Volkswagen brought their second generation Touareg (with a twist) to the 2010 New York Auto Show. The 2011 Touareg features a hybrid powertrain, showcasing the brand’s first-ever hybrid. The Touareg offers three available engines to suit a variety of different drivers: A V6 FSI gasoline engine, a V6 TDI Clean Diesel engine, and a V6 TSI gasoline hybrid engine. With the hybrid model, a 3.0-liter supercharged, direct injection V6 gasoline engine is paired with a special electric motor that reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by about 40 percent.
[singlepic id=3602 w=440 h=330]
An eight-speed automatic transmission, helps the Touareg Hybrid achieve approximately 25 mpg and 21 mpg during highway and city driving respectively. A special clutch can disengage the transmission from the engine when the engine is not powering the Touareg, allowing it to coast forward emission free to further aid in fuel savings. The electric motor can also recover kinetic energy during braking to help recharge the nickel metal-hydride battery pack. With the V6 engine and electric motor combined, a total of 375 horsepower and 428 lbs.-ft. of torque are available, allowing for full towing capacity of up to 7,700 pounds.
Compared to its predecessor, the 2011 Touareg is wider and has a shorter overall height for a stronger presence. A longer wheelbase and greater length provide greater stability, and more room inside the cabin, while the use of new materials and other adjustments have removed nearly 450 pounds from the vehicle. The Touareg’s interior has also been refined, making for a better use of space for both the driver and passengers, as well as in the cargo area.
A seven-inch widescreen color display located between the main gauges in the dash provides the driver with the latest vehicle status information, including of the drive system in the hybrid model, turn-by-turn navigation directions, and more. Volkswagen’s new RNS850 touch screen entertainment and navigation system features an 8-inch screen, a 60GB hard drive with 18GB of space available to upload audio, video, and more, and a DVD/CD player with MP3 playback and Satellite/FM/AM stereo. The navigation system can display maps and directions in a 3-D view, and highlights major landmark highlights to further assist when traveling.