2024 VW Touareg detailed: Features confirmed for facelifted Lexus RX and Genesis GV80 rival's range, headlined by hot new Touareg R plug-in hybrid flagship

The most powerful Volkswagen to go into production yet will arrive in in Australia in the form of the Touareg R plug-in hybrid, as it takes its place at the top of the updated Touareg large SUV range, with full specifications now released.

Packing more than 460 horsepower, the 2024 Touareg R will also be the first plug-in hybrid vehicle for Volkswagen Australia, with it combining a 250kW/450Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 with a 100kW/400Nm electric motor for a total output of 340kW and 700Nm.

The Touareg R super SUV has a list price of $129,990 plus on-road costs and will arrive along with the rest of the updated Touareg range in April.

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Pricing is yet to be announced for the entry-grade 170TDI, but it could arrive for less than the $89,240 list price of the outgoing model – and with more features.

New standard features on the 170TDI will include 19-inch Coventry alloy wheels, Matrix LED headlights, a 15-inch multimedia display and a 12-inch digital instrument cluster,  wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a cargo management system.

That's in addition to the current standard features list which includes dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery, wireless phone charging, heated and power-adjustable front seats, and 30-colour ambient lighting.

The Touareg R’s 340kW and 700Nm hybrid powertrain can throw the all-wheel-drive five-seat large SUV from 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds.

Powering the 170TDI is a 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine making 170kW and 500Nm, with drive going to all four wheels.

Stepping up to the 210TDI Elegance, buyers will get the same 3.0-litre diesel engine but with an output of 210kW and 600Nm.

The 210TDI Elegance has all the standard features of the 170TDI but adds air suspension, Soul Black Varenna leather upholstery, ventilated and massaging front seats, and 20-inch Braga alloy wheels.

The 210TDI R-Line sit above this and while it has the same engine outputs, the grade comes with even more features, including R-Line exterior and interior styling, 21-inch Leeds alloy wheels, Pantera Black Puglia R-Line leather seat upholstery, brushed stainless steel pedals and stainless steel scuff plates. There's also tinted rear side and rear windows, rear-wheel steering, a sports steering wheel and a black headliner.

The Touareg R has all the features of the aforementioned grades plus R exterior and interior styling.

And, of course, at the top of the range is the Touareg R, which has all the features of the aforementioned grades plus 22-inch Estoril alloy wheels, R exterior and interior styling, Pantera Black Puglia R leather seats, four-zone climate control, heated front and rear outer seats, night vision, a panoramic sunroof with an electric blind, a head-up display, illuminated scuff plates in front with an R logo, blue brake callipers with an R logo, a power-adjustable steering column, a blacked-out front grille, a Dynaudio premium sound system and darkened rear LED tail lights.

The Touareg R's 340kW and 700Nm hybrid powertrain can throw the all-wheel-drive five-seat large SUV from 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds. An EV-drive mode gives the Touareg R an expected electric range of 51km (WLTP).

If the Touareg R is plugged in to charge regularly, drivers can expect a combined fuel economy close to 3.3L/100km.

The updated Touareg R plug-in hybrid arrives five years after this third generation went on sale at a time when Volkswagen was beginning its switch to electric vehicles. Coming in July will be the brand's first fully electric vehicles - the ID.4 and ID.5 - and later in the year the retro-inspired ID.Buzz ‘Kombi' will follow.