New Volkswagen Touareg finally debuts with bold styling

Volkswagen has finally taken the wraps off its third-gen Touareg SUV in Beijing.

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Based on the MLB Evo platform that underpins the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne, Bentley Bentayga and the soon-to-come Lamborghini Urus, the SA-bound Touareg is said to have lost some weight.

Volkswagen says it is now 106kg lighter than the outgoing model.

It has grown in dimensions too. It is 4 878 mm long – 77 mm longer than its predecessor. It is 44 mm wider than before while its roof is 7mm closer to the ground at 1 702mm.

With the rear seats in place, VW claims luggage capacity of 810 litres, which is 113 litres more than the second-generation model.

The interior boasts VW’s new Innovision Cockpit, which links a centrally mounted 15-inch infotainment touchscreen with the brand’s familiar 12-inch digital instrument cluster.

In terms of engine derivatives, there is a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel in two states of tune, 170 kW and 210 kW and a 250 kW 3.0-litre V6 petrol.

Volkswagen says it might bring a 4.0-litre V8 turbodiesel with 310 kW and a plugin hybrid with 270 kW.

The new Touareg is expected to arrive in SA in the third quarter of 2018.

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