2024 Volkswagen Touareg R Review

Sometimes, we here at CarSauce sit down in a car and think – how?

In this instance, the ‘how’ is in relation to price and sheer volume of included features.

How does a car – manufactured in the same Slovakian plant as the Porsche Cayenne, and sharing a platform with said high-performance SUV – cost just $129,990 before on road costs?

Frankly, it’s a question even after we’ve handed it back to Volkswagen that we’re struggling to answer.

The Volkswagen Touareg R is Volkswagen’s most powerful R model ever, with a turbo-charged V6 engine mated with a plug-in hybrid style electric motor, good for a whopping 340kW of power and 700Nm of torque.

It also comes with a night vision camera.

There’s a lot to unpack with the 2024 Volkswagen Touareg R, so let’s review it.

How much does the Volkswagen Touareg R Cost

The Touareg R launches for the first time in Australia amidst a facelift the rest of the range has also received.

Prices have also dropped across the range thanks to a healthier supply of Touareg models for Australia.

The range kicks off with the Touareg 170TDI at $86,790 (-$2,450). The more powerful 210TDI Elegance will cost you $99,990 (-$8,250) and the 210TDI R-Line $109,990 (-$7,550).

The new flagship Touareg R we’re reviewing today sits snug at the top of the range with a price tag of $129,990.

Pricing:

• 2024 Volkswagen Touareg 170TDI - $86,790
• 2024 Volkswagen Touareg 210TDI Elegance - $99,990
• 2024 Volkswagen Touareg 210TDI R-Line - $109,990
• 2024 Volkswagen Touareg R - $129,990

Note: Pricing does not include on-road costs.

What’s the interior like of the 2024 Volkswagen Touareg R?

Frankly, you get so many inclusions with the Touareg R it would probably be easier to make a list of what you don’t get.

Firstly, you’ll never forget you’re in an R product thanks to the sheer volume of blue highlights around the cabin – both physical and lighting (though the latter is customisable).

That extends to the seats, which are a beautiful Puglia leather unit. Both front seats are heated, cooled and massaging, and adjustable in more ways than I can count.

Now standard across the range is a 15-inch infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both of which function flawlessly. The screen is quick to respond, with the only downside being the lack of physical air-conditioning controls – everything is done through the display.

However, they are always accessible at the bottom of the screen, and over our week of testing their in-display nature was never an issue.

In front of the driver is a bright, colour accurate and heavily customisable digital instrument display. The information you can display is abundant, down to the inclusion of a live night vision camera to monitor roads conditions and avoid wildlife incidents at night.

Nice.

The steering wheel is a fantastic ‘R’ branded unit, with an aggressive yet comfortable design. It does continue with the now reversing trend of touch capacitive buttons, however apart from accidental activation of the 3-stage heated steering wheel during hard cornering, this was never much of an issue.

Those worried about charging devices can rest assured that one of the three USB-C fast chargers will have you covered, or of course the wireless charger or 12v socket.

Storage is also good, with a decent sized centre-armrest and glovebox, large doorbins, and a 2+1 cupholder in the centre.

Frankly, the interior inclusions, structure and build of the Touareg R puts many similarly priced and more expensive vehicles to shame.

What about the back seats?

The Touareg range is 5-seater only, which although does mean large families will need to look elsewhere, everyone else can benefit from the sheer volume of space in the second row.

Of course the Puglia leather extends to the rear seats, with some extremely comfortable and well defined seating positions.

Quad zone climate control means everyone can be happy, and heated outboard seats are always a nice luxury touch.

Built in sunshades also mean parents won’t need to fiddle with aftermarket accessories, and the two-fast charging USB-C ports in the back mean again no one will be wanting for charge.

All passengers benefit from the huge panoramic sunroof too, which can open significantly wide.

How is boot space in the Touareg R?

Because under the false floor of the boot lives the 14.1kWh lithium ion battery pack, boot space does take a hit for the Touareg R specifically.

Normally boot space would sit at 810L for the Touareg, but the Touareg R makes do with a 655L boot space.

In theory it’s not class leading, sure. But in practice, it’s more than enough.

