Although you might not think so, judging from its proportions, which remain sizeable, the central engineering achievement with the new Volkswagen Touareg is its loss of weight compared with the previous model.
All versions weigh at least 203kg less than before, some as much as 222kg less, which is genuinely impressive considering the wheelbase is some 40mm longer, providing more space inside the cabin, specifically in the rear seats.
More impressive still is the Touareg’s fundamental rigidity, which has risen by more than five per cent, making it one of the stiffest vehicles in its class. This, in turn, has allowed Volkswagen’s chassis engineers to design an all-new steel suspension system that, they claim, dramatically improves both the Touareg’s ride and handling and is 43kg lighter than before.
VW has also completely redesigned the four-wheel drive system, again not just for increased off-road performance (more ground clearance and better approach/departure angles) but also more efficiency.
The Touareg’s exterior design is noticeably less of a leap forwards. The conservative styling brings the Touareg up to date with the rest of the Volkswagen Golf-faced VW range and helps to disguise its size. It’s certainly not radical, but it does look neat, modern and inoffensive.
The CD factor has also dropped from 0.38 to 0.37, thanks mainly to the redesigned front end.
