THAT quiet hero of the SUV market, the Volkswagen Touareg has been refreshed and customer deliveries are expected in November.
Getting behind the wheel of this VW icon brought back memories of the original in 2003 - a vehicle that was completely new for Volkswagen and a venture that paid off magnificently. The reason being that since then this luxury 4x4 has sold 500,000 units worldwide.
The latest version is bang up to date with an entry level 3.0-litre V6 TDI diesel engine with a 204ps output with a more powerful 262ps version also being available.
Advanced safety kit includes adaptive cruise control, dynamic light assist, automatic post collision braking and lane assist.
Longer and wider than the previous model, the latest Touareg boasts leather upholstery, leather trimmed steering wheel, with multifunctional ability, featuring paddle shift.
There is also 2Zone electric climate control, DAB digital radio, Bluetooth and USB connectivity and colour touchscreen satellite navigation with Google Earth mapping.
There is also an eight-speed tiptronic auto transmission which suited the engine perfectly as was demonstrated is a drive in the R-Line 262ps version which has 140mph on tap with a zero to 60mph sprint of 7.3 seconds.
For such a powerful vehicle you could hardly expect 70mpg, but a combined figure of 42.8mpg was a more than adequate compromise.
What a difference to the gas guzzling SUVs of earlier times.
The R-Line is priced from £48,215 and has emissions of 174g/km which put it in a high tax bracket although the new range starts from £43,415 for the lower powered model.
On the road this is an agile and capable performer. Despite its size it is very nimble and demonstrates its advanced chassis engineering by winding through bends at speed with little or no body roll.
All models feature VW's Blue Motion technology for maximum efficiency with Stop/Start, battery regeneration and coasting functions.
It is certainly heartening to see that the SUV philosophy lives and breaths onwards in the Volkswagen fold with this formidably modern new evolution.