2025 Volkswagen Touareg R review

The Volkswagen Touareg R is Volkswagen’s most powerful production model yet.

It’s the fourth high-performance car in the current R range, joining the Golf, T-Roc, and Tiguan, and adds plug-in hybrid power to the model for the first time in Australia, as well as to the car maker’s entire local range.

In another first, the introduction of the Touareg R brings petrol power back to the model for the first time since 2021, having since been powered by diesel alone.

Put plug-in hybrid power together with the DNA of the R brand and what do you get? One very quick large SUV that looks the business.

But is that all there is to it? And should you get one over another sporty large SUV?

Let’s dig in and find out.

As Volkswagen’s most powerful vehicle, its first plug-in hybrid, and its halo car, the Touareg R is also currently its most expensive.

Priced at $129,990 plus on-road costs, it is an expensive family-hauler compared to the likes of the regular Touareg, but the R variant lifts the game an extra few steps to compete at a higher level among models from traditionally more premium car makers.

The R sits atop the Touareg range, above the 170TDI base model and mid-spec 210TDI Elegance and 210TDI R-Line grades.

As standard, the R PHEV gets, well, everything. The only optional extra is premium paint for $2700. I really like the Lapiz Blue metallic colour on the test car I had, as not only is it synonymous with the R brand, but it pops giving it undeniable kerb appeal. Only the base Pure White is included, with the remaining six metallic and premium metallic choices carrying a surcharge.

Features of the Touareg R’s exterior include 22-inch Estoril alloy wheels in gloss black, R performance brakes with blue calipers and the R logo, black mirror caps, front grille, bumper inserts, window surrounds, roof rails, and sports exhaust tips.

Meanwhile, on the inside it gets 'Puglia' leather seat upholstery in black with contrast blue stitching, an R sports steering wheel, illuminated sill plates with the R logo, and brushed aluminium interior inserts. 

It’s not all about the luxury design, though. It’s highly specced too with a hoard of creature comfort features such as power-adjustable heated and ventilated front seats with memory, heated outboard rear seats, five USB-C ports, quad-zone climate control, a head-up display, hands-free powered tailgate, and a panoramic sunroof with electric blind.

Exclusive to the R in Australian showrooms is also nifty night-vision technology, which uses a thermal camera to help detect people or wildlife in the dark.

Some of its key rivals include the Audi Q8, Mazda CX-90 and Volvo XC90, with the Audi the closest match on price.

The Q8 is available in two mild-hybrid powertrains, one 55 TFSI petrol and one 50 TDI diesel, both costing $143,415 before on-road costs. However, although far more expensive at $178,815, there is also the top-of-the-range 4.0-litre V8 SQ8 to consider, which is more closely aligned on performance.

The XC90, meanwhile, only comes in one Ultra grade but with a choice of two B5 or B6 mild-hybrid petrol powertrains costing $99,140 and $107,950 respectively before on-roads or a range-topping T8 plug-in hybrid costing $128,390.

And the cheapest of these competitors is the CX-90, which even in top-spec Azami form with the Takumi Package added, bringing white nappa leather trim and captain’s chairs in the second row (as well as three rows of seats), costs $101,130 plus on-road costs.

The Mazda has three grades, as well as a choice of two mild-hybrid powertrains – a G50e petrol and D50e diesel.

Aside from the Touareg R, only the Volvo offers a plug-in hybrid powertrain – or the others do but it’s complicated. The Q8 is set to drop its 60 TFSI e quattro PHEV from February 2025, with the factory it’s made in facing closure. 

Meanwhile, the CX-90 line-up is expected to gain a PHEV variant, but no date has yet been confirmed – with ‘2025’ all we have to work with so far.

The Touareg R is enormous inside from the front row all the way back to the boot.

Space in the cabin is generous with room in the armrest for small items and two cupholders plus a reasonable amount in the doors. But it’s into the second row and beyond that this vehicle really shines in this regard, and what makes it an immensely practical – while also luxury-feeling and stylish – family car. 

There is ample space in the second row for two child seats, and you could even easily fit three depending on the type or model of seat, and leg room and head room are more than adequate too. With only two child seats in play, I was able to easily fit between the two of them and could sit comfortably for longer journeys too – with more space even than in our 120 Sereies Prado, for example.

Space in the doors for bottles is a little more limited, but regular or narrow-sized vessels fit just fine, with an additional two cupholders in the armrest if the middle seat is folded down.

