Volkswagen Touareg R eHybrid 2021 UK drive review

Volkswagen's range of R-badged performance derivatives is currently undergoing a major strategic expansion; a few years ago, the T-Roc R crossover hatchback marked something, and today, this all-new, top-of-the-line Touareg full-size SUV, the Touareg R eHybrid effect is more obvious.

There have been performance Touaregs before (most memorable being the insane V10 TDI diesel), but what this new, faster version really shows is that the role of Volkswagen R-branded cars is defined on a wider scale .than the past few years.Broadly speaking, the option to fully electrify sooner rather than later is a big part of it.

what is it like?

When you stretch a sub-brand like this, you inevitably have to bend and change it to fit the Arteon R Shooting Brakes, the Tiguan R SUV, and everything else you'd want to work in between.It's fair.In the age in which we operate, automakers are under more pressure than ever to innovate with lucrative performance models.And in terms of emissions-related fines, the cost of not doing so can be enormous.I know it all. Even so, I wonder if Wolfsburg has stretched the Volvosburg R brand too far, forgetting the core driver appeal it's supposed to represent, wherever it appears.

All the peripheral R brand stuff seems to have been considered.The Touareg R comes standard with 20-inch wheels – 22-inch wheels are optional as an option fitted to our test car – as well as with mandatory, racy-looking bumpers, window sills, air intakes and a roof spoiler flow plate.It also gets Volkswagen's dark body trim, as well as the trademark Lapiz Blue paint you've seen from numerous Golf Rs over the years.

But under the hood, cars rarely interest you.It uses the same 3.0-litre turbo V6 paired with a 134bhp electric motor that has been used in the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid of past years.Using the same hybrid setup in the Bentley Bentayga Hybrid and Audi Q7 60 TFSIe, it works.With the exception of Porsche, Audi and Bentley, this is a lower powertrain with less ambition than this Touareg.Of the widest range of options, it's not the main dominance that really grabs your attention.