Sunday Drive: Volkswagen Touareg V8 R-Line

Sunday, 13 December 2020

Volkswagen's new Touareg R is the first plug-in hybrid for the performance sub-brand.

VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG V8 R-LINE
Base price: $141,900
Powertrain and economy: 4.0-litre turbodiesel V8, 310kW/900Nm, 8-speed automatic, AWD, combined economy 9.9L/100km, CO2 258g/km (source: RightCar).

The new Touareg’s grille-heavy style looks great fully blacked-out along with the black wheels.

Vital statistics: 4878mm long, 1984mm wide, 1702mm high, 2984mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 810 litres, 21-inch alloy wheels.
We like: Huge torque, comfy, quiet, awesome interior

V8? Check. But it’s not the sort of V8 you’ll find in an AMG or Audi RS car.

We don't like: Diesel from VW still an iffy subject, poor emissions offset by a massive fuel tank, quite expensive

The new-look Volkswagen Touareg has been around for more than a year now and this is the first time we’ve had the chance to sample the range-topping V8 version.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean a V8 like a Mercedes-AMG or Audi RS model. Those sorts of big petrol V8s are probably going the way of the dodo in the next decade or so anyway thanks to ever-tightening no-fun rules – I mean, emissions standards. V8s will become V6s and V6s will become turbocharged four-pots. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, mind, given how brutally fast the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S is, but it certainly doesn’t have the aural thrill of the V8s of old.

Don’t expect much sound out of those tailpipes. This SUV is about comfort and luxury over anything sporty.

Sorry, getting sidetracked. Regardless of what AMG is doing, the V8 in the Touareg R-Line is different again because it’s diesel. I know diesel and Volkswagen in the same sentence probably still invites some raised eyebrows but VW swears it has its emissions stuff under control.

**READ MORE:

That range readout says 1090km, and that’s after driving for a little bit. You can safely expect over 1100km per tank here.

* Sunday Drive: Audi Q7 50 TDI S Line

* Road test: Audi SQ7

* Road test review: Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Performance Edition

* VW shows off go-fast hybrid SUV

* Volkswagen Touareg has a touch screen bigger than your laptop

I’m inclined to believe them because the provided figures aren't actually that amazing. More or less 10L/100km is notably more than the RightCar-provided figure of 7.5-litres for the Audi SQ7 and the Touareg’s CO2 emissions of 258g/km are a decent gob more than the SQ7’s carbon dioxide leavings of 193g/km. These two use the same engine so the differences in emissions are largely down to aerodynamics but Audi’s offering is tuned to 320kW rather than 310kW.

At the same time, the 4.4-litre, twin-turbo petrol V8 in the BMW X5 M slurps a claimed 12.5L/100km (more if you drive like a motoring journalist) and emits 287g/km of CO2. That SUV does make 460kW, however, which is a lot more grunt than the diesel V8s of Audi and VW can muster.

It looks like Volkswagen knows the current shape of the Touareg doesn't entirely lend itself to aerodynamic efficiency, and so gave the V8-powered versions a larger, 90-litre fuel tank to help out. Brimmed, you’re looking at more than 1100km of range, going by what the computer says. That’s nearly enough to drive from Auckland to Wellington and back on a single tank. Regardless of fuel or aero efficiency, that is deeply impressive.

Emissions niggles aside, the 4.0-litre V8 oil-burner pulls like a train but with far more urgency. Plant your foot at any speed below about 50kmh and the nose rises to the sky as no fewer than 900 Newton-metres of torque do their best to compress your lungs into your shoulder blades.

The V8 isn’t a revver, as is the nature of diesel engines, but settle for a steady 100kmh and the slick eight-speed gearbox will keep the rotations hovering around the 2000rpm mark. Volkswagen isn’t really after the performance crown, so the engine is quiet at speed. In fact, the whole car is quiet at speed, thanks to plenty of sound insulation. If you want a car purely for devouring miles of tarmac, this is one of the best options on the market.

And if that tarmac does get curvier than an Autobahn, worry not because the Touareg R-Line has Volkswagens 48-volt active roll stabilisation (standard on the 1st Edition we’re testing, a $7500 addition on the standard V8 R-Line and a $4000 option on the V6 S R-Line) to reduce body roll and air suspension to either firm or soften the ride, depending on what you want.

The steering doesn’t have a huge amount of feeling but it’s light and direct enough. Standard four-wheel steering means a tighter turning circle close to that of a Golf at low speeds and a more stable vehicle while steering at high speeds.

There is four-wheel drive but it’s better at getting the jump at traffic lights than any serious off-roading. You do get a few drive modes though, including Off-Road and Snow, as well as the usual Comfort, Sport and Normal.

Like the mid-spec Touareg S, the R-Line gets the full Innovision cockpit, including a massive 15-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dash and a 12.3-inch instrument cluster. The R-Line also gets leather upholstery, flashy ambient lighting and ‘Silver Wave’ inserts as standard, along with heated and ventilated massage-capable front seats and a 12+1 speaker audio system outputting 730 watts of power.

The interior is beautifully upmarket, something VW has been aiming for this generation in order to better compete with the Audi Q5/Q7 range, BMW X5 models and Mercedes GLC-Class, as well as the Porsche Cayenne. It’s super comfy too, as you might expect.

So, is it the large SUV to get? If you want V8 power, plenty of luxury and more range than you’ll know what to do with, it’s hard to beat.