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Volkswagen have added another diesel powerplant to sit below the 282bhp unit available at launch.

The new 228bhp V6 TDI offers 369lbf.ft 1,750rpm through to 3,000rpm. In pairing the new engine with SEL trim, the Touareg also has a new entry price of £48,995 OTR. It will still come with the eight-speed tiptronic transmission, four-wheel drive and a limited slip-diff. The new unit matches the more muscular engine economically – 173g/km CO2 – and with the 3,500kg towing capacity.

SEL Touaregs come with Vienna Black leather interior with white LED lighting. The 9.2″ touchscreen dominates the dash and houses the controls for much of the cabin’s functions, plus a subscription to Guide and Inform – a program that has live traffic updates, fuel pricing information and radio that selects the strongest signal from FM or DAB.

19″ alloys are standard, as are full LED headlights, tail lights and fog lamps.

The new engine is available with R-Line and R-Line Tech models too, from £52,495 and £55,595 respectively.

Click here to recap more details on the new Touareg’s specs.

Last year VW showed a concept Amarok with a 254bhp, 427lbf.ft version of the 3.0-litre V6 currently present in the range. Well, now they’ve announced that the tuned version will be entering production for Highline and Aventura trim Amaroks.

The newest Tdi poses 34bhp more than the previous chart topper, along with 22 more torques. It promises to be eager as well as strong, with an overboost function bumping power up to 268bhp and maximum torque available at 1,400 through 3,000rpm.

Visual upgrades accompanying the newfound brunt include a rooftop liner and pillar trim in a metallic black finish on Aventura models. Other features on the top trim include 20″ graphite wheels and Nappa upholstery in the cabin, plus aluminium finish bed cover and underbody plating.

Orders are now open in Germany and will open in the UK in June, with pricing expected to start at £37,000 and £42,000 for Highline and Aventura models respectively. We’ll bring more on UK prices when they’re confirmed.

The offer of £500 deposit contribution on a 5.2% APR Personal Contract Plan is now available on Design and R-Line spec T-Rocs, and now covers the whole T-Roc lineup.

Basic equipment across the T-Roc range includes an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, CD player and DAB radio, plus mobile connectivity. Dual zone climate control is also standard.

The compact SUV boasts a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, with six airbags and advanced driver assists.

VW launched the Design trim specifically for the T-Roc, championing personalisation with the SUV. The two-tone paintwork differentiates the roof, A-pillar and door mirrors from the lower bodywork, accentuating the sporty styling. It also gets tinted rear windows and 17-inch alloy wheels. There’s a host of vibrant interior options, with upholstery available in orange, blue and yellow swatches. Prices for T-Roc Design models start at £26,450.

The R-Line is the sportiest and range-topping trim, and was recently added to the T-Roc and Tiguan Allspace families. It sees the T-Roc get 19-inch alloy wheels, low rolling resistance tyres, a roof spoiler, R-Line badging and a sports suspension. R-Line pricing kicks off at £26,450.

Volkswagen’s sporty and top of the range R-Line trim has been added to it’s two newest SUVs.

The compact T-Roc and the family orientated seven seat Tiguan Allspace receive the R-Line treatment, that adds sporty styling cues and equipment upgrades to their rosters.

On the T-Roc R-Line, 19″ alloys along with a sports suspension setup. The exterior visuals are enhanced with R-Line front and rear bumpers, a roof spoiler, black wheel arch extensions and body coloured side skirts.

Inside, the interior is bolstered by a new black roof lining, decorative inserts in the dash and door panels, aluminium pedals along with LED reading lights plus R-Line floor mats and flat-bottomed steering wheel.

The four-wheel drive T-Rocs available in R-line will be the 2.0-litre auto petrol and the 2.0-litre diesel with a six-speed manual, with R-line prices starting at £26,450.

In the Tiguan Allspace, the R-Line additions also include bigger alloys – this time 20″ – and a sports suspension. With the optional Dynamic Chassis Control this can be tailored via sport, comfort or normal settings.

Aluminium dash inserts liven up the R-Line Allspace interior, where a leather three-spoke steering wheel sits before Race cloth seats in a cabin littered with R-Line logos in the upholstery and trimmings.

The 4Motion powerplants available with R-Line trim are all 2.0-litre diesel units, with the 150bhp version available in both six-speed manual and seven-speed auto – a gearbox also on offer with the 190bhp variant. R-Line Tiguan Allspace pricing begins at £35,755.

The addition of the T-Roc and the Tiguan Allspace to VW’s SUV range is part of their ongoing expansion in the sector, with a new Touareg on the way this summer and the smallest of the family, the T-Cross, due for reveal later in the year.

This morning saw the launch of the third-generation Volkswagen Touareg, at a global reveal held in China.

It’s the first model from the German marque  to feature the new Innovision cockpit – the latest generation of infotainment that consists of 12″and 15″ digital screens. The footer is a digital cockpit behind the steering wheel, combining sat-nav and driving data, whilst the bigger screen sits centrally on the dash and on the whole removes the necessity of buttons. The touchscreen controls everything from on-board entertainment to the comfort settings and makes personalisation easy.

