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By Jonathan Crouch

Volkswagen's improved Touareg R shows that power needn't necessarily corrupt. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 50

The most powerful car in the entire Volkswagen line-up is this model, the Touareg R. This dynamic 462PS luxury large SUV was the first of the brand's sporting R models to feature plug-in drive. And it was the first all-wheel drive model in VW's PHEV range. Here's the improved version.

Backgroundword count: 167

The Touareg R is a step beyond any version of Volkswagen's largest SUV that we're previously seen. It's also a very different car from any that the Wolfsburg marque's 'R' sub-brand has attempted to develop before, taking its place above the T-Roc R and Tiguan R performance SUV models that the brand's R division launched before it. Before we first saw this Touareg R in 2020, some had expected this fastest Touareg to use the fiery 600PS mild hybrid petrol V8 from the Audi RS Q8. Or perhaps the 507PS V8 TFSI engine from the Audi SQ7. The 462PS petrol V6 it arrived with instead turned out to be more than sufficient to justify the 'R' branding. Unlike the two other engines just mentioned, this one is a plug-in hybrid powertrain - essentially the same unit used by the Bentley Bentayga, but delivered here without the six-figure price tag. This model's mid-term update in mid-2023 brought a slightly sharper look, bigger wheels and a higher price tag.

Driving Experienceword count: 484

There are no significant changes under the bonnet with this improved Touareg R. That evocative badge suggests a rorty exhaust, neck-snapping performance and the usual extra 'race' R drive mode but actually, a Touareg R doesn't have any of that, nor is it intended as any sort of credible alternative to a comparable BMW M or Mercedes-AMG SUV super-sports model. And with basically the same turbo petrol V6 as the ordinary eHybrid model (just boosted in power to 462PS) with the same modest 450Nm torque figure, it's equally misleading to present it as any sort of follow up to the memorable 5.0-litre V10 diesel-powered Touareg R50 model of 2007, which had so much torque that Volkswagen UK once hitched it up to tow a 155-tonne Boeing 747. What we've got instead of all that is a flagship variant that suits likely customers rather better, if the sales figures for this variant so far are any guide. Keeping that sales momentum going with this updated Touareg R might be difficult though because disappointingly, as with the ordinary Touareg eHybrid, the PHEV powertrain in use here is the older VW Group PHEV package based around a 2.9-litre V6, a 138PS electric motor and a 14.3kWh battery. We'd hoped that Volkswagen would have taken the opportunity presented by this facelift to update this set-up to the far more modern Plug-in Hybrid system lately adopted by the updated version of this Touareg's Porsche Cayenne cousin, which in E-Hybrid form uses a 3.0-litre V6, a completely new 176PS electric motor and a much bigger 25.9kWh battery. Which is why that car can go up to 46 miles between charges, while both PHEV Touaregs are limited to just 31 miles. A rival Mercedes GLE 400e PHEV can go up to 70 miles on battery power. So yes, this Touareg's Plug-in tech is some way behind the tech curve. But you might still like one. Despite nearly two-and-a-half tones of kerb weight, it feels reasonably responsive - in 'Sport' mode anyway, with 62mph dispatched in 5.1s en route to 155mph. That's with the 'Hybrid' drive setting engaged; switch to 'Electric' mode and the top speed on battery power alone will be 84mph. The switch between the two drive sources is reasonably smooth but certainly noticeable and you'll particularly hear the engine if you take up the (rather inefficient) 'Eco' drive mode option of using that V6 combustion unit to act as a generator for the battery. Another feature carried over from the regular eHybrid model is the 'reserve charge' feature that allows you to preserve battery charge for when you might need it at the end of a trip. Air suspension is standard but disappointingly given the handling agility you'd usually want from a Volkswagen R model, this one can't be ordered with the rear-axle steering and Active Roll Compensation systems we mentioned earlier; the PHEV packaging doesn't allow for it.

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