Volkswagen will bow for 2012 a new hybrid version of the Toureg. The original Volkswagen Touareg was a bit slow: base models were saddled with a 217 hp V-6 engine and a sizeable curb weight. When time came to completely redesign the car for the 2011 model year, VW made some major changes, the biggest of which was slashing the SUV’s heft. The new Touareg is more than 400 pounds lighter than the previous version. To make the car even greener, the new top of the line engine is no longer a gas V-8 or a bonkers V-10 diesel — it’s a hybrid.
If you’re scratching your head as to how the Hybrid could be the muscle in the model range, look at this: the powertrain starts with a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 (borrowed from big brother Audi) which produces 333 hp and 325 lb-ft, and then adds an electric motor. Combine the two and the Touareg Hybrid makes a total of 380 horsepower and 428 lb-ft of torque, enough to make it the most powerful vehicle VW sells in the States.
Lest you think that the tower of power Touareg Hybrid is a gas guzzler, we would remind you that it is, after all, a hybrid. The hybrid motor setup is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission which keeps fuel consumption low. At 20 mpg city and 24 mpg highway, the Hybrid even bests its V-6 gas sibling.
Unlike many other current hybrid, the Volkswagen Touareg ride nickel-metal hydride instead of lithium . The electric motor would have a power of 52 hp, and would lie between the conventional engine and eight-speed automatic transmission. The combustion provide a 333 hp turbo V6 for the vehicle ran out of strength.
The hybrid system of the German firm would be less complex than the competition, see BMW / Chrysler / Mercedes-Benz / GM in two ways, or the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive. This would reduce costs and engineering work, but it implies thatonly the electric motor can be used to recharge the battery or , not both at once. A disadvantage compared to other mechanisms.
According to Volkswagen Touareg this would be between about 7-10% more efficient than the conventional . There is already a test unit to which one has already been able to hand over. The result is that the truth was quite satisfactory, ignoring the odd hiccup with the change.
Clearly, the green and green is gaining ground . Surprisingly, as anti-ecological models as they can be the Touareg, Cayenne and Q7 also aimed to fashion. ¿Pure marketing strategy? Change in the minds of the manufacturers?¿Gesture to the gallery? In this case I opted for the first and third option. With such a low savings as they foresee a hybrid Touareg is completely dispensable, the world could clearly live without it. It would be better for manufacturers to do this type of model experiments more affordable and more sales, the environment would appreciate much more than in the case of this behemoth.
