The Touareg is one of the world’s most successful premium-class SUVs. Within one decade, Volkswagen sold around 720,000 units of the high-class sport utility vehicle; last year alone over 70,000 drivers chose a new Touareg, which combines the best of the passenger car and off-road worlds in one concept.
Now, Volkswagen has presented a world premiere of a further advanced version of the Touareg at Auto China in Beijing. The 2014 generation can be made out by the new front and rear designs and by its new colours and wheels. In terms of technology, all V6 TDI versions now come equipped with an automatic post-collision braking system (helps prevent a secondary collision in case of an accident ), bi-xenon headlights, and a coasting function.
While coasting, the engine is decoupled from the eight-speed automatic gearbox to utilise the car’s kinetic energy on mountain descents or in driving phases in which acceleration is not needed. Aerodynamic refinements and the introduction of new tyres optimised for low rolling resistance also improve fuel economy in everyday operation.
The V6 TDI engines of the Touareg were converted so that they fulfil the EU-6 emissions (with newly developed SCR-DPF catalytic converter ) standard that takes effect in 2015 in Europe. The standard steel-spring running gear was optimised; improvements include more agile steering response and a gain in comfort. An air suspension is available as an option for the Touareg; it can be used, for instance, to increase the vehicle’s ground clearance by up to 300 mm in off-road driving.
At higher speeds (from 140 km/h ), the body is automatically lowered by the air suspension. Further developed was ACC adaptive cruise control with Front Assist including City Emergency Braking (now with stop-and-go function ).
The interior of the versatile all-round vehicle is marked by new features, including new accents, leather colours, lighting solutions, and controls. In conjunction with the RNS 850 radio-navigation system and mobile phone preparation, the Touareg will launch with ‘mobile online services’ starting this autumn in Europe. In the initial phase, the following will be available:
Points-of-Interest (POI ) search via Google, map display via Google Earth mapping service, Google Street View functionality and ‘online traffic information’. The latest version of the Touareg will launch on the market in diesel (TDI ), petrol (FSI and TSI ), and hybrid (TSI plus e-motor ) models this summer.
The new Touareg will feature bi-xenon headlights as standard. The new model will also feature standard automatic post-collision braking system to avoid secondary collisions for all V6 TDI versions. The interior features new leather colours, accents, buttons/controls, and exclusive white illumination of controls. It also gets new body colours and new wheels, up to 21-inch. And a new R-Line package option adds dynamism to both exterior and interior. The new Touareg is due for market launch this summer.