You can also drop the second row and get 1800L of boot space if you need more room.

The boot space also has some nifty features up its sleev, like buttons for raising or lowering the rear air-suspension for easier loading of items inside the boot.

What’s under the bonnet of the VW Touareg R?

If you thought the VW Touareg R was simply a dressed up Touareg, you’d be very wrong.

It’s got a serious powertrain underneath its skin.

Powering the 2024 Volkswagen Touareg R is a 3.0L turbo-charged petrol V6 engine mated with an electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission.

On it’s own, the engine outputs 250kW of power and 450Nm of torque.

Similarly in isolation, the electric motor outputs 100kW of power and 400Nm of torque.

The battery size is 14.1kWh useable.

Combined you’re looking at a very healthy 340kW of power and 700Nm of torque, with power sent to a full-time AWD system via an 8-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

On its own, the electric motor can move the Touareg R a claimed range of 51km (WLTP) on its own, and we saw a real-world range of 47km which is very close to the claim.

Claimed fuel economy is 3.3L/100km, though if you charge the battery before your daily commute we found the fuel economy was closer to 1.0L/100km which is fantastic.

Let the battery die, and although the Touareg R still gets spurts of boost from the electric motor, fuel economy rose to about 14L/100km for us over a mix of highway and urban driving.

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How does the Volkswagen Touareg R drive?

You know something is going to be special when it shares much of its platform with the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Porsche Cayenne.

That’s made even more true when Volkswagen slaps their famous ‘R’ badge on.

There’s an almost  overwhelming amount of drive modes, each tuned to provide a different driving experience.

Starting in comfort, the standard air-suspension and adaptive dampers slacken off to give this 2.4 tonne beast an almost physics defying level of comfort.

Even on 22” wheels, the ride of the Touareg R can almost be described as perfect.

A flick of the drive mode selector into sport mode however, and the V6 engine kicks on (almost seamlessly) and a stab of the throttle provides a very clear indication that the Touareg R is not your average Touareg.

The engine quietly yet quickly delivers a large surge of power, while the electric motor provides an instant amount of torque, and you’re off.

In fact, we timed the 0-100km/h of the Touareg R at about 4.8 seconds – which is very fast for such a large, luxury thing,

Unfortunately, because of the battery pack over the rear axle no room is left for the anti-roll system found on the R-Line, however that doesn’t impact handling as much as I thought.

On our twisty backroads, the Touareg R holds an uncanny pace, with minimal bodyroll thanks to the air-suspension automatically lowering and reducing the centre of gravity while the adaptive dampers stiffen significantly.

The result is a huge family luxury SUV that can defy physics, and there is no other way to put it.

It helps the Touareg R is riding on 285 wide tyres all round, which provides ample levels of grip.

Braking is a non-issue for the Touareg R, using a mixture of regenerative braking to recoup energy into the battery pack and massive 19” brakes up front (18” at the rear), which combined can stop the Touareg R very quickly.

Steering is light but precise no matter the drive mode, though perhaps a little more feel through the column would be welcome.

In fact, the only real negative of the Touareg R is the lack of audible cues to go with everything else it can do. The V6 engine is so well isolated for day-to-day driving, not much oomph enters the cabin.

Other than that, the driving experience of the Touareg R is almost faultless. It’s a seriously well-tuned product.

2024 Volkswagen Touareg Comprehensive Features List

2024 Volkswagen Touareg 170TDI Standard Features:

• 170kW/500Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 engine
• Eight-speed automatic transmission
• 19-inch 'Coventry' alloy wheels
• IQ.Light HD matrix LED headlights
• 360-degree camera
• Innovision Cockpit with 15-inch touchscreen and 12-inch digital instrument cluster
• Park Assist Plus
• Manoeuvre Braking
• Dynamic Speed Sign Display (traffic sign recognition)
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Illuminated rear VW badge
• VW logo puddle light projection
• Vienna leather seat upholstery in Soul Black
• Heated, power-adjustable front seats
• Memory for driver's seat
• Power-folding mirrors with memory and auto-dip function
• 30-colour ambient interior lighting
• Dual-zone climate control
• Wireless smartphone charging
• Five USB-C ports (three front, two rear)
• 'Open-cell fine grain ash' dashboard inserts
• Illuminated scuff plates
• Inflatable spare wheel, compressor, and jack
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Lane-keep assist
• Lane-centring assist
• Adaptive cruise control
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Front cross-traffic assist
• Emergency assist
• Proactive occupant protection system
• Steel spring suspension
• Hands-free power tailgate
• Cargo management system
• Satellite navigation
• FM, AM, DAB+ digital radio

