New VW Touareg comes in from the cold

General Guides  New Launches 

Let's be honest. We all know what you really want from your next lease car is a badge that lights up. And that's exactly what you'll get if you lease the latest version of the Volkswagen Touareg set to be officially unveiled this summer. It's obviously not the only thing you'll get from VW's updated premium SUV though.

Currently undergoing winter testing at a top-secret location in the Arctic wilderness of Lapland, the updated VW Touareg will aim to build on the success of the previous models that has already seen more than one million of them roll off the production line.

It's hard to tell beneath the camouflage wrapping but the new models have undergone a comprehensive technical and visual update. Both front and rear ends of the luxury SUV have been redesigned, and the chassis has been further developed to improve the combination of comfort and performance.

Before the world premiere in the summer, Volkswagen is now providing a first preview of these updates to its top model.

The first thing you might notice is the new headlight clusters. The new Touareg will feature VW's IQ.LIGHT HD matrix headlight with 38,400 micro-LEDs, designed to turn night into day and ensure significantly more brightness on the road without dazzling oncoming traffic. With 19,200 micro-LEDs on each side of the vehicle, the matrix system projects a carpet of light ahead of the car to make driving at night more comfortable.

VW also claims this makes it easier to drive through narrow motorway construction sites in the dark – so the engineers obviously had some experience of the UK road network in mind during development. There's also a new LED light strip running across the front of the car between the headlights for a cool and contemporary look.

Underneath the camouflage, Volkswagen has further developed the chassis of the permanent all-wheel drive Touareg. The standard steel spring running gear and the optional two-chamber air suspension running gear have been tweaked to achieve an even better balance between maximum comfort and optimum performance. There is also a clever roof load sensor connected to the chassis electronics. This works to increase the agility of the new Touareg when the roof is not loaded, but as soon as you install a roof box the sensor recognises this and passes the information on to assistance systems such as the ESC which then increase the driving stability.

Given the fact this is a premium choice car it's not a surprise to see VW concentrating on the interior too. You'll spend more time behind the wheel than you will staring at it on your driveway so you obviously want it to be luxuriously equipped and finished. To this end, the new Touareg will be equipped with the "Innovision Cockpit". Operated via the 15-inch central touchscreen, multifunction steering wheel and analogue elements such as the volume control in the centre console, the "Innovision Cockpit" of the new Touareg offers lane-precise navigation and high-resolution HD map data. Voice control has also been further developed and app integration via smartphone can now also be done wirelessly.

The high-quality interior of the Touareg was further improved by actually listening to customer feedback, so now the armrests and centre console panels are softer for greater comfort. It might not sound particularly exciting, but it's these little updates that make the Touareg a well- balanced SUV all-rounder that masters long distances as well as everyday life.

And last, but by no means least, the VW logo on the rear of the car will now be illuminated in red. This not only looks really cool but it also increases the Touareg's rear visibility to other drivers. Previously this was only allowed only in markets such as China or the US, but a tweak in the regulations that came into force in January means VW can now offer this feature in European markets for the first time. Who wouldn't want a car with a light up VW badge?

Obviously, the new VW Touareg isn't available to lease just yet. The testing phase is almost done and the official launch is due sometime in the summer. Until then you'll just have to exercise a little patience before you can get behind the wheel of what promises to be a class-leading premium SUV.

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