2022 Volkswagen Touareg vs 2023 Range Rover Sport

What's the difference?

The Touareg is a plush, comfortable SUV which is very nice to drive and, in R-Line guise, it has a welcome bit of saucy sportiness about it.

Let’s be honest: this is not a hard-core off-roading wagon, but to expect it to be such a vehicle is to miss the point entirely. 

The Touareg is more than capable of tackling the large SUV market’s own version of dirt-driving adventures and it does it with aplomb and it does it while the driver and passengers enjoy supreme comfort.

Electrification has properly arrived in the Range Rover Sport family, and a plug-in hybrid solution makes a lot of sense in this application.

Plenty of power, a big EV driving range and the ability to reduce your working week fuel bill to close to zero all adds to the appeal here, as does the drop-dead gorgeous design at work.

'Tis a little expensive, though, and even more so once you start ticking those option boxes.

This large SUV is 4878mm long (with a 2899mm wheelbase), 1984mm wide, 1686mm high and has an official kerb weight of 2169kg.

There are nice touches inside and out and surely features like chrome roof rails, highlights and exhaust tips will bring at least a slight sly smile to even the most jaded SUV admirer’s face.

This is a sleek, stylish and so very premium-looking and feeling vehicle that it makes a lowly peasant like me feel more than a little bit uncomfortable.

Usually we'd say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that design is subjective, and blah, blah, blah. But not this time.

Because, the Range Rover Sport is the best looking SUV in Australia. Better even than the Range Rover flagship, On this, there's really no argument.

But, if you want yours to look as good as this one, you'll need to pay for it. This spectacular paint, as mentioned, adds $13,531 to the asking price. And these special gloss-black alloys? They're another $2470.

But even without it, this is a seriously special-looking SUV. The Range Rover people have a special skill in making these big vehicles look sexy, rather than bulky, and for mine they've done it again here.

Climb inside, and you'll find a special-feeling space, too. The screen dominates much of the dash space, but it feels polished and of high quality, though the wireless charging pad is madness. With nothing to secure your phone in place, it tends to slide around, and even launch out of the holder, when you're on the move.

Still, we're talking cigar-lounge vibes here, or like someone has fitted an engine to your living room, especially when you deploy the extra armrests and really get comfortable.

If you’re considering a Touareg as your next SUV, there’s a good chance that you’re already pretty familiar with all that’s on offer inside, but I’ll give you the drum: this interior manages to succeed at being a nice mix of luxurious and practical. 

While there are leather and soft-touch surfaces seemingly everywhere, there are also plenty of storage spaces, cup-holders, bottle-holders, USB charge points (front and second row), 12-volt power outlets (front and cargo area), temp and air-vent controls (front and second row), bag hooks (on backs of front seats and in cargo area), cargo tie down hooks/rings (cargo area) and a raft of other features that are well suited to real life.

All seats are supportive and comfortable. 

The driver and front passenger seats are power-adjustable and heated and ventilated.

The rear seats are a 40/20/40 split configuration and the row can slide and recliners two separate sections. It has a fold-down centre arm-rest with cupholders.

There is 1800 litres of cargo area volume with the second row folded; 810 litres with it in place.

At 4946mm long, 2047mm wide and 1820mm tall - and with 2997mm wheelbase - the Range Rover Sport is a sizeable SUV.

And with our vehicle fitted with just five seats, that real estate translates into an acreage of space in both rows, as well as in the boot, instilling a real sense of stretch-out luxury for passengers.

The backseat especially is roomy. I'm 175cm, and I found I had plenty of head room, plenty of leg room, and more than enough room to stretch out sideways, too.

Backseat riders get their own vents and changing sources, too, but quad-zone climate (giving your rear passengers the ability to set their own temperatures) is a cost extra – which seems a little mad, given the $200k price tag.

You'll find 835 litres of luggage space with the Range Rover Sport's second row of seats in place. Fold it flat, though, and that number grows to 1860 litres.

A nifty tow ball emerges from the rear of the vehicle at the push of a button, allowing for a three-tonne towing capacity, while the adjustable ride height unlocks a wading depth of 900mm. There's also proper 4WD with low range, and hill descent control, to help guide you off the beaten path.

It has got an incredibly catchy name – the Range Rover Sport Dynamic HSE P510e Electric Hybrid – and it carries a price tag that's sure to capture your attention, too.

It lists at around $198,000, but once fitted with the features our test car has been equipped with, that number climbs to more like $225,000.

On the very long standard features list is all-digital LED lighting, a clever electrically deployable tow bar and 22-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, there's twin-zone climate control, heated and ventilated seats both front and rear, all of which are lined with pretty fetching leather,  and then there's the very clear 13.1-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a banging Meridian 3D surround system, a head-up display, and a wireless charge pad.

Our test car then adds a sliding Panoramic Roof, the stunning Eiger Grey in Satin Finish paint, which in and of itself costs more than $13,000, bigger 23-inch wheels, a home charging cable, a heated steering wheel, and more, adding more than $25k to the total  sticker price.

This diesel Touareg has a 3.0L turbocharged V6 engine – producing 210kW at 4000rpm and 600Nm at 1750 rpm – and it has an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

It has VW’s 4Motion AWD and a variety of driving modes including eco, comfort, normal sport, individual, off-road (auto and expert), and snow, which adjust vehicle characteristics, such as engine performance, throttle response, and damping and steering, to suit your selection.

It's a clever plug-in hybrid powertrain, in that it delivers plenty of power, and plenty of all-EV driving range.

