Volkswagen Touareg: Flagship SUV gets fresh look, here next year

The mid-life update for the Volkswagen Touareg brings a raft of cosmetic changes, as well as a brand-first application of new headlight technology.

The updated flagship SUV is due here in the first quarter of 2024.

The Australian line-up will remain the same but for the belated local introduction of the R eHybrid plug-in hybrid.

The Touareg is the first Volkswagen to feature IQ.Light HD matrix LED headlights, which come standard on all bar the base model. The brand says this technology will be rolled out to other “SUV-class” models in the future.

They feature three separate light modules, with each headlight featuring 19,216 micro LEDs.

This allows the Touareg to display an “interactive light carpet” onto the lane ahead, called the Lane Light, which in turn makes it easier to follow your lane on dark and narrow stretches of road.

The headlights aren’t the only new lighting element on the 2024 Touareg, with a new light bar stretching into the revised grille and a full-width LED strip also gracing the refreshed rear end.

The latter incorporates a red-illuminated Volkswagen logo.

Other cosmetic changes include revised tail lights, larger front air intakes, new 19-, 20- and 21-inch alloy wheel designs, and Volkswagen logo puddle lights.

Inside, Volkswagen has finally added padded surfaces to either side of the centre console. The top sections of the interior door panels also have double decorative seams.

Volkswagen says the Touareg’s Innovision Cockpit now has the latest hardware and software. It continues to use a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 15-inch touchscreen infotainment system, situated in the same assembly for a wraparound effect.

Improvements to the infotainment system include lane-level navigation and high-resolution HD map data, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

There are new USB-C outlets with a higher charging capacity (45 watts vs 15 watts previously).

There are upgraded buttons and a thumb wheel for volume control in the centre console, all finished in high-gloss black. The illuminated trims in the dash panel have also been refreshed and feature the Touareg logo.

Available features on the Touareg include a 730-watt Dynaudio sound system, head-up display and a Night Vision system.

The latter uses a thermal imaging camera and displays footage in the digital instrument cluster, and includes a marker light that briefly shines a light on people in the potential danger area.

There’s a new roof load sensor that detects if a roof box is fitted and transmits information to assist systems such as the electronic stability control to compensate for the additional weight.

Five powertrains will be offered: a 250kW 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6, 170kW and 210kW 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6s, and 280kW (eHybrid) and 340kW (R eHybrid) 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 plug-in hybrid powertrains.

All feature an eight-speed automatic transmission and 4Motion permanent all-wheel drive.

The R eHybrid, confirmed for a local launch, mates a 250kW/400Nm V6 engine with a 14.3kWh lithium-ion battery and a 100kW/400Nm electric motor for total system outputs of 340kW and 700Nm, a 0-100km/h time of 5.1 seconds, and a top speed in electric mode of 135km/h.

Volkswagen claims an electric-only range of 47km on the WLTP cycle, as well as combined-cycle fuel economy of 2.7L/100km and energy consumption of 24.4kWh/100km. It also maintains a 3500kg braked towing capacity.

Both the standard steel-sprung suspension, as well as the available two-chamber air suspension, have been retuned “to achieve an even larger bandwidth between maximum comfort and optimum performance”.

Active roll compensation and all-wheel steering are available, depending on the variant.

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