2024 Volkswagen Touareg R review

Touareg R is VW’s most powerful… some of the time   

It may not look it, but this is the most powerful production Volkswagen there has ever been, trumping even the Phaeton fitted with a 6-litre W12 motor. This Touareg gets there on half the capacity, plus turbocharging and a punchy electric motor added to the mix.

To mark the fact, it comes with an ‘R’ badge, denoting this to be the most sporting model of the range which, in this case, isn’t saying very much. Indeed it’s a complete red herring. There is nothing remotely sporting about this full-sized SUV, even if its powertrain has been brought over lock and stock from the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid.

Forget that and look at it instead as a conspicuously quiet, comfortable and exceptionally well-built SUV and remember this is a car that shares its platform with not just the Porsche, but Bentley’s Bentayga too. The interior has a genuine quality feel, and is a fine place from where to watch the miles roll by.

But you’d still only buy it for the tax breaks. For private buyers the hybrid system adds vast weight and on long journeys when the modest battery range is exhausted (expect around 30 miles) you’re left with a 3-litre petrol engine towing nearly two and a half tons of car, with a predictably deleterious effect on the fuel consumption and real range.

Better to save a five-figure sum, buy the lighter (by over 350kg) non-hybrid diesel with an almost identical torque-to-weight ratio and save yourself a fortune on running costs. AF

Volkswagen Touareg R

Price £80,510
Engine 3 litres, six cylinders, petrol, turbo, hybrid
Power 456bhp
Torque 332lb ft
Weight 2481kg
Power to weight 184bhp per tonne
Transmission Eight-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
0-60mph 5.1sec
Top speed 168mph
Economy 120mpg
CO2 53g/km
Verdict Hamstrung heavyweight.