The VW Touareg has established itself as one of the brand’s best and most identifiable models and sometime this year, the veil will be lifted on the updated model. The German car manufacturer has been snapped testing the facelifted Touareg on a couple of occasions over the past year, including in June 2022 and a couple of weeks ago in January. This particular prototype was snapped by spy photographers during winter testing near the Arctic Circle, allowing VW engineers to see how it deals with the harshest of conditions.
From a distance, you could be excused for
thinking this was a current Touareg. After all, the front fascia looks almost
identical to the current model. However, look a little closer and you will
notice that the headlight surrounds are fake. Chrome graphics directly below
the headlights may look like extensions of the horizontal slats in the grille
but they are simply stickers, designed to trick observers. What is found
beneath these stickers is anyone’s guess but we suspect there are some design
changes afoot.
The rear of the German SUV is quite
clearly different than the existing model due to the dark camouflage applied
over the taillights. This camouflage is hiding new taillight graphics. It is
unclear what other changes will be made to the exterior of the Touareg but they
will likely include new front and rear bumpers. Much like the current Touareg,
the facelifted model will be underpinned by the VW Group’s MLB Evo
architecture, also used by vehicles including the Porsche Cayenne, Bentley
Bentayga, and Lamborghini Urus.
No significant changes are expected to be
made to the line-up of powertrains on offer. That means customers should be
able to choose between the likes of a 3.0-liter TDI V6, and a 3.0-liter TSI V6,
a plug-in hybrid TSI V6.
