Volkswagen Touareg R 2024 review

“Two point four tonnes!” I just about spat out of my mouth after being informed of the mass of the 2024 Volkswagen Touareg R – notably after a lengthy, spirited drive through the Victorian high country.

That surprise followed a properly entertaining punt that showed the plug-in Touareg R handles like a car at least 20 percent lighter and 20 percent smaller.

From previous tests of the diesel models, we already knew the Touareg was sweet – but the audacious Touareg R, which adds a complex plug-in hybrid system to a petrol V6 – should feel compromised. It doesn’t.

While it’ll pootle along in town tapping into its rechargable 51-kilometre all-electric range, the Touareg R is shockingly capable on technical B-roads that would well-suit a BMW M3. It was enough to turn your mind to the idea that a PHEV crossover could even be good on track.

The recent facelift of the Touareg large SUV was accompanied by a price cut for the diesel V6 models. While the Touareg R is the most expensive of the lot – and a new addition for Australia – Volkswagen insists the model’s value for money play applies to the R too.

Priced at $129,990 before on-road costs, the Touareg R is likely to be a fairly niche proposition, but Volkswagen is keen to point to its previous performance model in the V8 Wolfsburg Edition which cost $139,990 back in 2021.

Unlike other Touaregs, the plug-in R makes use of a petrol V6, albeit with the same 3.0L displacement as the non-hybrid diesels. Peak power for the engine alone – say, when there is no charge left in the battery – is rated at 250kW at 2500rpm and 450Nm from 1500 to 5300rpm.

Backed up by a 100kW/400Nm electric motor mounted snuggly between the engine and the eight-speed torque converter transmission, the maximum 340kW/700Nm outputs are immense.

That torque figure is technically down on the 310kW/900Nm put out by the lusty twin-turbo V8 diesel of old but the 340kW power output makes it the most powerful Volkswagen ever produced.

The Touareg R shares its platform and its entire hybrid V6 drivetrain with the Audi Q8 60 e-TFSI PHEV that costs a substantial $22,510 more than the VW ($152,500) while offering a more laid-back luxurious experience with a