Volkswagen unleashes Touareg Wolfsburg duo

VOLKSWAGEN Group Australia (VGA) has revealed it will be launching two new limited edition Touareg SUVs in March next year, signalling the return of the Wolfsburg nameplate in both V6 and V8 guises.

Set to arrive in March, the Touareg Wolfsburg Edition will be limited to just 300 units, consisting of 200 V6s and 100 V8s, priced from $119,990 and $139,990 plus on-road costs respectively.

Singled out by their new ‘Black Style’ exterior package, the Wolfsburg Editions flaunt a blacked-out grille, window surrounds, mirror caps, roof rails and unique 21-inch Suzuka alloy wheels, all of which combine to put a dark spin on the standard R-Line appearance.

Four body colours are available although only one – white – is included in the base sticker price with ‘Moonlight Blue Metallic’, ‘Deep Black Pearl Effect’ and ‘Antimonial Silver Metallic’ all carrying a $2100 premium.

The standard equipment list of the Wolfsburgs is expansive, consisting of soft-close doors, Night Vision, sound and comfort package, tyre pressure monitoring, unique Wolfsburg badging, Innovision Package, electronic tailgate with easy open, close and keyless access and start, LED headlights, daytime running lights and tail-lights, automatic headlights, auto-dimming mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, 9.2-inch infotainment touchscreen, wireless phone charging, Vienna leather-appointed trim, heated and electric front seats with memory function, dual-zone climate control, driving profile selection, all-wheel steering, active roll stabilisation, R-Line Savona leather appointed upholstery, memory function mirrors and electronic steering column, brushed stainless steel pedals, heated R-Line multi-function steering wheel, paddle shifters and ‘soul black’ headliner.

Safety features are equally in abundance, catered for primarily by the IQ Drive which is made up of front assist with pedestrian monitoring, lane assist with adaptive lane guidance, emergency assist, travel assist, adaptive cruise control, side assist with front and rear cross-traffic assist, park assist, driver fatigue detection, 360-degree proactive occupant protection, front and rear parking sensors and area view.

Both the equipment and safety feature lists stay the same regardless of engine choice with the only difference being peak power outputs and therefore performance.

The V6 and V8 diesel powerplants in question are the same units as found in the regular 210TDI and V8 TDI Touaregs and have been transplanted completely unchanged.

As such, the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel six continues to churn out 210kW/600Nm with drive sent to all four wheels via the familiar eight-speed automatic transmission.

The 4.0-litre V8 predictably ups the ante with 310kW/900Nm.

Given their sportier nameplates and more aggressive exterior styling, VGA is drawing more attention to the Wolfsburgs’ performance credentials, describing the V6’s 6.5-second dash from 0-100km/h as “Golf GTI-challenging” while special emphasis is being made of the V8’s sprint time of 4.9 seconds being “barely behind the Golf R’s”.

VGA has shifted 872 new Touaregs so far this year ending September, marking a 13.8 per cent improvement on the same period last year. 

2021 Volkswagen Touareg pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs