The Volkswagen Touareg is a luxury 4x4 (US: SUV) built by Volkswagen, the first of its kind produced by the German brand. It utilizes the Volkswagen E platform, which was co-developed with Porsche in a cost-sharing initiative, allowing Porsche to make use of the chassis for their Cayenne SUV. VW introduced the Touareg to the public with the intention of replacing the Eurovan for their North American markets.
The Touareg earned high praise from critics, having been named Car and Driver magazine's Best Luxury SUV of 2003, Motor Trend Magazine's Sport/Utility of the Year for 2004, and "Four Wheeler" Magazine's Four Wheeler of the Year for 2005 and Overlander's 2003 4WDOTY.
The following engines are available:
+ 174 PS (128 kW, 172 hp) 2.5 L diesel I5 + 225 PS (165 kW, 225 hp) 3.0 L diesel V6, 500 N·m (369 ft·lbf) + 240 PS (177 kW, 236 hp) 3.2 L gasoline V6 + 310 PS (228 kW, 305 hp) 4.2 L gasoline V8 + 313 PS (230 kW, 308 hp) 5.0 L diesel V10, 750 N·m (550 ft·lbf) + 450 hp (331 kW) 6.0 L gasoline W12, 599 N·m (442 ft·lbf) (somewhat limited-edition. Not available in the US)
The five-liter turbocharged diesel V10 engine enables the Touareg to reach 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in just 7.8 seconds, and reach a top speed of 130 mph (230 km/h). In 2004-2005 Volkswagen released the V10 in the United States, but due to emissions regulations, it was temporarily removed from the market. VW is currently working to resolve this issue, with the intention of making the V10 available to the U.S. lineup in the near future.
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