Photo: ABT Sportsline
Holy mother of torque, Batman! With all the commotion around the BMW X5 M50d and the Audi SQ7, we forgot there was a way to get similar power from the Volkswagen Touareg.
Yes, the Touareg, humbled by being a Volkswagen and having a diesel engine has got a mighty weapon it's asking to use. We are talking about the 4.2-liter V8 TDI engine. It's not the biggest or more powerful V8 in the world, but thanks to the guys at ABT Sportsline, it has discovered a new purpose in life.
A couple of years ago, somebody in Germany showed us that the Touareg V8 is almost as fast as a freaking Golf R, the legendary hot hatch. The reason? Torque, obviously, and the fact that ZF's 8-speed automatic gearbox is so great.
If we were after a fast diesel SUV, we'd ignore the overpriced SQ7 and search for one of these Touaregs (they aren't in production anymore). With a bit of software magic, the Bavarians of ABT have increased the output of the engine from 340 to 385 PS, while torque has gone up to a massive 880 Nm of the stuff. There aren't a lot of cars that can match that.
Just to give you an idea of how much twisting power this V8 has, the Audi RS5, which also features a 4.2-liter V8, produces only 430 Nm.
There are other upgrades available from before. For example, if you have a Touareg with a 3.0 TDI engine, it's still good for 290 PS and 650 Nm of torque. That should get you moving in a hurry, even if your SUV weighs 2.3 tons.
Cosmetic changes have been kept to a minimum. However, ABT has installed the Level Control system with air springs lowering the CoG by up to 40 mm on the front axle and 30 mm on the rear axle. To top it all off, the latest 22-inch wheels are a good match in black for the sober body of this German 4x4. So, do you guys think it's as cool as we think it is?
A couple of years ago, somebody in Germany showed us that the Touareg V8 is almost as fast as a freaking Golf R, the legendary hot hatch. The reason? Torque, obviously, and the fact that ZF's 8-speed automatic gearbox is so great.
If we were after a fast diesel SUV, we'd ignore the overpriced SQ7 and search for one of these Touaregs (they aren't in production anymore). With a bit of software magic, the Bavarians of ABT have increased the output of the engine from 340 to 385 PS, while torque has gone up to a massive 880 Nm of the stuff. There aren't a lot of cars that can match that.
Just to give you an idea of how much twisting power this V8 has, the Audi RS5, which also features a 4.2-liter V8, produces only 430 Nm.
There are other upgrades available from before. For example, if you have a Touareg with a 3.0 TDI engine, it's still good for 290 PS and 650 Nm of torque. That should get you moving in a hurry, even if your SUV weighs 2.3 tons.
Cosmetic changes have been kept to a minimum. However, ABT has installed the Level Control system with air springs lowering the CoG by up to 40 mm on the front axle and 30 mm on the rear axle. To top it all off, the latest 22-inch wheels are a good match in black for the sober body of this German 4x4. So, do you guys think it's as cool as we think it is?
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