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2018 Volkswagen Touareg Spied Benchmarking Against Audi Q7 & Ford Focus RS

While Volkswagen is gearing up for the 2016 Paris Motor Show, the German automaker’s engineers are putting the finishing touches on the third-generation Touareg. Slated to go into production next year for the model year 2018, the next-gen Touareg has been spied testing alongside an Audi Q7 and a Ford Focus RS.
2018 Volkswagen Touareg 116 photos
Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
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Benchmarking against the Audi Q7 is to be expected, to be frank, After all, the 2018 Volkswagen Touareg makes use of the group’s MLB 2 platform, the architecture that also underpins the Bentley Bentayga and the next-gen Porsche Cayenne. What came as an unexpected surprise is the blue-painted Ford Focus RS in the adjacent spy video from Motorionline.

Based on what the license plates read, the Focus RS is the same example the carparazzi had caught benchmarking against the 2018 Volkswagen CC. What does all of this mean, though? Based on how well the luxed-up Bentley Bentayga can hold its own when the going gets twisty, I am sure the all-new Touareg will be worth waiting for.

From an aesthetic standpoint, the third generation of the Touareg shares a handful of design details with the T-Prime Concept from the 2016 Beijing Auto Show. As for the oily bits, it remains to be seen if the concept’s plug-in hybrid powertrain (375 PS / 370 horsepower and 516 lb-ft / 699 Nm) will make it into production along with the all-new Touareg.

What’s certain, though, is that Europe will get the Touareg with a 3.0 TDI V6. In the Audi Q7 luxury SUV, the diesel-chugging engine is able to produce anything between 218 and 272 PS. Across the big blue pond known as the Atlantic Ocean, those numbers convert to 215 and 268 horsepower, respectively. But due to the industry-shaking Dieselgate scandal, the U.S. won't see a diesel-powered Volkswagen too soon.

In the U.S. of A. a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 will do the talking. The 2018 Volkswagen Touareg will be available exclusively with an 8-speed auto.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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