Volkswagen Touareg R

The performance world is changing, and so is Volkswagen R, as evidenced by the arrival of the Volkswagen Touareg R, the hot sub-brand’s first-ever plug-in hybrid model.

The new range-topping Touareg indirectly replaces the short-lived Touareg V8 TDI – a car that was never officially offered for sale in the UK – becoming the first model in Volkswagen’s flagship SUV line-up to wear the R badge since the memorable 345bhp twin-turbocharged 5.0-litre V10 diesel-powered Touareg R50 was launched in 2007.

It’s not an exclusive Volkswagen R development, though.

The new Touareg R’s petrol-electric driveline is the same as that used in a number of upmarket Volkswagen Group models, including the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid, Audi Q7 TFSIe quattro and Bentley Bentayga Hybrid, albeit with some small tweaks aimed at providing the car with its own unique character.

Power comes from a twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 petrol engine developing 335bhp and 332lb ft of torque as well as an electric motor with 134bhp and 295lb ft. Together, they provide a combined system output of 456bhp and 516lb ft.

This is 80bhp and 74lb ft more than the same driveline develops in the altogether milder Touareg eHybrid, which is planned to see UK deliveries at the same time as the Touareg R by the end of 2020.

Drive is sent through a standard eight-speed torque-converter-equipped automatic gearbox with Tiptronic manual shifting capability via steering wheel mounted paddles and a Torsen torque-sensing four-wheel drive system engineered by Audi. The latter is capable of transferring up to 70% of drive to the front wheels or alternatively 80% to the rear wheels depending on prevailing traction.

Energy for the electric motor is supplied by a 14.3kWh lithium ion battery mounted beneath the boot floor. It can be charged either on the run using part of the combustion engine as a generator or via a plug at up to 7.2kW on an AC system, at which Volkswagen claims a charge time of two and a half hours.

Economy figures have yet to be announced, though Volkswagen points to an electric range of up to 29.2 miles on the WLTP test cycle. The top speed in electric mode, meanwhile, is limited to 84mph.

The Touareg R is differentiated from other standard third-generation Touareg models by a series of uniqiue styling touches, including a new-look front bumper, a blackened grille with R logo, blackened front air ducts, black exterior mirror housings, blackened sills, darkened tail-lamp lenses and trapezoidal-shaped chromed tailpipes. Twenty-inch wheels with 285/45 profile tyres are standard.

In its default electric mode, the car is supremely quiet and smooth in operation with strong step-off qualities thanks to the instant torque delivered by its electric motor. While the battery capacity is not sufficient to provide it with truly extended zero-emission compatibility, the Touareg R still manages to cover most commutes without the need to rely on the combustion engine.

The electric motor provides all the urgency you’re ever likely to seek in urban driving. When you do go searching for added performance with a probing nudge of the accelerator on more open roads, there is just enough start-up vibration from the petrol engine for you to notice it. However, the acceleration remains quite linear in character without any significant interruption in progress as the two drive sources are combined.

There is no shortage of driving modes, with the driver able to choose from Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, Individual, Off-Road and Snow beyond the Electric and Hybrid modes. Keen observers will note that it does without the Race mode of other R models, and there’s a good reason why.

Switching through the various driving modes on a variety of different roads, it doesn’t take long to conclude the emphasis here is less on all-out performance than overall comfort and refinement. At typical motorway speeds, the Touareg R feels quite responsive with strong torque qualities that give it outstanding flexibility and the sort of in-gear acceleration belying its 2533kg kerb weight. But it is no fire-breathing powerhouse, and its exhaust note is extremely subdued by Volkswagen R’s usual standards.