Volkswagen Touareg 2018: the SUV that wants to be premium

The third generation of the Volkswagen Touareg arrives, an SUV that wants to compete with premium brands using their same weapons: technology. It will be available at dealerships this very summer.

China was the setting for the presentation of the third generation of the Volkswagen Touareg. This is no surprise: the Chinese market is the most important one for Volkswagen.

And although we are looking at a completely new model, the Volkswagen Touareg 2018 has come as no surprise. Everything the large SUV from Volkswagen includes as new compared to the previous generation we had already seen in its “cousins”, the Audi Q7 and the new Porsche Cayenne.

The new Touareg inside and out: bigger, lighter

We expected the new Volkswagen Touareg to be bigger, and it is. It is almost 8 centimeters longer, reaching 4.9 meters, with a practically identical wheelbase. We also expected the new platform to allow Volkswagen to reduce weight. And again, it is. The mixed body construction, with 48 percent aluminum, saves about 106 kilograms.

This increase in size allows for more space inside and for luggage. Rear passengers have more width and headroom, and still have a longitudinally sliding rear bench to configure the space. Specifically, the gain in boot space is considerable, going from the almost 700 liters of the previous generation to 810 liters in the new model.

Volkswagen calls the digitized driver’s workplace concept, which is becoming so fashionable, “Innovision Cockpit”. Here, depending on the multimedia system chosen, the digital instrumentation can have a 12-inch screen (Discover Pro) or a 15-inch one (Discover Premium), which is combined with the multimedia system screen on the dashboard, which is practically free of buttons.

Among the comfort systems and driving aids that the new Volkswagen Touareg can be equipped with are the night vision assistant Nightvision, semi-autonomous driving in traffic jams and roadworks sections, LED matrix headlights –which Volkswagen calls IQ.Light–, head-up display instrumentation, or junction assistant.

The engines of the Touareg 2018

For its arrival in the European market, Volkswagen has chosen for the Touareg V6 TDI engines in 231 and 286 CV versions, to which will be added within a few months of launch a petrol V6 with 340 CV, and a 421 CV V8 turbodiesel. A plug-in hybrid version will not be missing, which will first go on sale in the Chinese market. Its arrival date in Europe has not been decided, but it could be ready before the end of the year. All versions come as standard with permanent all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Among the technologies the Touareg debuts, but which are already known in other models of the group, the 48-volt electrical system stands out, powering the four-wheel steering and the new anti-roll system with active stabilizer bars.

Image gallery Volkswagen Touareg 2018

Technical specifications of this car

Off-RoadVolkswagen Touareg5 versions · from 73,265 €