THE Touareg took Volkswagen into the world of big SUVs and now it is moving upmarket.

With lashings of bright work, a classy new look front and rear and a spruced up interior, the latest Touareg will be arriving in November.

The new model also features improved V6 diesel engines which are meaner and leaner.

Priced from £43,000 to £47,500 the new Touareg is a few hundred pounds more expensive than before - the previous line up starting at £42,140.

The changes represent a major makeover for the second generation Touareg which was launched in 2010 and sees the more expensive V8 diesel and the 3.0-litre petrol hybrid dropped from the UK line up.

VW says that the 3.0-litre V6 diesel accounted for 96 per cent of the 12,000 Touaregs it has sold in Britain in the past four years and the engine will now be available in high specification R-Line models.

It comes in two states of tune and as before the lower powered engine develops 204ps but with the benefits of a stop/start system and a coasting function which disengages the drive when power is not needed can now average almost 43mpg - an improvement of some seven per cent.

The higher powered V6 now develops 262ps - up from 245 - and has similar fuel economy but is quicker out of the blocks with a 0 to 60 time of 7.3 seconds.

Emissions for both engines are down to 173g/km, a decrease of 11g/km which makes the new Touareg cheaper to tax for business drivers.

For a full blown 4x4 with an eight speed auto box and weighing more than two tonnes that is better than average.

Air suspension is an option to improve ride quality and comes with variable settings to stiffen up the damping for sportier driving or go soft for comfort.

The Touareg is purposeful to drive and although we only had a relatively short time in the 262ps model it showed good performance and averaged 35 to the gallon on a run which took in motorways and town driving.

Where the new Touareg will score is with its looks. It has transformed into a handsome beast with twin front grilles and a sleek persona while the top range R-Line versions have an air of superiority with 19-inch alloys and chrome strips running along the perimeter of the car from front to rear.

Inside it is more refined with aluminium switches and smarter wooden trims. Illumination of the instruments is now white as opposed to red.

The R-Line cars are also set off with LED running lights and a panoramic sunroof while all Touaregs now have ultra-bright bi-xenon headlamps as standard.

On the safety front VW is fitting with latest Touareg with its post collision braking system, first introduced on the new Golf, which prevents the car spinning uncontrollably after an impact.

For heavy duty work it can be fitted with an all terrain drive system with locking differentials and greater ground clearance although in this Escape specification it is not as economical. All models are four-wheel-drive which should be enough for most drivers.

From a towing point of view the Touareg excels and can pull up to 3.5-tonnes. As an aid to hitching it can be fitted with a clever camera system to give a quasi-aerial display of what is around the vehicle.

The boot is enormous at 700 litres and being only a five seater - unlike its sister ships the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne - it is very roomy inside.

As big off-roaders go the Touareg has always been formidable and functional. Now it has a touch of class that adds to its status and makes it something of a fashion item.