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Following the success of the Golf R32, Volkswagen has launched a high-performance version of the Touareg off-roader.
The Touareg R50 is powered by a 5.0 litre V10 TDI diesel engine with 258kW and a massive 850Nm of torque. The additional performance over the standard V10 engine is achieved with engine management and turbocharging tweaks.
The Touareg R50 wears 21-inch alloy wheels and 295mm wide tyres, blue painted brake callipers, wheelarch flares, side skirts, new bumpers, and a modified grille in a matte chrome finish. The car also features an air suspension sport chassis.
The so-called "driving dynamics package" has adaptive roll compensation and the chassis is lowered by 20mm. The extra 28kW and 100Nm over the standard Touareg V10 TDI has been achieved without an increase in fuel consumption or CO2 emissions.
The R50 costs $179,990. Standard equipment includes VW's new satellite navigation system, which also comes with a 20Gb hard drive to store music files.
