Apparently, VW has facelifted the Touareg. Maybe they sent us the wrong picture. VW claims there’s new front and rear styling, but you’d have to be a real Touareg devotee to spot it.
If you’re still looking, it’s the Scirocco R-inspired front bumper and new front spoiler you should keep an eye out for. Confusingly, a full ‘R-design’ bodykit package will be available in summer 2014, to make your Touareg look almost as sporty as the Porsche Cayenne it’s based on but can’t keep up with.
Still at least equipment is more generous. Bi-xenon headlights are now standard on every model, and there are new leather finishes and white button illumination inside as well.
All V6 TDI Touaregs (the top-seller in the UK) now have post-collision braking standard too. Sound a bit redundant, braking after the crash? It’s a safety feature to stop secondary collisions, or lessen the effects of being rear-ended. VW claims it’s also reworked the standard steel suspension for greater agility and comfort.
Aerodynamic tweaks and a new trick for the engine – decoupling from the eight-speed automatic gearbox while coasting – mean that the Touareg is ready and set for EU6-emissions legislation due to come into effect in 2015.
Fuel consumption is down by 6% as a result of these measures, as VW looks to keep pace with the frugal new BMW X5 and the upcoming Audi Q7, which is set to shed around 300kg in weight versus today’s obese behemoth.