First Drive: Volkswagen Touareg R50:Volkswagen boosted the power and torque of its V10 turbodiesel Touareg to create the R50. Kyle Fortune drives it
IN THESE increasingly environmentally-conscious times, cars are under fire and SUVs in particular are at the front line.
Volkswagen has just given the eco-warriors a very big target: the new Touareg R50. VW's luxury SUV has always appealed for its relatively discrete looks, but any subtlety it had is completely lost in the new R50 flagship.
The second Volkswagen to wear the sporting R badge, the R50 Touareg gets a similar makeover to its R32 Golf relative.
There are deeper bumpers front and rear - the back one punctured by two fat, oval tailpipes - while its wider wheelarches are filled by gargantuan 21-inch alloy wheels.
Behind those colossal rims sit blue-painted brake callipers and massive brake discs that promise to provide huge stopping power, which is just as well given the performance the R50 offers. A matte-chrome trimmed front grille, side skirts, roof spoiler and smattering of R50 badges complete the look. Subtle it is not.
Inside, it's more of the same. The Touareg's button-strewn interior features even more switches and dials than ever, coming with every conceivable extra imaginable. There are R50 badges scattered about the interior too, informing you that this is no ordinary Touareg.
However, the biggest reminder of that is found when you push the R-branded right-hand pedal. Powering the R50 is a reworked example of VW's mighty 5.0-litre V10 turbodiesel.
In this installation it's developing more power and torque than ever before. Power rises from 313bhp to 350bhp, though it's the jump in torque that really makes the difference, VW squeezing out another 100Nm of twisting force to give the R50 a quite staggering 850Nm at just 2,000rpm.
Given that the standard V10 TDI Touareg's party trick was being able to tow a jumbo jet, the R50 could be pressed into service mooring supertankers in Whitegate.
You'll need a supertanker too if you're planning on using that V10's performance. It might say TDI on the engine lid, but the R50's consumption isn't particularly parsimonious. It guzzles 12.6 litres of diesel for every 100km on the official combined cycle. That's only a handful of miles more than may of its petrol rivals, while its 333g/km CO2 output is also pretty difficult to stomach - and will slam you for the full €2,000 road tax come July. Ouch.
Fuel consumption will be significantly less than the claimed figures too if you're tempted to regularly attempt to match VW's claimed 6.7 second 0-100km/h time, the R50's sprinting ability absurdly fast for something so heavy.
Fast it might be, but even with its clever Continuous Damping Control air suspension - with speed sensitive height adjustment and choice of three settings (comfort, auto and sport) - the R50 only fills the brief of being sporty if that means a harsh ride. The massive wheels and rubber band tyres, allied to a 20mm drop in suspension height make for a rather uncompromising ride.
That might be forgivable if its chassis imbued the Touareg with the sort of unbelievable cornering ability of a Porsche Cayenne. But it doesn't, the R50 struggling to control its bulk, resulting in significant body roll through the bends.
The six-speed automatic isn't particularly quick to shift either, the R50 feeling quicker if you drive the gearbox manually, but few are likely to ever do so. Unlike its rivals, this Touareg feels like it has been made to go fast despite itself, rather than being designed from the outset to do so; odd given it's so closely related under the skin to Porsche's rule-bending Cayenne. So the R50 might boast performance to rival its Golf R32 cousin, but if it were chasing it down a country lane the Touareg driver would soon be left behind.
If it were a proper country lane then the R50 might have a chance, as although it now sits on very road-biased suspension, it still retains all its 4x4 hardware to allow it to head off road. However, it's unlikely anyone will ever use hill descent control in the R50, unless the driveway from the garage is particularly treacherous.
That 4Motion four-wheel drive system might come in handy though if you're ever visiting a farm shop for some organic vegetables and the car park is unpaved. Really, that's about as far off-road as you're ever likely to see an R50.
Which makes it all a bit pointless; indeed you'd be better off buying a Golf R32 and a V6 turbodiesel Touareg - that duo costing around the same as the R50. But for a handful of wealthy buyers wanting the ultimate Touareg, the R50 will undoubtedly have some appeal.
And with all that grunt, the environmentalists won't see which way you've gone. Which is just as well really.
Factfile: Volkswagen Touareg R50 V10 TDI
Engine:Turbocharged V10, diesel engine.
Peak power:350bhp at 3,500rpm
Peak torque:850Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission:Six-speed automatic four-wheel drive.
Performance:0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds
Top speed:235km/h
Emissions:333g/km CO2
Combined cycle fuel economy:12.6 litres/100km
Price:TBC