Volkswagen confirms V8 turbo-diesel Touareg

VOLKSWAGEN has confirmed it will add a range-topping V8 turbo-diesel R-Line variant to its Australian Touareg luxury SUV line-up from March.

The German brand’s first R-Line product to reach Australia is just 0.1 second slower to 100km/h than the $155,500 (plus on-road costs) Porsche Cayenne S Diesel, with which it shares an engine.

Pricing for the Touareg R-Line is yet to be announced, though it will it will undercut the mechanically related Porsche by a significant margin while attracting a premium over the current range-topping V6 TDI 4xMotion Touareg that retails for $83,990 plus on-roads..

Despite weighing in at around 2.3 tonnes, the Touareg R-Line can sprint from 0-100km/h in 5.8 seconds, while the Cayenne S Diesel manages it in 5.7 seconds.

The R-Line is also a full second quicker to 100km/h than the previous generation Touareg R50 flagship, which was powered by a hulking V10 turbo-diesel.

The 4.2-litre V8 diesel in the R-Line pumps out 250kW of power an 800Nm of torque, just 8kW and 50Nm less than the V10.

Unsurprisingly the new smaller turbo-diesel is more fuel efficient than Volkswagen’s previous Touareg flagship, with combined fuel consumption of 9.2 litres per 100 km compared with 12.6L/100km for the V10.

The Touareg R-Line comes standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission, driving all four wheels through Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel drive system.

Confirmation of the Touareg R-Line comes six months after GoAuto first reported that the SUV would get a local launch Australia after it received official Australian Design Rule (ADR) approval in July.

Volkswagen Group Australia managing director Anke Koeckler told GoAuto the V8 was always in the company’s plan, but it wanted to hold the V8 back for a later date.

More aggressive styling touches including redesigned front and rear bumpers, matte black diffuser and oval-shaped exhaust give the R-Line a sportier feel and differentiate it from the standard Touareg range.

A roof spoiler, chrome door add-ons, body-colour side sills, R-Line badges on the front wings and 21-inch alloy wheels complete the sporty look.

The cabin has also been give the R-Line treatment with stainless steel pedals, heated leather multi-function steering wheel, leather gear knob with aluminium highlights and special R-Line steel door plates.

Volkswagen has packed the range-topping Touareg with standard features including parking sensors, sat-nav, Dynaudio Confidence premium audio system and Nappa leather upholstery.

The R-Line also gets Volkswagen’s Comfort Package that includes four-zone automatic climate control, automatic kerb-view function when reversing and electrically adjustable front seats with three position memory.

Standard safety features include nine airbags, hill decent control and adaptive cruise control.

Sales of the Touareg jumped 80 per cent from 2011 to 2012, due to a full year of sales of the new model that arrived in Australia in July 2011.

Volkswagen shifted 1737 Touaregs in 2012 but was still well behind its competitors in the large premium SUV segment with the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Lexus RX and Land Rover Discovery all ahead for the year.