Volkswagen’s ultimate Touareg – the R50 – is one of only a few vehicles that have left the Car Showroom team saying: “Wooo-Hooo!”.
Sure it’s a 2.6 tonne SUV, but the R50 has had the works from Volkswagen’s factory racing division (hence its ‘R’ badge), and includes a impressive list of high tech driving features and luxury items.
Oh and under the bonnet?
Only a twin-turbocharged 10-cylinder TDI engine delivering 258 kW of power and 850 Nm – yes, that’s right eight-hundred and fifty Newton Metres! – of torque.
Clearly this must be in the top four or five high performance SUVs in the world and the Australian price of $134,990 makes its brother the Cayenne Turbo S and even the V8 X6 and ML63 look under-engined and over-priced.
What You Get
This is where the fun starts…
It appears the Product Planning team at Volkswagen and Volkswagen Racing couldn’t agree on the specs for the R50 so to make things simpler they said: “Oh, let’s just toss-in everything we make.”
The driver can adjust the air suspension for ride height through a range from 140mm to 280mm and suspension damper settings for ‘Normal’, ‘Comfort’ and ‘Sport’. In addition there is a Driving Dynamics Package with roll compensation supplements to counteract body roll.
On the braking front there is ABSplus which is a new system developed by Volkswagen to reduce the braking distance on loose surfaces by up to 20 per cent.
And don’t forget this is a 4WD so you can also select high-range or low-range and/or the electronically-operated differential lock for the center differential when you’re in the slippery stuff.
Naturally there is Traction Control in the form of Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR), Electronic Stabilisation Program (ESP) with active rollover protection, Engine Braking Control (EBC) and hill descent and holding assistance.
Under The Hood
The R50’s twin-turbo V10TDI - the most powerful diesel in the Volkswagen arsenal - is one of the world’s greatest engines. It’s as simple as that.
Volkswagen Racing assisted in tuning the turbos and engine management system of the standard V10 to squeeze an extra 28kW and 100Nm – now up to 258kW and 850Nm. Drive is to all four wheels via the latest generation of Volkswagen’s 4MOTION system and a 6-speed Tiptronic automatic with Dynamic Selection Program.
Volkswagen says the combined cycle fuel consumption is 12.6l/100kms and the CO2 emissions are 333g/km.
The Interior
Inside, the R50 makes a clear statement that it is a genuine luxury high performance SUV. For starters you immediately notice the beautiful ‘R’ logos embroidered on the headrests of the beautiful Napa leather sports seats, in the polished stainless steel tread plates and the aluminium pedal caps.
Extra flourish is provided for the trim materials with abundant use of polished metallic features reminiscent of carbon fibre.
The instrumentation is typically Volkswagen high quality. The Touareg R50 Car Showroom tested was fitted with the optional satellite Navigation system/premium audio system with CD/MP3 and video DVD with 10 speakers.
Performance drivers will appreciate the grippy 4-spoke leather steering wheel and gearshift paddles for manual shifting of the Tiptronic transmission.
Exterior & Styling
R50’s purposeful, sporty look comes from the blending of several unique design elements. Most noticeable from the side are the colour-coded wheel arch flairs and side skirts.
At the rear, a reflex silver diffuser, oval exhaust pipes and R50 badge provide differentiation while the front is dominated by a chrome and black grille as well as honeycomb inlets for cooling air to the radiator and intercooler.
On The Road
Here at Car Showroom we do like the Range Rover Sport and while even the R50 struggles to match the Rangie for chutzpah parked outside a trendy café, it must be said when it comes to making a quick exit, the Touareg - with its 850Nm on tap from 2,000 rpm - simply eats the Rangie for breakfast. Volkswagen says the R50 is good for zero to 100 km/h in just 6.8 seconds so that means not only the Range Rover but also the ML500 are breathing the R50’s exhausts at the end of the standing 400.
With the suspension lowered and in sports mode for the dampers, the R50 delivers ridiculously impressive on-road grip, ride and handling. Push it too hard and the sporty Touareg does remind you that it is after all a 2.6 tonne SUV and you can almost feel the tread being peeled away from those expensive 295/35 R21 tyres (did we mention the stylish 21-inch alloy wheels that are standard kit?).
With the suspension set in the ‘Comfort’ setting, Volkswagen says the R50’s level of ride comfort matches normal Touaregs – which is to say, like the X5, X6, M-Class etc, it is slightly firmer than Japanese/Korean SUVs but very nice.
Challenges
We are huge fans of the R50, but we must admit the sound of the V10TDI is a little intrusive when it is working hard and that sound is a hard-working diesel, not the glorious rumble of a petrol V8.
And while we reckon the interior is simply one of the very best in the luxury SUV world, you have but one choice of colour – ‘anthracite’ or charcoal grey. We reckon that nice beige Volkswagen makes would be a perfect second choice.
Verdict
The R50 is our choice for luxury SUVs. We’re captivated by the technology, we love the performance of the V10 TDI (even though it’s noisy) and we like the upgrades for the exterior and interior. At $134,990 we reckon it’s good value.
The Competition
Range Rover Sport is also an excellent vehicle. It is priced below the Touareg R50, but its V8 turbo-diesel is a long way short of the R50 for performance. We suspect the Rangie may have a little extra boot space – if that’s important for you. We also think the Rangie still has a little extra street cred.
BMW’s M version of the X6 (arriving late ’09) and the 4.8i version of the X5 are certainly in the ballpark – dollars and seating capacity need to be shopped one against the other (the X6 only seats four). However currently BMW’s diesels are no match for the R50 so you would need to look at the petrol V8s.
It’s a similar story with diesel versions of the ML-Class and GL-Class from Mercedes-Benz.
Thumbs-up:
Looks great; stunning technology & performance; value-for-money
Thumbs-down:
Engine noisy under load; dark interior colour; sat-nav expensive option
