2011 Volkswagen Touareg Reviews
2011 Volkswagen Touareg-That said, we've always enjoyed the Touareg. Now we've driven our first example of the new, second-generation Touareg, this time with VW's first hybrid powertrain.
Doesn't VW already have a high-mileage powertrain option for the Touareg? VW chose to pair the formidable 3.0-liter direct-injection supercharged V-6 engine we've recently come to love in Audi's S4 and A6 models with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an electric motor for the Touareg Hybrid. Since the electric motor is mounted between the engine and transmission in a parallel system, there's never an electric whine when the Touareg is moved by the motor alone.
The good: A supercharged engine and hybrid system make the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid the most powerful of the Touareg model lineup, without sacrificing fuel economy.
Volkswagen's Touareg Hybrid shows up with jaw-dropping technology under the hood, and an impressive cabin tech suite as well. The full model name, the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Supercharged Hybrid, includes a few terms not usually found together. Yes, this Touareg not only gets gas-electric hybrid propulsion, but also a supercharger on the engine.
Current Touareg models include the supercharged hybrid, a 3-liter TDI V-6, and a 3.6-liter gasoline V-6. The mundane gas-only Touareg comes up short with 16 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.
Even the TDI Touareg can't match that torque number.
The battery pack is about the only power-train tech in the Touareg Hybrid that lags slightly behind the competition, as the latest hybrids are coming out with lithium ion battery packs.
Merely letting off the brake lets the Touareg creep forward under electric power. The Touareg Hybrid comes standard with four-wheel drive, a completely automatic system that defaults to a 40 percent front-60 percent rear torque split. Volkswagen says the Touareg Hybrid has a ground clearance of 7.9 inches and can ford water to a depth of 19.7 inches. Although the four-wheel-drive system helps in cornering, the Touareg Hybrid shows typical SUV handling.
This makes the Touareg the Volkswagen brand's first hybrid.
Chrome lower accents run the length of the doors, while the rear bumper carries shapely tailpipes and a black lower garnish.
VW laid out the Touareg's cabin fairly conventionally. A 6.5-inch touch-screen display with stereo readouts is standard. Thanks to some 5 inches' extra length, the Touareg's backseat is significantly roomier.
The Touareg Hybrid combines a 3.0-liter V-6 with an electric motor for a combined 375 hp and 428 pounds-feet of torque. Towing capacity is 7,700 pounds — far exceeding what the hybrid Lexus RX 450h or Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid can accommodate.
Rather than the electrically variable transmissions many hybrids employ, the Touareg Hybrid has a specialized version of the Touareg's eight-speed auto.
