The Touareg, facelifted for the first time in four years, arrives in Japan | Volkswagen

Volkswagen Touareg

The Touareg, facelifted for the first time in four years, arrives in Japan

Volkswagen Group Japan has launched sales of the minor change model of its premium SUV, the Touareg.

Text by YANAKA Tomomi

Equipped with the latest design and safety features

The Volkswagen SUV, which debuted as the second generation in 2007 and underwent its first major revision at the Beijing Motor Show last April,Touaregis now arriving in Japan.

There are no changes to the powertrain in the new model, which is equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 engine producing a maximum output of 206kW (280ps). The lineup consists of two models: the base grade "Touareg V6" and the higher-grade "Touareg V6 Upgrade Package," which features enhanced safety functions and a more luxurious interior. The hybrid model, previously available, has been discontinued.

The exterior, redesigned in line with Volkswagen's latest design language, presents a more refined appearance, centered around chrome lines encircling the body, horizontal chrome molding on the front, and sharp bi-xenon headlights with LED position lights. The fog lamps and 18-inch wheels have also been restyled.

Inside, the Touareg comes standard with the "RNS850," an 8-inch display genuine HDD navigation system developed exclusively for the Touareg. It includes ETC and offers a variety of functions beyond navigation, such as full-segment TV, CD recording to HDD, and MP3/WMA playback.

A notable feature of this minor change is the standard inclusion of safety-enhancing functions. The pre-crash brake system, which includes "City Emergency Brake" that automatically applies braking below 30 km/h to mitigate frontal collisions, helps prevent rear-end impacts.

Furthermore, it is equipped with Multi Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes at speeds below 10 km/h in the event of a rear-end collision to reduce secondary damage. Additionally, Adaptive Cruise Control is adopted, allowing for追従走行 (tsuijū sōkō - following travel) by automatically adjusting the distance and speed to the vehicle ahead at all speeds.

The higher-grade "Touareg V6 Upgrade Package" additionally includes "Lane Assist," which warns if the vehicle drifts out of its lane, along with leather power seats and a leather interior as standard.

The body colors are available in eight options, including five newly introduced colors. The price for the base "Touareg V6" is 6.37 million yen, and the "Touareg V6 Upgrade Package" is 6.86 million yen.