If you had to guess what manufacturer made a W12 SUV using the same platform as the Audi Q7. You'd probably say, Bentley. After all, this is the formula that makes up the Bentley Bentayga. But this car came from Volkswagen in the form of Touareg. When it first arrived on the market it brought Volkswagen into the 21st century.
The car currently is in its third generation, large and luxurious it is truly at the top of the Volkswagen product lineup. As tradition dictates the model came with a range of engines. The current car has the soul V8 offering in the Volkswagen lineup. The second-generation car even received a 4.2 liter V8 similar to the one found in the RS4 of the time. The first generation car arrived in 2002 to take on the likes of the original BMW X5.
This generation saw 8 different engine options. The lowest, the 2.5 diesel made a pitiful 163 horsepower. But petrol offerings included the iconic 3.6 VR6 motor. The 5.0 diesel V10 power unit saw an R branded R50 model. But the coolest and most unique engine comes in the form of a 6.0 W12 motor. With 450 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque, the car comes as an early 2000s oddity.
The Volkswagen Touareg packed a 450 hp W12 engine and can still put modern hot hatches to shame.
Volkswagen W12 Touareg Did 0-60 Mph In Under 6 Seconds
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With a top speed of 155 mph, the Touareg W12 honors the German manufacturer's gentleman's agreement. But more impressively comes its 0-60 mph time of 5.9 seconds. Considering that the current specimens of W12 Bentayga achieve this in under four seconds and the Range Rover Sport SVR in 4.3 seconds. This seems like a somewhat quaint acceleration. Yet when the W12 model came to the market in 2005 this seemed insane.
For comparison's sake, the Porsche 911 Turbo S in 2005 sprinted to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, and the same model in 2022 hits this in 2.6 seconds. Over the past 2 decades, cars have developed further, no surprises there then. The W12 Touareg can go toe to toe with the latest model's V6 specification which also sprints to 60 in 5.9 seconds.
Volkswagen W12 Touareg: A Gas Guzzling Oddity
This model is somewhat an oddity in the early 2000s, the PL71 platform also supported the Porsche Cayenne. From the German performance brand, this ought to have been the faster car from Volkswagen. Only the Cayenne Turbo S' largest motor came in the form of a 4.8 Liter V8, this was faster than the Touareg hitting 60 in less than 5 seconds.
This meant that the Porsche was faster but the refinement of Volkswagen's W12 is well documented as it features in numerous Bentley models. This mighty performance comes at a price and that's the economy. Nobody buys a 6.0-liter car and expects their car to win awards for hyper mileage.
Yet the W12 Touareg is worse than most cars, 20 years ago when the first generation car launched economy and the environment weren't words in common discourse. This car achieves a woeful 15mpg combined, and in the real world, owners returned half of these.
Volkswagen Touareg W12: An Early Take On A Super SUV
Each manufacturer in the luxury SUV market made its contribution to its current form. Range Rover started it, and BMW popularized it with the X5 and successive models. The W12 Touareg gave birth to the performance SUV. The X5M didn't arrive until the second generation of the car, although before this BMW did produce a 4.8-liter model.
The W12 Touareg lays the foundation for the current crop of performance SUVs, most significantly the Bentayga and Urus which use the platform that the current Touareg does. Yet the W12 Touareg seems even less important in terms of sales. According to Classic.com, an aggregator of classic car prices there's only one W12 model for sale globally at the time of writing.
Far more common is the diesel V10 model. Classic.com claim that the average used Touareg sells for only $16,403. But with this data including the inline 5, V6, V8, and V10 models finding an average for the more desirable W12 is impossible. The W12 engine found in Touareg has an impressive pedigree behind it.
The first generation of 6.0 W12 48v featured in some of the Volkswagen Group's most prestigious early 2000s cars. This included the Bentley Speed and Supersports models and the Volkswagen Phaeton. For those who forget the Phaeton was Volkswagen's shot at the luxury sedan market after Mercedes stepped on their toes with the first A-Class.
Luxury Was Not Sidelined For This Feisty VW SUV
Thinking of the W12 Touareg as the Bentayga's forebear might leave one disappointed. After all, this is still a Volkswagen. At the top of the manufacturer's product tree, the interior looks rather luxurious and shares much with the Phaeton, a contemporary luxury product from Volkswagen. Browsing the classifieds shows a range of various specifications, some even have wood inserts and dashboard clocks.
Some might call the basic design Bauhaus inspired, others would simply explain it as simple. Yet the formula for current Volkswagen products is clearly defined here. Coupling this luxury and performance with the practicality of the large SUV, the W12 Touareg was a force to reckon with.
Source: Volkswagen