Photo: Volkswagen
Volkswagen just organized a small media drive event in Austria for a Touareg version which it can't homologate at the moment. It's the Touareg PHEV, which is scheduled to go on sale in China soon but will also be offered in Europe in late-2019 or early-2020.
Although VW has a variety of large and expensive products, the Touareg is still considered a flagship. Currently, it's offered to Europeans with 231 PS and 286 PS versions of the 3.0 TDI. Also, North America and other regions have the gasoline V6 that's shared with the Q8. And a bit later on, a 4.0 TDI V8 will also be introduced.
But this PHEV model is quite different. Contrary to what you might expect, they used a four-cylinder. More specifically, the 2.0 TSI resides in a longitudinal configuration and delivers 231 HP on its own. It's associated with a gearbox-mounted 136 horsepower electric motor, and together they have a combined output of 367 PS and 700 Nm.
The motor is fed by an 18 kWh battery, which is 4 kWh larger than the Cayenne e-Hybrid. In pure electric mode, the Touareg PHEV will travel for around 50 to 60 kilometers. Charging details have not been released.
For the record, the older model Touareg had a non-plug-in hybrid configuration which combined a 333 PS 3.0 TSI (that was supercharged, right?) with a 46 hp electric motor. Also, the Audi Q7 had a V6 PHEV version that was offered until recently.
Cosmetically, there aren't any significant changes here. But we can see the headlights and the chrome surrounding them look a little cheaper than on the European model, which will be rectified.
Obviously, this isn't going to be the volume seller of the range, being heavier and with a 2-liter engine. But as more and more European cities plan to ban diesel engines completely, this could be the frugal luxury German SUV you are looking for.
But this PHEV model is quite different. Contrary to what you might expect, they used a four-cylinder. More specifically, the 2.0 TSI resides in a longitudinal configuration and delivers 231 HP on its own. It's associated with a gearbox-mounted 136 horsepower electric motor, and together they have a combined output of 367 PS and 700 Nm.
The motor is fed by an 18 kWh battery, which is 4 kWh larger than the Cayenne e-Hybrid. In pure electric mode, the Touareg PHEV will travel for around 50 to 60 kilometers. Charging details have not been released.
For the record, the older model Touareg had a non-plug-in hybrid configuration which combined a 333 PS 3.0 TSI (that was supercharged, right?) with a 46 hp electric motor. Also, the Audi Q7 had a V6 PHEV version that was offered until recently.
Cosmetically, there aren't any significant changes here. But we can see the headlights and the chrome surrounding them look a little cheaper than on the European model, which will be rectified.
Obviously, this isn't going to be the volume seller of the range, being heavier and with a 2-liter engine. But as more and more European cities plan to ban diesel engines completely, this could be the frugal luxury German SUV you are looking for.
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