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2012 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid [w/video]

Michael Harley — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Crossover, Volkswagen, New Car Reviews

Polished Utility Impresses, Just Not At The Pump

With its subtle badging out of sight, and from a distance greater than 30 feet, Volkswagen's flagship Touareg Hybrid can hardly be differentiated from its entry-level Touareg V6 sibling. But pop the hood or take it for a quick spin, and the gasoline-electric utility quickly reveals itself as one of the most complex vehicles ever to grace the German automaker's showroom.

Predictably, there is always downside to such technical wizardry. Comprehensive development and revolutionary components, including a large nickel metal-hydride battery pack, don't come cheap. As a result, the Touareg Hybrid is the most expensive vehicle in today's Volkswagen lineup, with a base price eclipsing the standard Audi Q7, BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz M-Class and even the Porsche Cayenne.

So why would someone spend more than $60,000 to put this particular Volkswagen in his or her driveway? To answer that question and to learn more about the automaker's flagship softroader, we spent a full week with it.

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2012 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Dec 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid to start at $60,565

Autoblog Staff — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Crossover, Volkswagen

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery

After putting the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid through the wringer (meaning: we assessed it for our first drive), we dubbed it, "a Porsche Cayenne Hybrid for the people." Why'd we compare it to a Porsche? Well, the Touareg Hybrid shares its supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine, eight-speed automatic transmission and its all-wheel-drive system with the Porsche model, so comparisons between the two should be expected. However, the Cayenne Hybrid, with a base price of $67,700, is too expensive for our tastes, and we'd venture to guess that it's priced beyond the reach of many American buyers as well.

No problem, this would be where the Touareg Hybrid steps in. Or so we thought. We anticipated that VW's hybrid would be the bargain of the two, and therefore, bring the goods of the Cayenne Hybrid to "the people." We were expecting the hybrid model to command a premium north of the $44,350 price tag on the current TDI Touareg, but how far north remained unknown until now. Volkswagen has revealed the Touareg's base price, and it's a whopping $60,565, plus $820 in destination fees. With a wallet-crunching MSRP like that, the 20 miles per gallon city, 25 mpg highway Touareg Hybrid will likely struggle to appeal to "the people." We'll stop short of calling the Touareg Hybrid a failure, but with Porsche's version priced within spitting distance, we're struggling to think of any reason why buyers should opt for the VW. If it were our coin on the line, we'd go with the less pricey Touareg TDI.

Gallery: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid: First Drive

Photos copyright (C)2010 Zach Bowman / AOL

[Source: Kicking Tires]

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid to start at $60,565 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid

Zach Bowman — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:58:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, SUV, Technology, Volkswagen, First Drives, Luxury

A Porsche Cayenne Hybrid For The People

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery

Fuel economy is a funny thing. In Europe, better efficiency has always boiled down to two simple concepts: diesel fuel and turbos. But like the 35-year-old who won't drink tequila because of a bad experience in college, American buyers' stomachs start turning whenever manufacturers talk about oil-burners - clean or otherwise. That's a problem for carmakers like Volkswagen. You see, the company can build an arsenal of clean diesel vehicles that have no problem turning out excellent fuel-economy numbers without the weight, complexity or burden of lugging around a partially electric drivetrain, but that doesn't mean Americans will buy them. Nope. On this side of the pond, fuel efficiency translates into just one word: hybrid.

And that's exactly why Volkswagen has taken to electrifying its beefy 2011 Touareg, the very first production hybrid in the company's history. Volkswagen has made no secret of the fact that it plans to be the world's number one automaker, and that part of its plan for global domination involves broadening its appeal in the still-juicy American market. If you were wondering exactly what that meant for the company's lineup on our side of the world, wonder no more. We're living in the future, and it's a place stocked with a blazingly-quick, fully capable and quasi-efficient SUV from Germany with love.

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Gallery: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid: First Drive

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First Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VW planning frugal-minded Touareg 2Motion?

Zach Bowman — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Europe, Volkswagen, Rumormill

2011 Volkswagen Touareg - Click above for high-res image gallery

Rumor has it Volkswagen is mulling a two-wheel drive version of the Touareg. Whispers are buzzing around the francophone site L'Automobile that the company is considering dropping power to the front wheels in order to create a Touareg 2Motion. Why? If our Google translator is to be believed, Volkswagen is hoping to trim some weight and cost from its SUV while upping the vehicle's fuel efficiency at the same time.

The site quotes an unnamed member of the truck's development team as saying it would be relatively easy to make the Touareg a rear-wheel drive vehicle. What's more, a less-expensive VW SUV would likely appeal to the American masses. The Touareg currently carries a base MSRP of around $40,850, so some reduction in price for the two-wheel drive variant is all but assured.

L'Automobile doesn't make mention of when the Touareg 2Motion will come to market, though the current feeling is that it won't be until well past 2012, if at all. It would make sense to see VW offer a RWD version, though, especially when equipped with the upcoming hybrid drivetrain.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg

[Source: L'Automobile]

VW planning frugal-minded Touareg 2Motion? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York 2010: Second generation Volkswagen Touareg makes U.S. debut, Hybrid too

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Hybrid, SUV, Volkswagen, Off-Road

2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery

Volkswagen has just unveiled its 2011 Touareg for the first time in the States, giving us Americans a chance to see the slimmed down SUV and its hybrid sibling that we first saw at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. This second generation Touareg will still have a diesel option, but for those who like to feel even better about themselves while they gently crush wildflowers in the Arctic National Preserve, there's also a hybrid model offered for the first time in a VW SUV.

The hybrid model gets a 3.0-liter, supercharged, direct injection V6 gasoline engine paired with an electric motor and eight-speed automatic transmission that help it to a mileage rating of 21 miles per gallon city and 25 highway. That V6-plus-electric-motor combo also combines for 375 horsepower and 428 lbs.-ft. of torque, allowing a healthy towing capacity of up to 7,700 pounds. There's a full rundown of the details in the press release you'll find after the jump, and a gallery of live images from the show floor here at the 2010 New York Auto Show below.

Gallery: New York 2010: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid

[Source: Volkswagen]
Live photos by Frank Filipponio / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

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New York 2010: Second generation Volkswagen Touareg makes U.S. debut, Hybrid too originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2010: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg sports more features and curves, less weight

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, SUV, Geneva Motor Show, Volkswagen, Diesel, Luxury, Off-Road

2011 Volkswagen Touareg - Click above for high-res image gallery

We could say Volkswagen was tired of making an SUV that ended up being rather expensive - for a VW - after you stuck a few options on it. So in addition to the lost weight, the new Touareg has lost some of the four-wheel drive equipment that made the last one so spendy. This one comes standard with a Torsen limited-slip differential, and then you can order a Terrain Tech Pack that adds the differentials and serious off-road capability that once came standard. That takes fuel economy upward, an boost also helped by the increased curve and lower Cd. VW sold 500,000 units of the previous-gen Touareg and it should do even better with this one. Follow the jump for info on all the Touareg's new flavors and have a look at it in the gallery of high-res photos below.

Gallery: Geneva 2010: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg

Continue reading Geneva 2010: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg sports more features and curves, less weight

Geneva 2010: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg sports more features and curves, less weight originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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