Volkswagen Touareg R review

Introduction

The Volkswagen Touareg R is proof that sports SUVs are changing. We’ve seen these big heavy beasts capable of punching out some big performance numbers, but some now have the help of an electric motor to give the car an extra boost in power, too.

That’s great, but is it all about chasing performance? Actually, no - there’s also another benefit. With many cities introducing strict emissions regulations and the public attitude towards "gas-guzzling" vehicles changing, it’s harder to sell a sports SUV on performance figures alone. Enter the Touareg R – VW’s first plug-in hybrid R model.

The fastest version of the VW Touareg might have the same engine and electric motor combination as the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid, but it also has the ability to drive silently on the electric motor over short distances when you aren’t in a hurry.

The question is, should you pick Volkswagen's most powerful production car to date over the Cayenne? That’s what we’re going to find out in this review, as we compare it with the best sports SUVs for everything from performance and comfort to practicality and costs.

What’s new?
May 2023: as part of extensive update of Touareg range, the R gets a new Innovision cockpit, Park Assist with remote control and a panoramic sunroof
March 2021: new Touareg R goes on sale, offering a 456bhp 3.0-litre V6 plug-in hybrid engine, leather trim and keyless entry and go

Overview

The VW Touareg R is comfortable, well-equipped and effortless to drive, but not sharp or engaging enough to be considered a true sports SUV. That leaves it in somewhat of a no man’s land. The Cayenne eHybrid will serve your sports SUV cravings with the help of electric power better.

Pros

• Well equipped
• Spacious inside for up to five people
• Very quiet in electric mode

Cons

• More expensive company car than rivals
• No seven-seat version
• Not very exciting to drive

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Performance & drive

What it's like to drive, and how quiet it is

With a total of 456bhp at its disposal, the VW Touareg R is just as potent as you might expect, and its electric motor makes sure it gets off the line quickly before the 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 kicks in.

Despite having plenty of punch across the rev range, the Touareg R never feels as sporty as the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid. That’s partly due to the standard eight-speed automatic gearbox being less responsive than that rival's but also because the exhaust note is subdued by the standards of the class.

Even when you’re approaching the 3.0-litre turbocharged V6’s red line, it sounds flat and tuneless, which is a real shame as the same engine sounds wonderfully characterful in the Cayenne.

That also sets the tone for the car’s handling. Even in Sport mode (unlike the VW T-Roc R, it has no dedicated R mode), the Touareg R never quite comes alive.

That’s reflected when it comes to handling too. Yes, there's plenty of grip and, despite weighing more than 2.5 tonnes, it exhibits impressive body control, but the handling balance has clearly been set up to prioritise safety over fun.

When you plant your foot on the exit of a corner, the Touareg R simply pushes wide at the front – unlike the Cayenne, which will kick out its rear end. The BMW X5 M60 feels sharper and more agile than both, and that helps to make it a more dynamic car – better qualifying it as a sports SUV.

At least the Touareg R is comfortable when you’re driving normally, with its standard air suspension doing a great job of shielding you from road imperfections and never thudding over potholes. Indeed, driving the R around town feels no different to driving the regular Touareg Black Edition, which – like the R – has air suspension as standard.

Like a standard Touareg plug-in hybrid (PHEV), the R defaults to E mode when you switch it on, providing the battery has enough charge, and slinks off the line silently as you press the accelerator. The motor is impressively flexible and can easily power the Touareg R up to motorway speeds without the V6 engine ever having to chime in.

The official electric-only range of around 30 miles should be enough to do most commutes without needing to use the engine but it’s disappointing against newer rivals, falling behind the BMW X5 xDrive50e (around 64 miles), the Cayenne E-Hybrid (less than 50 miles) and the Range Rover Sport P460e’s range of more than 70 miles.

"As is the case with many VW’s, the gearbox can be quite frustrating, especially as you pull away from junctions or try to take advantage of a gap in traffic." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

The VW Touareg R's interior – aside from its plethora of R badges and some blue contrast stitching on the seats and dashboard – is fairly indistinguishable from that of a regular Touareg.

The flat-bottomed steering wheel, for example, is standard across the Touareg trim levels and its electrically adjustable seats (with four-way lumbar adjustment) are the same as the Black Edition’s, but with slightly posher leather.

They're not quite as supportive as the aggressively bolstered ones in the Porsche Cayenne but you’ll have no trouble getting comfortable and you sit higher above the road, improving visibility. In fact, the view in every direction is fantastic, thanks to the tall windows and slim front pillars.

The Touareg R comes with front and rear parking sensors, and a 360-degree camera as standard. For even more help, you get a system that allows the car to steer itself into a bay and you can pay extra to remotely park the car via a smartphone app.

Matrix LED headlights come as standard. These can stay on high beam but shape their light field to avoid dazzling other road users, so making progress at night should be stress-free.

Infotainment wise, the Touareg R gets VW’s Innovision Cockpit, giving you a brilliant 12in digital driver's display positioned beside a big 15in infotainment touchscreen on the centre console. The digital driver’s display is configurable and controlled via physical buttons on the steering wheel - the fiddly touch pads fitted to earlier models have now been removed.

As touchscreen systems go, the graphics are crisp and the software responds quickly enough, while a number of large icons make hitting them on the move easier. The smaller icons along the top fade away to make the screen look less cluttered. Even so, we’d still prefer physical knobs and dials for things like the climate control, because they’re less distracting to use as you drive.

You can also wirelessly use Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring if you‘d prefer to use your own sat-nav and music apps. An eight speaker sound system is standard, with an optional 13 speaker Dynaudio upgrade available that can punch out a huge amount of bass.

In isolation, the Touareg R’s interior is pleasant and the majority of surfaces are covered in squishy materials or glossy plastics, with the few scratchy plastics hidden low down and largely out of sight.

It’s also quite solidly put together, but it doesn’t feel any more special than the standard Touareg – a problem when you’re up against the BMW X5 and the Cayenne, two cars that feel especially high quality and upmarket with their use of materials.

"I found the optional Trailer Assist system really impressive. It helps to make reversing manoeuvres so much easier and is a must if you often tow." – Steve Huntingford, Editor

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

The VW Touareg R is a five-seater only, but it’s still a very practical SUV. It’s worth noting that, outside of the Hyundai Santa Fe, Mazda CX-80 and the Volvo XC90, you’ll be hard pressed to find a PHEV with seven seats.

Regardless, front space is verging on palatial in all respects, and the rear seats are almost as roomy. There's enough rear leg room for adults who are 6ft and taller, and head room is equally generous, despite the R coming with a panoramic roof as standard. Only the wide central rear floor tunnel is likely to cause a slight inconvenience for a middle passenger.

Better still, if your rear passengers fancy a snooze, the Touareg R’s versatile rear bench can be reclined to three angles, ranging from upright (to prioritise boot space) to seriously chilled.

You can slide the rear bench forwards, depending on how much cargo you’re carrying and how much leg room your rear passengers are willing to sacrifice. The bench splits into two sections (60/40) to allow individual passenger perches to be sacrificed for added luggage space.

The rear backrest folds down in a 40/20/40 split and you can do so remotely with levers in the boot for added convenience.

Talking of luggage space, with the batteries for the hybrid system sitting beneath the boot floor, the R loses around 145 litres compared with the standard Touareg. However, that still leaves 665 litres, which is enough luggage space for a large family’s holiday luggage.

There isn’t anywhere to stash your charge cable away, though, which can get in the way if you need to fill the boot. The narrow storage well underneath the boot floor is only useful for accommodating slim items.

A powered tailgate comes as standard and, because the Touareg R has air suspension, you can lower (and raise) the rear at the press of a button to ease loading in items.

"I found the shape of the boot really useful and there’s almost no loading lip whatsoever. I also like that the air suspension can lower the back of the car. It’s handy when loading heavy items in." – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

It might come as a surprise that the VW Touareg R costs slightly less to buy outright as a Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid and Range Rover Sport P460e, and it’s worth bearing in mind that it comes with more kit than both those rivals as standard.

In terms of running costs, Volkswagen says that the Touareg R should be able to return up to 115mpg, but you will have to plug it in religiously and run on the battery as often as possible to get anywhere close to that figure. Based on the same engine in earlier Touareg Rs, we’d expect to see around 25mpg with the PHEV battery empty.

If you’re a company car driver, the Touareg isn’t the best plug-in hybrid to go for because of its relatively high CO2 output of more than 50g/km. This means the Touareg will cost you more per month in BIK tax than the X5 xDrive50e and Range Rover Sport P460e, despite its lower P11D price. That said, the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid’s even higher CO2 output will cost more still, with a rating of 24%. To keep costs down to a minimum, a Porsche Macan Electric will be a better bet.

Equipment levels are generous, with the Touareg R coming with 22in alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry, heated front seats, ambient lighting and four-zone climate control with separate controls for those sitting in the back.

There are some options to choose from, including massaging and ventilated front seats, soft closing doors and sunblinds for the rear window.

When it was tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP in 2018, the standard Touareg received the full five stars. However, because the tests become more stringent every year, that rating has now expired and it’s hard to compare directly with newer rivals.

Even so, we’d still consider the Touareg a very safe SUV and it comes with lots of standard safety features, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), driver attention monitoring, traffic-sign recognition and lane-keeping assistance.

Reliability wise, neither the Touareg or the Touareg R were included in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey. VW as a brand was, and managed to claim 18th place out of the 31 included car makers – that’s above Porsche, Audi and Land Rover, but below BMW.

A three-year, 60,000-mile warranty comes as standard, which isn’t quite as generous as BMW and Porsche both offering a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty.

"I find it slightly disappointing that the Touareg R’s CO2 output is quite high and electric-only range is so short, which makes it less enticing for company car drivers." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

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