New VW Touareg Facelift

Published Date: 29th Aug 2014

VW have confirmed the new facelifted Touareg will cost from £43,000 when the order books open later this month, featuring upgraded styling, engines and tech

The facelifted all-new VW Touareg is set to go on sale August 27 ahead of arriving in showrooms this November, with prices starting from £43,000 and rising to upwards of £47,500. Changes include more powerful and efficient engines

Having been unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show back in April, subtle styling tweaks to Volkswagen’s flagship SUV include revised front and rear bumpers, redesigned diffuser, a new updated grille design and bi-xenon headlights. There’s a wide range of new colour schemes and a choice of two new alloy wheel designs.

Inside there are very few changes, although Volkswagen has fitted lumbar support as standard for the front seats, as well as offering two new wood trims and adding an automatic post-collision braking system to the entire line-up as standard.

Three trim levels will be available from launch – the Touareg SE, Escape, and R-Line – as with the outgoing model. Standard SE (£43,000 - £44,500) kit includes 19-inch ‘Salvador’ alloys, an eight-inch touchscreen with satnav, two-zone climate control, DAB radio, Bluetooth, and parking sensors.

The Escape trim builds on this with VW’s off-road four-wheel drive system, featuring 50:50 torque distribution and mechanical differential locks for the centre and rear axles. The suspension is also raised and also an extra 15 litres has been added to the fuel capacity over entry-level SE spec, plus there’s underbody protection, black roof rails, 18-inch ‘Karakum’ alloys and a headlight cleaning system.

When opting for flagship Touarreg R-Line model, you see the Touareg shift in approach from off-road monster to sporty thanks to 20-inch ‘Tarragona’ alloys and an R-Line body kit that comes with bespoke bumpers and sill and wheel arch extensions. Completing the look is a lower sports suspension, LED daytime running lights and panoramic sunroof, and inside VW has added unique styling and extra equipment like keyless entry, a heated steering wheel and electrically operated boot lid.

And when you look under the bonnet there is two 3.0-litre TDI diesels that have been carried over, one generates 201bhp and the more powerful unit comes in with 258bhp, and both are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Both engines will be EU6 emission standards-compliant, too, owing to a Selective Catalytic Reduction system, low-rolling resistance tyres and a coasting function added to the gearbox.

This sees the 201bhp diesel engine output 173g/km CO2 – 11g/km less than before – and manage up to 42.8mpg. Despite adding an additional 17bhp over the current engine, the 258bhp TDI also comes in at an improved 40mpg with only a miniscule increase in CO2 emissions.