Volkswagen revives Touareg Adventure

ONLY a fortnight after confirming the 900Nm Touareg V8 TDI R-Line was heading Down Under, Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) has further bolstered its flagship large SUV line-up with the addition of the Adventure special edition, priced from $90,990 plus on-road costs.

Based on the current 190TDI Premium and limited to 150 units, the Adventure is said to be the most “robust” variant in the Touareg range, featuring extra underbody protection, a larger 90-litre fuel tank (+15L) and two extra drive modes to make it more capable across a wider variety of driving environments.

‘Off-road Gravel’ and ‘Off-road Sand’ each bring about unique settings for the traction control, 4Motion all-wheel-drive system and throttle response to maximise grip in their respective conditions.

Visually, the Touareg Adventure can be distinguished from the regular 19TDI Premium by its 19-inch ‘Esperence’ alloy wheels and matching roof rails, ‘Adventure’ badging and four exterior colours: Sechura Beige Metallic, Pure White, Silicone Grey and Deep Black Pearl Effect.

Inside, customers can choose one of two unique two-tone Savona leather interiors – Atacama Beige or Florence Brown – paired directly to the exterior colour scheme.

The beige interior is available in conjunction with the beige or white exteriors while the darker brown can only be ordered with either the grey or back paint finishes.

Standard equipment on the Adventure largely matches that of the 190TDI Premium, meaning hands-free power-operated tailgate, keyless entry/start, 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system, satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, four USB ports, heated and ventilated front seats with massage function, open-pore fine-grain ash wood trim, dual-zone climate control, adaptive IQ Matrix LED headlights, tyre pressure monitoring, four-wheel-steering, 360-degree camera, park assist plus and manoeuvre braking all come as standard. 

The whole package rides on air suspension and motivation comes from the same 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine as the 190TDI, which churns out a healthy 190kW of power and hefty 600Nm of torque.

The Touareg Adventure carries a $4200 price premium over the 190TDI Premium.

Buyers can also take a further step down the adventure path with a series of factory packages designed to up the Adventure’s versatility stakes even higher.

Spending an extra $2790 brings ‘Adventure Package One’ which adds a towbar, luggage compartment tray and front/rear mudflaps, while the $4125 ‘Adventure Package Two’ brings side steps and all-weather rubber floor mats.

As with all Touareg variants, active safety features on the Adventure are plentiful with autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep and steering assist, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality all included as standard.

VGA has shifted 417 Touaregs so far this year ending May, accounting for 6.4 per cent of the $70,000+ large SUV segment, some 113 units behind the Porsche Cayenne and 203 down on the Audi Q7, both of which share their underpinnings with the big VW.

2020 Volkswagen Touareg pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs