VOLKSWAGEN'S RITZIEST SUV (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 68

Volkswagen's flagship model, the Touareg, is a large luxury SUV that in third generation guise became smarter looking, safer, better-equipped and much more sophisticated. It's luxurious and refined on-tarmac - and better than you might expect it to be off it. True, it still can't offer more than five seats, but otherwise, this under-rated contender was hugely improved in this CR-series form and offers a very complete package.

Modelsword count: 8

5dr SUV (3.0 V6 TDI, 2.9 TSI PHEV)

Historyword count: 357

This third generation Touareg luxury SUV claimed to be the most sophisticated Volkswagen ever made. It was the brand's flagship model and set fresh standards for the Wolfsburg maker. Back in 2018 at its launch, this car offered the least expensive way into the MLB-Evo platform technology that the Volkswagen Group's ritziest brands were using for their most desirable large SUVs. Which is why the chassis used here was shared with a Porsche Cayenne, some sections of the driveline were borrowed from a Lamborghini Urus, there was exotic suspension from a Bentley Bentayga and semi-autonomous driving tech from a fashionable Audi Q8. Quite a CV. But then the Touareg has always featured sophisticated underpinnings. The first generation 'Type 7L' version, launched in 2002 and named after a North African tribe, shared much of its development with Volkswagen's vastly over-engineered Phaeton boardroom-level luxury saloon. The MK2 'Type 7P'-series model, introduced in 2010, was one of the cars that pioneered hybrid technology for its maker. So it was natural that this third generation CR design, first shown in early 2018, would continue to push the boundaries - not least in the way it looked. The chromed visage came courtesy of the way that it was primarily styled for China, its biggest market. It was also larger, more luxurious and more road-orientated than before. And still only a five-seater - which in itself was interesting given that key competitors from Volvo and Audi offered space for seven. Volkswagen pointed out that its emphasis here was also shared by direct rivals like the fourth generation BMW X5 and the second generation Mercedes GLE, cars that needed to take this MK3 model Touareg much more seriously than its predecessor. Not least because it offered one of the classiest leather-lined interiors ever seen at this price point, complete in its priciest forms with a sophisticated so-called 'Innovision Cockpit' incorporating two huge digital screens. It's a Volkswagen then, you could really aspire to. A rare Plug-in Hybrid Touareg R petrol model was launched in 2021. And the entire range was facelifted in mid-2023. It's the pre-facelift 2018-2023-era models though, that we look at here.

What You Getword count: 438

With this third generation CR-series Touareg, Volkswagen Design Chief Klaus Bischoff's objective was clear: to shape the most imposing SUV in its class. Well it was certainly distinctive - and subtly larger too, longer, wider and fractionally lower than before. Back in 2018, we certainly hadn't previously seen anything quite like the way that the chrome elements of this car's imposing grille combined in such a seamless way with this model's hi-tech LED lighting system. Inside up-front, there's a cabin that was, in Volkswagen's words, an interior 'shaped for the digital age'; or at least it was in the top 'R-Line Tech' variant anyway, the only model in the range that got as standard what the brand called its 'Innovision Cockpit' package - essentially a set of digital instrument gauges on a 12-inch monitor and a super-large so-called 'Discover Premium' 15-inch centre-dash display, both of which were joined seamlessly together to try and turn the fascia into one big functioning screen. Lesser models got conventional gauges and a 9.2-inch centre-dash 'Discover Pro' screen. Either way, there was a classy feel further aided by the way that you were sat more commandingly than was the case with some other large luxury SUVs of the period, surrounded in this VW by mood lighting, beautifully stitched finishing and a cool, classy Teutonic ambiance. Enough on the front: what's it like in the back? You'd think that the 77mm of extra body length this time round would have prompted Volkswagen's designers to allow for the option of extra cost third row chairs. But no, the previous five seat-only format remained. Still, staying with a five-seat format allowed for a palatial level of rear seat space for the passengers that could be accommodated. Legroom is generous and can be extended further by seat bases that slide over a range of 160mm across a 60:40 split. Headroom's ample too, despite this third generation model's 7mm reduction in roof height: yes, even if you get yourself a model fitted with the vast opening panoramic roof, which floods the interior with welcome light. We'll finish by considering the boot, another area of the car you might think would have benefitted by that decision not to allow for a third seating row. The rear tailgate's power-operated with a gesture-control feature of course (or at least it is provided you avoid entry-level trim) and once it's raised, there is, sure enough, a significantly larger luggage area than before. It's rated at 810-litres in size, which is a useful 113-litres larger than the previous generation model could offer. This capacity was reduced to 610-litres in the Touareg R PHEV.

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