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Volkswagen Touareg R Rendered; Will Use Diesel V8, Likely Hit U.S. by 2012
A little late to be added to the News, but better than never.
A little late to be added to the News, but better than never.
The awesome V-10 TDI, which reminded us of a powerful marine diesel more than anything else, was uprated from the 313-hp base variation; all iterations have since been discontinued because they couldn’t meet current emissions standards. But there is a worthy successor to this engine: The Audi-engineered, 340-hp, 4.2-liter diesel V-8 diesel. That TDI is available in the European Touareg, but it isn’t likely to come here in that spec. Instead, we hear this engine will be fortified for use in the upcoming Touareg R, and our suspicion is that output will be somewhere close to 380 hp. It will put every other diesel in this category to shame—with the exception of Audi’s titanic, 500-hp, 6.0-liter twelve-cylinder, which powers the €130,000-plus Q7 V-12 TDI. But that monstrous Audi isn’t for sale here, and so the VW will rule the diesel-UV roost in the U.S.