The five-seat Volkswagen Tiguan has high quality seating. Real leather-upholstery meets 18-way power adjustment and three-stage heating at the very least.

An optional pack brings seat ventilation, easy-access and even a massage function with plusher 'Vienna' and 'Puglia' leather available on Elegance and R-Line trims.

The Touareg is now fitted with HD Matrix LED headlights with 38,000 individual diodes, 15-inch 'Innovison' multimedia touchscreen (that finally boasts full-size wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) and new design ‘Coventry’ 19-inch alloy wheels.

Dual-zone climate control and wireless charging pad round out the standard equipment list.

The 210TDI Elegance introduces 20-inch ‘Braga’ alloy wheels, air suspension with adaptive dampers and heated and ventilated seats with massage function.

The sporty R-Line gets 21-inch alloys, and R-Line body kit and steering wheel, alarm and rear privacy glass.

A 'Sound and Comfort' pack adds rear seat heating, Dynaudio premium sound system, quad-zone climate control, power-adjust steering column, head-up display, tyre pressure monitoring, soft-close doors, head-up display and an alarm.

The R gets everything above paired with 22-inch 'Estoril' alloy wheels, night vision, blue brake calipers, an exterior black pack and R-exclusive steering wheel.

The diesel variants use a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 and eight-speed automatic. The 170TDI produces 170kW at 4000 rpm and 500Nm between 1750-3000 rpm.

Choosing the 210TDI increases outputs by 40kW and 100Nm (to 210kW and 600Nm) produced at the same engine speeds.

The R combines a 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 producing 250kW with a 100kW/400Nm electric motor mounted to its ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.

Combined outputs are 340kW and 700Nm for the R.

Well screwed together with real wood trims and leather, the Touareg's interior benefits from luxury DNA (thanks Audi Q7 and Bentley Bentayga).

Practicalities include spacious door bins, a big glove box, two central cupholders and five USB-C charging ports.

The rear seat is comfortable with enough room for six-foot plus occupants. A generous body with means three can sit in comfort despite a raised transmission tunnel.

The Volkswagen Touareg 210TDI's claimed 0-100km/h sprint is 8.0 seconds. That falls to 6.0 seconds for the 210TDI Elegance and R-Line.

The Touareg R is capable of getting from 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.1 seconds and hitting a limited top speed of 250km/h.

The Touareg 170TDI's generous 90-litre fuel tank equips it with a 1233km driving range at 7.3L/100km. That consumption drops below 7.0L/100km on a highway for an even greater roving range.

The 210TDI's added grunt and slightly worse 7.4L/100km combined consumption sees it at 1216km from a tank.

As a plug-in hybrid the Touareg R in more complex. If you were able to get its 3.3L/100km lab figure indefinitely, you could cover 2250km from a charge and fill of its 75L tank.

In reality, a combined driving range between 700km and 850km is more likely for the petrol plug-in hybrid.