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Filed under: Performance, SUV, Europe, Volkswagen
2011 Volkswagen Touareg - Click above for high-res image gallery


Last time we talked about the next-generation Volkswagen Touareg R it was to relay rumors that the high-performance SUV might drop the automaker's venerable 5.0-liter diesel V10 TDI engine in favor of a V8 hybrid powertrain. Car and Driver is kicking the ball the other way with a report that the next version of the Toureg R will indeed still be a diesel, although carrying over the V10 probably isn't in the cards.



Instead, C/D reports that VW will be using its new 4.2-liter diesel V8 already available in the European Touareg. For Touareg R duty, the oil burner will likely be pumped up from its current 340-horsepower output to 380, along with delivering enough torque to move the SUV with irresponsible abandon. That's more power than the V10 TDI produced in the old Touareg R at 350, and probably enough for the new Touareg R to keep pace with other high-performance SUVs in the segment.



The bigger news is that C/D claims the next-gen Touareg R will actually be available for sale in the U.S in 2012 as a 2013 model. The new 4.2-liter diesel V8 will apparently meet current U.S. emissions standards, at least when installed under the hood of a Touareg R.



To date, the only R model ever offered by VW in the States was the Golf-based R32. We've never had a shot at a Touareg R, though VW did intermittently sell a version of the last-generation Touareg here with the same diesel V10 TDI as the R model in Europe (also called the R50), though tuned for less power and minus the performance goodies.







Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Volkswagen Touareg

[Source: Car and Driver]

Report: Volkswagen Touareg R will be sold in U.S. with a diesel by 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tags: touareg, volkswagen, volkswagen touareg r

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Report: Volkswagen Touareg R will be sold in U.S. with a diesel by 2012 was originally published by Autoblog. Read the full story by clicking here.