Volkswagen Touareg facelift: price, specs and release date

The facelifted VW Touareg is set to go on sale August 27 ahead of arriving in showrooms this November, with prices starting from £43,000 and rising to upwards of £47,500. Changes include more powerful and efficient engines

As revealed at the Beijing Motor Show in April, subtle styling tweaks to Volkswagen’s flagship SUV include revised front and rear bumpers, plus redesigned diffuser, an updated grille and bi-xenon headlights. There’s a wider range of exterior paint schemes and choice of two new alloy designs, too.

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Inside there are fewer changes, although the German manufacturer has fitted lumbar support as standard for the front seats, as well as offering two new optional wood trims and adding an automatic post-collision braking system to the entire line-up. 

Three trim levels will be available from launch – SE, Escape, and R-Line – as with the outgoing model. Standard SE (£43,000 - £44,500) kit includes 19-inch ‘Salvador’ alloys, an eight-inch touchscreen with satnav, two-zone climate control, DAB radio, Bluetooth, and parking sensors.

Escape trim (£44,700) builds on this with VW’s 4XMOTION off-road four-wheel drive system, featuring 50:50 torque split and mechanical diff locks for the centre and rear axles. The suspension is also raised and an extra 15 litres added to the fuel capacity over entry-level SE spec (bringing the total to 100 litres), plus there’s underbody protection, black roof rails, 18-inch ‘Karakum’ alloys and a headlight cleaning system.

Opting for flagship R-Line models (£46,000 - £47,500) sees the Touareg shift in approach from off-road to sporty thanks to 20-inch ‘Tarragona’ alloys and an R-Line body kit that comes with bespoke bumpers, and sill and wheel arch extensions. Completing the look is a lower sports suspension, LED daytime running lights and panoramic sunroof, while inside Volkswagen has added unique styling and extra equipment like keyless entry, a heated steering wheel and electrically operated bootlid. 

Under the bonnet the two 3.0-litre TDI diesels have been carried over, one generating 201bhp and the other 258bhp, each of which is again paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Both engines are EU6 emission standards-compliant, too, owing to a Selective Catalytic Reduction system, low-rolling resistance tyres and a coasting function for the gearbox.

This sees the 201bhp diesel emit 173g/km CO2 – 11g/km less than before – and manage up to 42.8mpg. Despite gaining an additional 17bhp over the current engine, the 258bhp TDI can also hit north of 40mpg with only a fractional increase in CO2 emissions.