[singlepic id= 9870 w=540 h=375 float=center]
Volkswagen started giving makeover to all its models and bringing all of them on the platform of One Family look following the steps of the Polo. The Volkswagen family in India is turning out to be a Happy Family with almost all of its products getting response as per the expectation and some getting overwhelmed. The newest product getting makeover is the VolksWagen Touareg. The big SUV is a well proven off roader being conquered Dakar Rally and well received soft roader too.
The New Touareg has made its first debut in New York auto show in 2010. So it has already taken much longer time to reach Indian shores. And finally New Touareg made its way into India with many changes cosmetic as well as technical. It will see a launch around April 2012. Talking about its exteriors front has undergone complete makeover with remarkable change at front. Headlights are now completely sharpened and get bi-xenon lamps with daytime running LEDs. Additional to this, comes 20 inch alloy wheels, roof rails, panoramic sunroof. The new Touareg is now 41mm longer, 12 mm wider.
[singlepic id= 9871 w=540 h=375 float=center]
The engine department gets tried and tested 3 liter, V6, TDI motor producing 245 PS assisted with blue-motion technology for efficiency. Torque figures are impressive too at 550 Nm@1750rpm. Surprisingly that engine is shared by costlier Porsche Cayenne- a feel good factor. To do the justice to the engine The Touareg has an 8 speed automatic transmission gearbox as standard feature. The 7th and 8th gears are laid out as fuel efficient overdrive gears. The automatic transmission has three modes ‘Normal’, ‘Comfort’, ‘Sports’. All modes intelligently modify the ride quality to suite the conditions. So this duo, of engine and gearbox, promises to give an acceleration of 0-100km/h just under 8 sec. Impressive if we consider size and weight of the vehicle.
[singlepic id= 9872 w=540 h=375 float=center]
The new Touareg comes standard all wheel drive and in the sport mode it tunes the Electronic Stabilization Programme (ESP) for off road duty , activates hill descent assist and adjusts shift points for the automatic gearbox allowing the driver to experience off road at its best. The new Touareg comes fitted with six airbags, electronic stability control including ABS, ESP, hill start assist and hill descent assist and safety optimized front head restraints with longitudinal and height adjustments strengthening the safety dept. 4 zone temperature control climatronic air conditioning system, 14 way electric adjustable front seats, cruise control, RNS 850 touch screen music system with MP3 player and 8 speakers provides the passenger satisfying comfort levels. So, Touareg with all these additions will cost around Rs. 55 lakhs approx.
Finally we will consider the competition it placed against Mercedes ML 350, Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. One more nice upgrade from Volkswagen.
