Stuart Johnston attended the local launch of the refreshed Volkswagen Touareg in George, South Africa this week.

Subtle styling revisions to Touareg are aimed at giving Volkswagen’s large SUV a more purposeful ‘attitude’ while drawing even deeper on current VW design language. And to go with the new mid-life-cycle facelift – yes, it’s been over four years since the second-generation was introduced in 2010 – there are some slight interior revisions, as well as some mechanical upgrades to what is now an extremely well-priced vehicle in the premium end of the SUV market.

Revised Looks

Visually, car-spotters will recognise the revamped Touareg by its new larger headlights which are now bi-xenon with LED running lights that form a solid line rather than a segmented effect.

The effect from the all-important front view is that of a typical modern-gen VW product. At the rear, the bumper has been re-shaped, while there is a stronger diffuser element between the twin exhaust pipes and a re-modelled VW emblem. Also part of the new styling package are re-designed wheels, which can be ordered in sizing ranging from 17-inch to 20-inch.

Refreshed Interior

Inside, there are some updates too, including the use of aluminium on the rotary knob switchgear, and white illumination for the instruments replacing the previous red. And there are more seat cover options in the new 2015 model.

Hopping aboard the Touareg, one is struck by the Volkswagen-ness of the interior, and in the writer’s opinion this is both a good and a bad thing for this car. On the one hand you are impressed by the excellent panel fit and solidity of the car, much as you are in, say a Mitsubishi SUV. But in an era where Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have gone quite flash on their SUV interiors, with more of a sports-car luxury feel, the Touareg’s flat expanse of dashboard still leaves you feeling a little, well, flat. It needs some sort of vibey makeover to make you feel special, which you obviously are, as you can afford to pay R709000 and some change, just to hop into the least expensive version of the car.

R-Line Package Details

Volkswagen is aware of this, and thus on offer is the special R-line package, which applies to both the exterior and interior. Here you get 20-inch Talladega alloy wheels, black gloss air intakes with a bit of chrome bling, side sill extensions and a roof-mounted spoiler. The interior with the R-line pack offers titanium black headlining, a leather-covered multi-function steering wheel, R-Line inlays in the tread-plates covering the door-sills and stainless steel pedal caps.

Of course, having said all of this, once on the move you are once again impressed at the wonderful integration of the Touareg package as a whole, just as you are in almost every Volkswagen product in its vast range. “Hewn-from billet-metal” is the phrase that comes to mind as you feel the car’s sure-footedness over windy roads, and ones with bumps in the middle of corners, for that matter.

Mechanical changes on the car include a sharpening up on the steering, and indeed during a quite memorable ultra-brisk run through the Langkloof on the launch – that’s the area that runs from Uniondale back down to the N2 in the direction of Port Elizabeth – I was amazed at how crisply the car reacted to steering input, and how stable it was in fast sweepers on narrow bumpy roads.

With such a strong chassis package, Volkswagen still hasn’t felt the need to offer a vast range of engines on the Touareg. This remains a very perky 206 kW V6 , with direct petrol injection, a 180 W TDI diesel with 550 NM of torque, and the range-topping V8 TDI, a brute of a turbo-diesel that offers 250 kW and stomping 800 Nm of torque.

All Touaregs come standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard permanent four-wheel-drive, but there are various running gear options you can choose from. In the suspension department you can opt for steel (conventional) suspension which is very good, or the optional air suspension.

And with the V6 TDI with the optional Terrain Tech, you get a low range gear, a lockable centre differential and raised ground clearance up to 235 mm. If you then specify the air-suspension which offers adjustable ride height, you can raise the ground clearance to a maximum of 300 mm, which is just dandy for even the toughest of offroad sections or outsize curb in Sandton that you may encounter.

Pricing of Refreshed Touareg

At the launch, VW execs pointed out that the Touareg is now extremely well-priced in its segment, being between R100000 to R200000 less expensive than its competitors when measured on a spec-to-spec basis. This, more than anything else, makes the car worth a re-look in this elevated SUV league.

Pricing, before any options are added, starts at R709100 for the 3,6 V6 FSI (petrol) model. The 3,0 V6 TDI 180 kW model costs R796500, with the Terrain-Tech V6 TDI model selling for R822100. And if you want to experience torque-above-all-else, lash out on the 4,2 V8 TDI, with 250 kW and 800 Nm. That will set you back R990600.