With a wide breadth of driver assistance and safety features, the new Touareg pushes the boat out. One of the new additions is a night vision system that detects people, animals and obstacles in the dark using thermal imaging. More conventional inclusions are lane assist, front cross traffic assist and four-wheel steering. Electronically manned anti-roll bars add stability to the ride, whilst it has VW’s signature windscreen head-up display and also gets automatic LED headlights. All of these features can be controlled via the central touchscreen.

The new Touareg is bigger than its predecessor – in both width and length – affording for more interior space – rear storage capacity is increased by 113-litres when the rear seats are upright. But despite it’s bigger size the new SUV is lighter thanks to construction consisting of 48% aluminium.

V6 engines accompany the new Touareg from launch – diesels with 231bhp or 286bhp. In certain markets these will be followed by a petrol version (340bhp) and a powerful diesel V8 good for 421bhp. A plug-in hybrid will be released in China, with a European launch date for the green option still undecided.

The Touareg was launched alongside a trio of SUVs exclusive to China – VW’s biggest global market – and as yet there are no specifics on pricing or general release.

Following last year’s success for the Skoda Kodiaq, VW has decided to add a new seven-seater to their own line-up – Tiguan Allspace.

Essentially, this is a Tiguan with added flexibility. It’s 215mm longer than the regular Tiguan and the wheelbase has been stretched by 109mm. With your elongated Tiguan you get the privilege of ‘occasional seating’, which thankfully doesn’t mean you can only use them for birthdays and weddings.

What it does mean is that VW hasn’t tried to make out they’ve harnessed technology from the Tardis and applied it to the Allspace’s back row of seats. Instead, they freely admit these two pews are for the petite individual who is likely to be more interested in discussing with you the delights of Peppa Pig rather than available legroom.

There are a few other subtle differences between the Allspace and regular Tiguan, too. At the front, a taller grille and revised bonnet visually helps with raising the front in order to counter the extra bulk at the rear. The rear doors are longer and the shoulder line has been reworked, while off-road versions get amended bumpers and underbody protection. Even with the Tiguan’s growth spurt, it’s not an oversized vehicle and remains attractive.

The model we recently got our hands on was an SE Nav 2.0-litre TDI 4Motion 147bhp variant. Bit of a mouthful, but before we break it down for you, it’s worth knowing that this is the example VW estimates will be its top seller.

The ‘SE Nav’ denotes the starting point as you head up through the Allspace spectrum, past SEL and onto the R-Line derivatives. There’s a focus on providing high spec’d vehicles here, so all versions are generously equipped from the off. This base SE Nav, for instance, has the 8” colour touchscreen and Discover Navigation system.

VW estimates suggest that 95% of Allspace sales will be diesel, emphasising that TDI still pips TSI in this category – for now. You can get the 2.0 TDI unit in more powerful guises, and while initially sceptical about the 147bhp being able to haul the Allspace and seven people around, it will satisfy you completely, with a surprising amount of shove to serve up when prompted. Regarding the petrol units, the 1.4 TSI is only available in 2WD, leaving the thirstier 2.0 TSI. It may have 177bhp, but the TDIs can talk the torque.

There’s a mix of manual and autos on offer, but it’s the latter we’d advise you towards. Family life can tire you out, so why not let the car do the work for you? That is the idea after all. Plus you get paddles and a manual shift setting should you wish to take control and with the DSG ‘boxes being the best in the business, their slickness is difficult to play down.

Inside, it can look a little conservative – but as usual with Volkswagen, it’s all in the detail. The soft-touch plastics give an assuring feel of quality, while the cloth seats look up for a battle with the kids in the war of cleanliness. Controls are positioned well and easy to navigate.

And what of this ‘occasional seating’? A tether either side of the middle row flips them down and the occasional two are simple to put up or down. You can have a very spacious five-seat Tiguan or a seven-seater that will cope with the capability of swallowing a decent shopping trip.

Bigger boot, more seats, and more eventualities covered – what’s not to like. VW has quietly gone on and added that extra flexibility without harming the goodness already established in the Tiguan.

Prices start at £29,370, with the one that impressed us costing £34,905.

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VW have launched a limited edition Amarok with a bad-boy image. The Dark Label pick-up is based on the top of the range Highline trim and, in true Lego Batman style, everything is black – or very, very dark grey.

Most exterior trimmings have been given a gothic makeover, including the 18” alloys and the rear bumper. Three shades of dark paint are on offer, along with three different finishes. Carbon Steel is the metallic option, alongside Deep Black pearl and matte Indium Grey.

It’s inside the Dark Label Amarok where it cements itself as one of the highest spec iterations of the pick-up, with alcantara seats, black headlining and floor mats connoting the design. VW’s Discover Media touchscreen infotainment system comes as standard, as does voice control functionality. Standard driver aids are aplenty, with automatic wipers and headlights, heated mirrors and safety features all fixed on the Dark Label.

Orders are now open, close in April and are limited to 200 units, with prices starting at £33,650.

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