Think you can’t find a 375-hp SUV with the ability to ford nearly 20 inches of water, a towing capacity of 7,700 lbs., premium German engineering, and an upscale interior—along with the same EPA city mileage rating as a four-cylinder Honda Accord? If so, you better think again, because those are just some of the numbers put up by the all-new 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid.
It’s VW’s first hybrid vehicle and the result of a significant effort on the company’s part to address the previous Touareg’s biggest disadvantage in the marketplace, its challenging fuel-economy numbers. To that end, not only did the second-generation Touareg get advanced powertrain technology, but VW engineers also managed to slice almost 450 lbs. off its curb weight.
Now the biggest challenge is trying to figure out where that weight came from, since the new Touareg remains packed with features. These range from VW’s full-time 4MOTION all-wheel drive to take drivers off road and a new touch-screen navigation (and entertainment) system to get them back on. The ’11 Touareg’s interior is roomier, too, thanks to the vehicle’s new longer and wider dimensions. At the same time, the vehicle is shorter than last year’s model, giving it a more aggressive stance that’s enhanced by all-new sheet metal.
Up front, the new Touareg wears the new VW family fascia, with sophisticated, trapezoidal-shaped headlight housings that carry the latest in lighting technologies: LED running lights and bi-xenon high-intensity gas-discharged headlamps. The new design language also encompasses fluid door panels, noticeable wheel arches, chrome accents and a more sculpted rear treatment.
But, of course, the biggest news is what’s under the hood, starting with hybrid model’s cutting-edge V6, which uses both a turbocharger and a supercharger and is paired to a robust electric and nickel-metal hydride battery pack. Together, the powertrain can make the aforementioned 375 horses, along with 428 lb-ft of torque. More importantly, that combination, mated to the segment’s first eight-speed automatic transmission, can ring up estimated EPA ratings of 21 city/25 highway—while reducing emissions by 40 percent.
Also available on the 2011 Touareg will be one of VW’s hallmark V6 TDI clean diesels or a 3.6-liter direct-injection V6 that runs on plain-old gasoline.
But whichever engine customers opt for, the new Touareg will undoubtedly be a powerful performer when it goes on sale later this year.
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