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Volkswagen Touareg vs Mercedes-Benz G-Class

What's the difference?

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Volkswagen Touareg
Volkswagen Touareg

$79,990 - $148,950

2024 price

Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Mercedes-Benz G-Class

2020 price

Summary

2024 Volkswagen Touareg
2020 Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Safety Rating

Engine Type

Twin Turbo V8, 4.0L
Fuel Type
-

Premium Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
-

13.1L/100km (combined)
Seating
-

5
Dislikes
  • Disappointing ride quality
  • PHEV elements frustrating to use IRL
  • Limited appeal compared to other R models

  • Patchy ergonomics
  • Thirst for PULP
  • Cargo door hinges 'wrong' way
2024 Volkswagen Touareg Summary

It’s big, it’s fast, it’s luxurious, Volkswagen’s Touareg has always been a stand-out large SUV.

This one, the full-fat R is the latest take on the halo Volkswagen model. It has big shoes to fill.

See, top-spec Touaregs in the past are hardly rivals to the Toyota LandCruisers and Hyundai Palisades of this world. They’re a different breed, with the first-generation Touareg powered by a variety of engines up to a 5.0-litre turbo-diesel V10, and the second-gen version packing petrol and diesel V8s in its upper levels.

They were the ultimate sleeper family SUV, ridiculous engines with rich VW Group lineage in a seemingly mainstream family-friendly package.

But this third-generation version can’t quite replicate the over-engined craziness of its predecessors. It has to think outside the box as emissions regulations crack down the world over.

This Touareg R is a plug-in hybrid. A performance-focused one at that. Can it hope to replicate the unhinged nature of its forebears and find an appropriate place atop the hierarchy of Volkswagen’s R models? Let’s find out.

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2020 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Summary

Everything you need to know about the Mercedes-AMG G 63's personality pokes out from underneath the polished alloy steps running down each of its flanks. Side pipes… no one does side pipes.

A colleague was pulled over in a G 63 because the cops thought the '60s muscle car-style exhaust was after-market and illegal. But it's not, and it's brilliant.

Launched globally in early 2018, this brutal take on the second-generation Mercedes-Benz G-Class might look the same as the G 63 it replaces, but under the skin it's a whole new ballgame.

The first-gen was like grandpa's axe, regularly updated but underneath it all the same basic framework. This is a whole new axe, including a fresh drivetrain, suspension set-up and interior treatment.

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Deep dive comparison

2024 Volkswagen Touareg 2020 Mercedes-Benz G-Class

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