2024 Volkswagen Touareg 210TDI Elegance Adds Over 170TDI:

• 210kW/600Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 engine
• 20-inch 'Braga' alloy wheels in grey and silver
• Varenna leather seat upholstery in Soul Black or Mistral Grey (special order)
• Ventilated and massaging front seats
• Air suspension with auto self-levelling and adjustable height

2024 Volkswagen Touareg 210TDI R-Line Adds Over 210TDI Elegance:

• R-Line interior and exterior styling
• 21-inch 'Leeds' alloy wheels in black and silver
• Puglia R-Line leather seat upholstery in Pantera Black
• Brushed stainless-steel pedal covers
• Stainless steel sill plates with illuminated R-Line logo in front doors
• Tinted rear-side and rear windows
• Rear-wheel steering
• Active roll stabilisation
• Heated sports steering wheel
• Alarm with Safelock
• Brushed aluminium decorative interior inserts
• Black headliner

2024 Volkswagen Touareg R Adds Over 210TDI R-Line:

• 340kW/700Nm 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 plug-in hybrid system
• 7.2kW AC charging with included Mode 2 (car to power point) and Mode 3 (car to wallbox) cables
• R interior and exterior styling with black side mirrors, front grille, roof rails, and window surrounds
• 22-inch gloss black Estoril alloy wheels
• Direct tyre pressure monitoring
• Puglia R leather seat upholstery in Pantera Black
• Power-latching doors
• Four-zone climate control
• Night vision
• Panoramic sunroof with power-operated blind
• Head-up display (windscreen projection)
• Front illuminated scuff plates with R logos
• Performance brake discs with blue calipers, front R logos
• Power-adjustable steering column with memory
• Memory for front passenger seat
• Heated outboard rear seats
• Brushed dark aluminium decorative interior inserts
• Dynaudio premium sound system
• Darkened LED tail-lights

How safe is the Touareg R?

The 2024 Volkswagen Touareg is equipped with a solid suite of safety features.

It carries over a five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2018, with high scores in adult and child occupant protection, as well as safety assist functions.

Standard safety features across all Touareg models include front and rear airbags, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert.

Additionally, it has dynamic road sign monitoring and a surround-view camera system.

The Touareg R model adds a night vision assistance system and direct tyre pressure monitoring, enhancing safety further.

How much does the Touareg R cost to run?

The Touareg R comes with a. 5-year, unlimited kilometer warranty.

Servicing is every 12 months or 15,000 kilometers, whichever comes first.

You can purchase the Touareg R with either a 3-year or 5-year service plan, costing $2,050 or $3,400 respectively.

Should you buy a Volkswagen Touareg R?

For a lot of buyers, their car needs to be a jack of all trades.

The Touareg R is probably the penultimate example of that I’ve seen in a long time.

If you want a:

1. Luxury;
2. High-Performance;
3. Good-Looking;
4. Comfortable;
5. SUV;
6. Electric Vehicle;
7. Powerful Turbo-Charged Engine;
8. Practical;
9. Etc…

Then it’s tough to look past the Touareg R.

The interior is phenomenal, with some inclusions often reserved for far more expensive Volkswagen Group products like the Audi A8.

The Touareg R drives very well, if not lacking a little bit of theatre to go with its hefty grunt.

And of course, it’s a large SUV – and therefore very happy to carry everything you need while towing a 3.5 tonne (braked) trailer.

As for price, it’s reasonable – especially considering everything you get.

Want to buy a Volkswagen Touareg R and want the best price possible, with no dealership hassle and a 100% free service for you? Check out CarSauce.com/buy now and join our countless other happy buyers!