2024 Volkswagen Touareg facelift unveiled, in Australia next year

The facelifted 2024 Volkswagen Touareg has been revealed – four years after the third-generation model went on sale in Australia – ahead of first local showroom arrivals due early next year.

The updated Touareg – the sister model to the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne, alongside which it is built in Slovakia – receives a series of exterior design upgrades as well as a reworked interior with new digital functionality across basic, Elegance and R-Line model grades.

Drive has previously reported the first examples are due in Australian Volkswagen showrooms early next year, January and March 2024.

The updated Touareg range is expected to introduce the high-performance, plug-in hybrid Touareg R variant to Australia – in addition to the standard line-up, which today comprises two turbo-diesel V6 models locally.

Among the changes to the exterior is a new-look grille. Base and Elegance versions get a chrome look, with the R-line adding a blackened finish. The air ducts in the lower section of the front bumper are also larger than before and receive an individual design depending on the model.

The facelifted model, originally previewed in camouflaged form in February, also sports reworked headlamps with the option of Volkswagen's IQ.Light HD matrix LED technology, including up to 19,216 micro LEDs per headlight.

At the rear, the 2024 Touareg receives a new light bar across the tailgate as well as new-look tail-lamp graphics. It also adopts an illuminated logo – a first on a Volkswagen model sold in Europe – in combination with the IQ.Light HD headlamps.

Additionally, there are four new wheel designs in Europe: the 19-inch 'Coventry', 20-inch 'Braga', and 21-inch 'Napoli' and 'Leeds' designs.

Inside, the facelifted Touareg adopts the Innovision Cockpit – a $8700 option on the base 170TDI in Australia, and standard on other models – as standard across the range in Europe, with 12-inch instrument and 15-inch infotainment displays.

Upgrades to the software and functionality bring more advanced HD map data with upgraded satellite navigation and a new voice control system based around conversational commands. There is also wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Other changes centre around the switchgear within the centre console and the USB-C ports, which have been upgraded from a charging capacity of 15 watts to 45 watts for faster recharging times of electronic devices.

There's also a new ambient lighting effect, and the door trims have also been subtly altered.

Volkswagen has confirmed five engines for the new Touareg in Europe – all paired to a standard eight-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox and 4Motion all-wheel-drive system.

Included in Europe is a carry-over turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine with 250kW, as well as two turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 diesel engines with 170kW and 210kW respectively.

The latter two are expected to continue to form the basis for the Australian line-up, with a base 170TDI and two 210TDI models in Elegance and R-Line styling and equipment lines.

The German car maker has also updated its existing two plug-in hybrid systems – including the high-performance R, which is set to come to Australia for the first time.

They combine the turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine with a gearbox-mounted electric motor to provide 280kW in the regular Touareg eHybrid and 340kW in the Touareg R eHybrid, which offers 0-100km/h acceleration in a claimed 5.1 seconds and an electronically-limited 250km/h top speed.

Both plug-in hybrid models use a battery with an energy capacity of 14.1kWh. Volkswagen is yet to confirm electric driving ranges for the facelifted Touareg plug-in hybrids.

The 2024 Volkswagen Touareg is due in Australian showrooms early next year. Further details – including prices – will be confirmed closer to launch.