The boot, which offers 810 litres of space with the rear seats up and a massive 1800L with the seats down, is capable of holding everything you need for a day out at the beach for a family of four without even breaking a sweat. And I’m talking everything here – a wagon, gazebo, paddleboard, beach bags – you name it, it fits in there.

In comparison, the Audi Q8 offers just 605L or 1755L with the rear seats folded, and the Mazda CX-90 has 608L to the second row expanding to 2025L with the back row down. 

Meanwhile, the Volvo XC90 up to 680L with its third row stowed (640L in the PHEV), and 1951L (1874 PHEV) with both back rows down.

The Touareg R is 4889mm long, 1984mm wide and 1757mm tall with a 2888mm wheelbase. 

The interior of the Touareg R is very nice indeed, helping it hold its own against the more high-end brands, helped to feel light and airy thanks to a long panoramic sunroof despite its otherwise dark R Puglia leather.

In particular, the blue stitching on the leather that wraps the dash, doors, seats and centre console is lovely and feels much more understated than when manufacturers use red, for example, which in my opinion is too garish. It also benefits for a distinct lack of scratchy plastics. 

The blue stitching is complemented by blue ambient lighting, which again feels like a delicate addition to brighten up surfaces rather than something that has been added as a gimmick. 

The Touareg R comes with a large 15-inch infotainment screen running both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wired and wirelessly, which worked well with no connection issues.

The infotainment system is well laid out in a clean grid formation that makes it easy to navigate without too many functions being buried deep where you’ll never find them.

However, at times it can be a touch laggy and require a second press to get it to do what you want it to. And no matter which options I tried to select, it always seemed to prioritise climate control for the rear, giving only a fleeting effort to the front seats which was quite frustrating at times.

The unit is paired with a 12.3-inch digital instrument display using VW’s Innovision Cockpit system, which is attractive while also not being crowded or confusing to figure out.

On top of this, there is a head-up display shown on the windscreen that gives not only the speed, but also directions if you’re using the native sat-nav and other assistance information.

In addition, there are five USB-C ports, three in the front and two in the back, voice control, wireless phone charging, DAB digital radio, and a Dynaudio premium sound system that offers high-quality crisp audio whether it be a podcast streaming or bassy music.

The Volkswagen Touareg range was given a five-star ANCAP rating in 2019 that applied to all variants and expired in December 2024.

However, it’s worth noting the R was not one of those as it was not available at the time, and the testing was also based on older protocols than those that are in place now. As ANCAP introduces more exhaustive testing every few years, an older rating may not be directly comparable to that of a more recently tested vehicle.

The Touareg R gets everything Volkswagen has to offer in terms of safety equipment, with an suite of advanced technology that includes a 360-degree camera, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-centring assist and adaptive cruise control.

It also features as standard blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert (and front), tyre pressure monitoring, emergency assist, an extended electronic differential lock, hill descent control, and manoeuvre braking front and rear.

The blind-spot monitoring works well, though I didn’t really notice the lane-assist systems intervening much (even when I deliberately tried to push them) and simply offering a light vibration when activated. 

That could be a good or a bad thing depending on how you look at it – many driver assistance systems now are too overbearing so a gentler approach is a bit of a relief, but it could also not quite work as intended if it’s too subtle. 

There are three top-tether anchors on the rear of the second-row seats, allowing three child seats to be fitted side-by-side, and they are relatively easy to install – but owing to the cavernous boot, it’s likely you’ll have to climb in to attach them properly unless you’re tall.

Volkswagen offers an industry-standard five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, and service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, with the cost at year three being $2050 and $3400 at year five. 

Its competitors from Audi, Mazda and Volvo all have the same standard warranty too, and service intervals, but the prices vary.

The Audi Q8 will cost you $2270 to service for the first two years/30,000km for the petrol engine or $2240 for the diesel, and five years/75,000km, the cost is $3570 either way.

For the more powerful SQ8, either powertrain will cost $2640 for the first two years or $4600 for five.

Meanwhile, the Mazda CX-90 costs $1696 for the first three years/45,000km or $3469 for five years/75,000km for the petrol or $2149 and $3299 for the diesel in the respective periods.

And the Volvo XC90 will set you back $2380 for three years or $3870 for five – meaning the VW is the cheapest to maintain, if only by a slim margin.

The Volkswagen Touareg R will cost $2773 per annum to comprehensively insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

The Touareg R’s claimed combined fuel consumption is 3.3 litres per 100 kilometres.

