Volkswagen’s V10 diesel Touareg R50

Posted on Tuesday 9 October 2007


Volkswagen has released full details for its new Touareg R50 sports SUV just days ahead of its world premiere at the Sydney Motor Show. We can now confirm that it will be packing a 350hp (258kW) version of its 5.0L V10 TDI and will have a full 850Nm (627lb-ft) of torque. The SUV’s interior will also be given a full upgrade courtesy of the carmaker’s own customizer VW Individual.

The sizeable diesel develops its peak power at 3,500rpm, while max torque comes on from as low as 2,000rpm. Engineers upped the boost of the twin-turbochargers and modified the engine’s ECU to increase output over the standard 5.0L motor. The end result is a 0-100km/h time of 6.7 seconds and a maximum speed of 235km/h. Being a diesel, fuel consumption remains reasonable considering the size of the car. Expect to see consumption figures as low as 9.6L/100km on the highway and 12.6L/100km around town.

To differentiate the R50 from the regular Touareg field, developers added chunky 21in wheels shod with 295mm rubber, blue painted brake calipers, flared wheel arches, sides-skirts, a sporty front bumper and a new grille finished in matte chrome.

The interior features full Nappa leather with ‘R50’ stitching on the seats plus matching logos engraved into the door sills. The Touareg R50 will officially hit showrooms in November.