It starts with a six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, which pairs with a 105kW electric motor, delivering a total of 375kW and 700Nm.

That power is channelled through an eight-speed automatic and sent to all four wheels, and is enough, Range Rover says, to unlock a 5.4-second sprint to 100km/h (quick for a 2.8-tonne SUV), and a flying top speed of 242km/h.

It has an official fuel-consumption figure of 6.8L/100km on a combined cycle, but on test we recorded 11.7L/100km, measured at the pump.

It’s worth noting here that we did do some low-speed AWDing along a very washed-out track. 

This Touareg has a 90-litre fuel tank so, going by that as-tested fuel-consumption figure, you can reasonably expect a driving range of approximately 719km from a full tank, but that’s factoring in a safe-distance buffer of 50km.

It has a 24-litre Adblue tank.

As always in the plug-in hybrid world, how much fuel you use is largely up to you.

The on-board 38.2kWh battery will deliver a claimed all-electric driving range of around 125kms - which should be more than enough if you plug it in every night, or every other night, to get through your working week without burning any fuel.

Combined, the brand claims a fuel sue figure of a paltry 1.6L/100km (and emissions of 37g/km), but those numbers are often wildly inaccurate when it comes to plug-in hybrids. We found that – when letting the Range Rover Sport choose when to use the engine, the motor, or both – fuel use was more like 10.2L/100km.

The 71-litre fuel tank demands 95RON fuel, which – based on prices in Sydney at the time of writing – should set you back around $155.

Very comfortable. 

For starters, as driver you have the ability in the Touareg cabin to set up your preferred position with almost-pinpoint accuracy via the 18-way powered seat (with memory) and the tilt- and telescopic-adjustable steering wheel/column. The steering wheel is even bloody heated!

The 3.0L V6 is a punchy unit and the Touareg manages to harness its 210kW/600Nm via the eight-speed auto with mostly considered control.

This is a reasonably dynamic vehicle – for a large SUV – and it manages to maintain a commanding stance on-road and on the move, while feeling nimble enough around town and on bush tracks – more about that later – to deftly avoid any criticisms about being a clumsy drive. 

It has a turning circle of 11.19m.

Acceleration is mostly okay from a standing start and while overtaking on the open road, although persistent turbo lag in those scenarios is off-putting. 

Cycle through the driving modes (eco, comfort, normal, sport, individual, off-road (auto and expert), and snow) – via a dial near the auto shifter – to further determine your sweet spot in terms of steer-ability, throttle response, engine performance, damping and steering, among other characteristics, to match your selection.

Speaking of steering, its all-wheel steering is pretty sharp as is and, as mentioned, the auto is generally on-point, but for an even more direct driving experience switch to manual mode and have fun with the paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

Adjustable air suspension with electronic adaptive damping control lends a welcome flexibility to ride and handling, which is generally well sorted. The rotary dial control to adjust the air suspension is to the left of the drive mode dial. 

If you notice an all-wheel drive system actually working then that’s probably not a good sign and if you notice the Touareg’s 4Motion kicking in then you’re more sober than I am: it’s a seamless application, capable of sending up to 70 percent of drive torque to the front axle, or up to 80 percent to the rear axle, depending on driving conditions. It is quietly effective during daily driving and seemingly masterful in traction-compromised circumstances of which we have had many due to recent heavy rainfalls; I’m talking about rain-slicked blacktop through to muddy gravel tracks – again, more about that soon. 

The Touareg’s tyres – Pirelli P Zero (285/45 R20) – are well suited to driving on sealed surfaces and well-maintained and dry gravel and dirt roads, but they’re far from ideal for anything more challenging than that.

It has a "weight and space saving inflatable spare wheel”.

I know plug-in hybrids aren't the most popular of the new-technology powertrains in Australia, but the concept is at its very best in a vehicle like this silky Range Rover.

Pulling away from the kerb in smooth silence only really enhances the luxury feel on offer here, while the potent six-cylinder engine waiting in the wings delivers all the grunt you'd expect when overtaking or just pulling off from the light.

What's more, the theoretical 125km driving range in EV mode is pretty substantial, and really should be more than enough to get you through the vast bulk of your working week without needing to recharge.

Most people – whether they drive a PHEV or a fully-fledged BEV – plug in every night, and doing so here will help seriously reduce your fuel bill, which is always welcome in a vehicle this big and traditionally thirsty.

Happily, it also feels smaller and tighter than it looks from behind the wheel when you're on the move, though tight parking spots can prove embarrassing. I'm lightly ashamed to admit that I took not one, not two, but three attempts to ensure all the Range Rover's bits were well inside the white lines in a tricky-angled parking spot.

Those little moments aside, the Range Rover is an easy vehicle to live with, given its size. It's smooth, quiet, and with a suspension tune that irons out much of the world's ugliness before it enters the cabin.

We're talking five ANCAP stars here, and a veritable boat load of active safety technology designed to keep you safe whether you're on the road or off it.

That includes a 3D parking camera, adaptive cruise, AEB in both drive and reverse, traffic sign recognition, a rear traffic monitor and front and rear parking sensors.

There are six airbags total across both rows of seats.

The Touareg has a five year / unlimited kilometre warranty and that includes one year of 24-hour roadside assistance.

This variant requires a service every 12 months or 15,000 km, whichever comes first.

Assured Service Pricing applies to the first five standard scheduled services with listed prices of $539, $886, $539, $1306, and $539.

The Ranger Rover Sport is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which includes five years of roadside assistance.

You can also buy a service plan, which covers five years or 102,000 kms (whichever occurs first) for $2750.