The 258bhp Touareg R-Line stands at the top of what has become quite a limited range. There are only five types of Volkswagen Touareg on sale in the UK nowadays, all of them fitted with a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel engine producing either 201bhp or, as here, 258bhp. You may recall that there used to be V10 Touaregs, the most potent being the near-350bhp R50, but they went extinct some time ago.
Of the remaining available power outputs, 201bhp strikes me as being about as much as the Touareg really needs, but if you're hungry for more the 258bhp unit brings the 0-62mph time down by a useful 1.4 seconds to 7.3 seconds. The acceleration doesn't feel dramatic, but it's not bad for a car weighing just short of 2,200kg.
The eight-speed automatic gearbox fitted to all models is a delight, changing gear quickly and incredibly smoothly no matter how hard you're driving. You can make your own decisions about when the shifts should be made if you want, but the paddles are small and inconveniently placed for those of us who like to hold the steering wheel in the ten-to-two position, and in any case it's unlikely that your choices will be better than those of the gearbox software.
No matter what engine you pick, with an exception we'll come to shortly, the combined fuel economy is 42.8mpg, and official CO2 emissions are either 173 or 174g/km, which makes no difference to the Vehicle Excise Duty (£205 from year two onwards) or Benefit In Kind Taxation (32 per cent now, rising to 37 per cent in April 2019). Given recent events, it's worth pointing out that at the time of writing there is no suggestion of the 3.0 TDI engine being part of the VW Group NOx emissions scandal.
The exception mentioned above is the Escape, which is less economical than other Touaregs but intended specifically for off-road use. Despite appearances, this is not something that should be seriously attempted in the R-Line. It rides lower than the other models, it has stiffer suspension, and its 45-section tyres and 20-inch wheels are not going to be much use on snow.
On the other hand, it has plenty of room for four large adults, and despite its high boot floor it has plenty of luggage capacity, at 580 litres with the rear seats in place and 1,642 litres when they're folded down.
All Touaregs are well-equipped, with bi-xenon headlights, dual-zone climate control, parking sensors, all-round foglights, chrome roof rails, DAB digital radio, leather upholstery and an excellent satellite navigation system. The R-Line goes further with LED daytime running lights, keyless entry and start, a powered tailgate and that greatest of all luxuries, a heated steering wheel.
What it doesn't have is electronic adjustment of the driver's seat. If you want to change the seat's position, you have to pull things or twiddle other things. If I'd paid £48,405 for a car, I'd like to be able to press a couple of buttons and let the electric motors do the hard work.
The test car was in fact worth £50,320 thanks to three optional extras: metallic paint, an ambient lighting pack and a towing pack which is so comprehensive it even includes an upgraded cooling fan.
