Volkswagen is now offering the Touareg in its highest specification yet with a new range-topping R-Line Plus trim level. The Touareg R-Line Plus uses the well-equipped R-Line as a starting point.

Externally, the five-seat SUV’s alloy wheels are upgraded from 20 inches to the 21-inch ‘Mallory’ design. Meanwhile, the R-Line Plus comes equipped with Volkswagen’s Area View technology as standard. This utilises front, rear and side wide-angle cameras (mounted within the door mirrors) to provide a 360-degree bird’s-eye exterior view of the SUV that is displayed on the Touareg’s infotainment display screen.

Area View allows the driver to see the immediate surroundings of the car from a new perspective, and the technology enhances the safety of occupants and those outside the vehicle. For example, Area View allows the driver to ‘see around corners’. When driving forwards from a parking space the Touareg driver can, via the system, see pedestrians and cyclists approaching from the side.

Inside, the new Touareg features a centre console, dash and air vent surrounds that are finished in ‘Piano Black’, and the cabin features ‘Vienna’ leather upholstery. The front comfort seats are 14-way electronically adjustable, and the front head restraints include four-way adjustment.

Volkswagen says the extra equipment has a value of £3,255 if specified separately, but the premium over the Touareg R-Line is only £1,160. That figure applies whether the customer chooses the 201 bhp 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine or the 258 bhp 3.0-litre V6 TDI.

Both offer a combined fuel consumption figure of 42.8 mpg, while CO2 emissions for the 201 bhp engine are 173 g/km or 174 g/km for the 258 engine.

The Volkswagen Touareg is now available in four trim levels: SE; Escape; R-Line; and R-Line Plus. All feature Volkswagen’s 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system. The new R-Line Plus trim level is expected to account for around half of Touareg sales, and is available to order through the Volkswagen UK Retailer network now, priced from £48,095, with models fitted with the more powerful diesel available from £49,895