- New Touareg R-Line Plus packs extra equipment and tops the range
- R-Line Plus is expected to make up around half of Touareg sales
- New trim level is available now, starting at £48,095 OTR RRP
The latest Volkswagen Touareg is a perennially popular luxury SUV that is now gaining that bit more luxury with the arrival of the new range-topping trim level: R-Line Plus.
Volkswagen is now offering the Touareg in its highest specification yet, as the new R-Line Plus trim sits at the pinnacle of the capacious and capable 4×4’s line-up.
The Touareg R-Line Plus naturally uses the well-equipped R-Line as a starting point, and builds in valuable and stylish additions inside and out.
Externally, the five-seat SUV’s alloy wheels are upgraded from 20 inches to the striking 21-inch ‘Mallory’ design. Meanwhile, the R-Line Plus comes equipped with Volkswagen’s impressive Area View technology as standard. This utilises front, rear and side wide-angle cameras (mounted within the door mirrors) to provide a 360-degree bird’s-eye exterior view of the SUV that is displayed on the Touareg’s infotainment display screen.
Area View allows the driver to see the immediate surroundings of the car from a new perspective, and the technology enhances the safety of occupants and those outside the vehicle. For example, Area View allows the driver to ‘see around corners’. When driving forwards from a parking space the Touareg driver can, via the system, see pedestrians and cyclists approaching from the side.
Inside, the new Touareg features a generous roster of standard equipment. The centre console, dash and air vent surrounds are finished in stylish ‘Piano Black’, and the cabin features luxurious ‘Vienna’ leather upholstery. The front comfort seats are 14-way electronically adjustable, and the front head restraints include four-way adjustment.
The extra equipment has a value of £3,255 if specified separately, but the premium over the Touareg R-Line is a mere £1,160, underlining the car’s great value. That figure applies whether the customer chooses the 204 PS 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine or the 262 PS 3.0-litre V6 TDI.
Fuel economy is similar whether the 204 PS or the 262 PS engine is selected. Both offer a combined figure of 42.8 mpg, while CO2 emissions for the 204 PS engine are 173 g/km or 174 g/km for the 262 PS engine.
All of that, of course, is applied on top of a colossal amount of standard equipment on the Volkswagen Touareg R-Line. This includes lowered sports suspension, R-Line body styling, a panoramic sunroof, Bi-xenon headlights, black roof-lining, a heated steering wheel, electric tailgate, and keyless entry.
The Volkswagen Touareg is now available in four trim levels: SE; Escape; R-Line; and R-Line Plus. All feature Volkswagen’s 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system, which distributes engine power, as required, to all four wheels helping to ensure optimum traction and propulsion.
The new R-Line Plus trim level is expected to account for around half of Touareg sales, and is available to order through the Volkswagen UK Retailer network now.
| Volkswagen Touareg R-Line Plus | ||||
| Engine | Gearbox | Power | CO2 (g/km) | RRP |
| 3.0-litre V6 TDI SCR | Eight-speed auto tiptronic | 204 | 173* | £48,095.00 |
| 3.0-litre V6 TDI SCR | Eight-speed auto tiptronic | 262 | 174* | £49,895.00 |
* Fuel consumption and CO2 figures are obtained under standardised EU test conditions (Directive 93/116/EEC).