However, on test I didn’t get close to that figure, even with a mix of petrol and electric driving, reaching only 9.5L/100km through a mix of long freeway commutes, short trips around town and twistier jaunts through the hills.

It did stick closely to its claimed electric-only driving range of 51km, as I found I was getting around 50km out of it on commutes before the petrol engine kicked back in.

The non-PHEV Audi’s fuel economy is predictably higher, but varies depending on powertrain, with the petrol claiming 9.2L/100km, diesel 7.1L/100km and SQ8 11.9L/100km.

The CX-90 petrol is good for a claimed 8.2L/100km, while the diesel offers a lower 5.4L/110km.

For the Volvo XC90, the petrol and diesel variants claim a fuel economy of 8.1 and 8.2L/100km for the B5 and B6 respectively, while the plug-in hybrid claims 1.8L/100km and a 77km electric-only driving range.

As the performance variant of the Touareg range, the R uses a 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 to make 250kW/450Nm, but with the plug-in hybrid technology on top that increases to a combined output of 340kW/700Nm.

Power is sent to all four wheels through a ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox. This proved to be an extremely sophisticated powertrain, though it sometimes seemed a bit caught out, taking a long time to change from the electric motor to the engine at times.

This was not helped by the stepped accelerator pedal, which commendably does its best to keep you using electric-only when in Eco mode, but it needs an extra press to get the engine to kick in – which feels unnatural and not intuitive.

Using the Normal driving mode suits it best when it can do its thing, and in Sport it’s extremely rapid. 

It feels really fast actually, and the air suspension does a great job of being comfortable but also poised. It feels very dynamic and sharp despite its size.

The air suspension can sometimes be caught out by sharp potholes or juts, with a jolt sent through the car, but this seems to cope well in most situations – even on aggressive speed bumps at low speeds, which is a surprise given the 22-inch alloys.

The brakes are huge and respond well without the need for a heavy foot, and the steering is also nicely weighted and not too light. Its turning circle is a bit larger than I’d hoped, but fine considering how large a vehicle it is.

Overall, it’s a very impressive car. The only real disappointment was the noise – or rather, lack of it. While you obviously lose engine noise in PHEVs and full-EVs, when it comes to a car like this, there just should be something to give you that audible thrill to match the capability. It doesn’t sound like an R, and even in some instances at lower speeds with high revs sounds strained.

It looks like an R, it goes like an R, but it doesn’t sound like one – and that might leave some people a bit cold.

When it comes to outputs, it leaves most of its competitors in its wake – with the Audi Q8 and Mazda CX-90 well behind on paper. Both the SQ8 and Volvo's XC90 PHEV stack up more closely, although in very different ways, one with a roaring V8 and the other with a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid.

Yes. The towing capacity of the Touareg R can support up to 3500kg braked, while the maximum load without using trailer brakes is 750kg, matching the rest of the Touareg range.

The towball weight limit does change between variants, and on the Touareg R sits at 220kg. The PHEV model carries a slightly higher 3020kg GVM to account for the weight of its hybrid system, and the GCM, or maximum weight of car and trailer is 6520kg, giving it some serious hauling credentials.

The Touareg R is a very impressive car. It’s fast if you’re looking for something with a bit of poke, it has heaps of space if you need it to be a family car or have a lot of kit to haul, and it’s luxurious, with a lot of high-end features and a nicely finished interior.

But, and I hate that there’s a but, it doesn’t live up to the R name in my mind. The plug-in hybrid powertrain brings a lot to the table for sure, but it does sadly come at the expense of raw emotion and passion.

However, none of its rivals are likely to provide that same feeling either, unless you step right up to the Audi SQ8 and that’s a big chunk of change more expensive, which then starts to move into a different league. If you can reach almost $180,000, then there are going to be other contenders in there.

What this R lacks in emotion, it makes up for in a lot of other ways, so it may just be one of those compromises you have to make. For more than $120,000, though, who wants to compromise?

The next step on the purchase journey is to check the Volkswagen website for stock of the R or other Touareg variants. You can also find Volkswagens for sale at Drive Marketplace.

We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Find your nearest Volkswagen dealer via this link. We’d also recommend test-driving the Audi Q8 to test its similarities and differences in both performance and styling, as well as the Volvo XC90 T8 as the other plug-in hybrid competitor.

If you want to stay updated with everything that's happened to this car since our review, you'll find all the latest news here.