension option, and with triple door seals designed to prevent water getting into the car, plus waterproof headlamps, waterproof plug connectors, special routing of inlet air, engine venting and a sealed propshaft, the Touareg with air suspension has a water fjording depth of 500 millimeters. 

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