Like your appendix (or even your wisdom teeth), the existence of the Touareg Hybrid is largely superfluous.
Its only advantage? Raw power.
The goal of the Touareg Hybrid is to give buyers V-8 power with V-6 fuel economy. It does this in spades. (Good thing, since a V-8 isn’t available on this generation Touareg.)
To move this hybrid, VW rummaged around the corporate parts bin and found a 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 used in various Audis. The automaker paired it with an electric motor and got a total output of 380 horsepower and a whopping 428 pound-feet of torque.
With a 0-60 acceleration time of 6.2 seconds, this is not so much a “save the whales” hybrid as it is a “you’re crowding my on-ramp” hybrid.
On all 2011 Touaregs (named after a nomadic tribe in Northern Africa), an eight-speed automatic transmission routes power to all four wheels. The handling is taut, with average steering feedback, though at 5,135 pounds, a sports car this is not.
The transmission features a Sport mode, and it can be shifted manually. VW says the final two gears are essentially overdrive gears for increased fuel economy.
Also boosting the Touareg Hybrid’s efficiency is its unique ability to shut off the engine completely any time you take your foot off the accelerator, at speeds of up to 99 mph. VW calls this “coasting,” and it happens by way of a clutch that decouples the engine from the transmission.
It’s quite a thrill to watch the tach drop to 0 rpm the moment you take your foot off the gas, be it on the freeway or coming up to a stop sign. The instant you tap the accelerator again, the engine kicks back to life without any discernible hesitation. It also makes for a very quiet and smooth ride.
But this feature is not enough to make the Hybrid the most efficient Touareg in the lineup, and power remains its only advantage.
The Hybrid is rated at 20 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. During my week with the vehicle, I averaged 19 mpg. This shows the Hybrid’s advantage over a V-8; last year I tested the Touareg’s close cousin, the Porsche Cayenne S, and averaged 17 mpg.
But the efficiency badge goes to the $48,770 Touareg TDI. Its 3.0-liter, 225-horsepower, 406-pound-feet, oil-burning motor is rated at 19 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. I averaged 23.8 mpg over four days.
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