New Volkswagen Touareg R50 - first pics

This is the hot new Volkswagen Touareg R50 – the blistering top-of-the-range model of VW’s full-size off-roader.

The new Volkswagen Touareg R50 – which was leaked onto the internet last year – features a massive 5-litre V10 turbo-diesel engine producing 345bhp.

But the headline figure of the new Volkswagen Touareg R50 is its 627lb/ft of pulling power – which is claimed to be ‘more than enough to pull a Boeing 747 passenger aircraft’ – making it one of the world’s most powerful production diesels ever.

The Volkswagen Touareg R50 can sprint from 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds – just 0.2 seconds slower than the range-topping 247bhp Volkswagen Golf R32 – and, where permitted, can hit a top speed of 146mph. And despite the whopping 5-litre turbo-diesel V10 engine sitting up front, the two-tonne Volkswagen Touareg R50 is said to return 22.4mpg.

The Volkswagen Touareg is fitted with a permanent four-wheel-drive system – dubbed 4MOTION – and the 345hp is channelled to all four wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox.Volkswagen has also fitted the Touareg R50 with CDC – Continuous Damping Control – with a sports modification which lowers the car’s ride height, meaning the R50 should be as capable in the bends as it is on the straights.

The Volkswagen Touareg R50 distinguishes itself from the standard models with 21-inch ten-spoke alloy wheels, wheel-arch extensions, a roof spoiler and a matt-chrome radiator grille.The range-topping Volkswagen Touareg R50 will be aimed squarely at the luxury sporting SUV market – such as the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne – and will cost from £61, 885.

Volkswagen has announced only a limited number of Touareg R50’s will be made available for sale in the UK.

© Source: autotrader
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