Skip to main content

Spied: New Volkswagen Three Row SUV Test Vehicle Spotted

[See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com]
Remember those Grand Cherokee-looking Volkswagen SUV’s spotted a few weeks back?  It seems that Volkswagen has ditched the Jeep mask for more traditional camouflage, hiding the production-spec head and tail lights, and bumpers, leaving the rest of the vehicle unobstructed.  With this new perspective and a few tidbits mentioned by the spy photographers at KGP Photography, there is quite a lot that we can safely speculate.
volkswagen-cross-coupe-gte-006
First of all, we can tell the shape is nearly a dead ringer for the Cross Coupe GTE (pictured above) first shown at the North American International Auto Show in 2015.  Sure, the details have been made to be much more production-friendly (no more integrated exhaust exits and door handle placement has changed), but we wouldn’t be shocked if this was much closer to production aesthetic than originally believed.VW3rowSUV.AZ05.KGP.ed
When it comes to size, KGP notes that it appears slightly larger than the current-gen Ford Explorer (198.3″ long), which is actually a full 9.5″ longer than the current Touareg. Now this SUV will make the most of this additional space by offering a third row, but it might also render Volkswagen’s next-generation Touareg a bit redundant in the North American lineup.  Seeing as this is an MQB-based vehicle that will be built in Chattanooga and the Touareg is currently constructed in Bratislava, it would likely come with a lower MSRP than the Touareg as well, further complicating the business case.
VW3rowSUV.AZ06.KGP.ed
The photographers note that the exhaust sounded “much like a V6”, which for a vehicle of this size is completely understandable, with smart money being on either the existing or an updated version of VW’s 3.6 VR6.  But pondering for a moment the fact that the majority of SUVs are also offered as two-wheel drive models with smaller, more efficient power plants in certain markets, we wouldn’t be too surprised if Volkswagen offers a front wheel drive version with a 2.0T.  If Audi can put a 2.0T in the larger, heavier Q7, we see no reason one shouldn’t be fitted to the MQB-based three row SUV.

Volkswagen’s three row SUV will likely be shown later this year.  We’ll be sure to keep you updated with any news or intel as it comes across our desks.

The post Spied: New Volkswagen Three Row SUV Test Vehicle Spotted appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/1qTCC96
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Project SportWagen: Going Stage 2 with APR

    When we last left you, the humble little SportWagen was fresh from the development process with our friends at AWE Tuning, sporting a new downpipe, exhaust and intake, allowing things to breathe a bit easier.  The car sounded great, but there was no getting around the fact that our wagon was still quite, well, slow.   While we realize that nothing we do to the Golf SportWagen at this point will make it a race car, we still felt compelled to do something .  To put it bluntly, we had a fever, and the only cure was more power. Flash forward a few hours, and we found ourselves at Waterfest, staring down APR’s palatial spread and the numerous tuned vehicles surrounding it.  Earlier in the year, APR had hinted to us that their 1.8 TSI files would be quite impressive, and based on what they were able to do with the 2.0 TSI found in the new GTI and our time in their Golf R, we knew it’d be worth the wait.  So with this in mind, we lined our G...
Post a Comment
Read more

Watch: The Zerouno Cruis’n USA

ItalDesign is drumming up excitement for its new supercar based around the same 5.2-liter Audi V10 that powers the R8. Naturally, it hit the road for a cruise around California last week to celebrate Monterey Car Week. There isn’t much in the way of V10 noise—which is a real shame given the sound it makes—but you do at least get a good look at the car inside and out in this video. With a body made entirely of carbon fiber and designed to be as aerodynamic and light as possible, ItalDesign figures that it will be good for a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds. “We put it our best skills into the production of the first car,” said Massimo Bovi, head of pre-series production, when the Zerouno was first unveiled in Geneva earlier this year. “Using some of the finest productions methods and engaging our high-skilled workers.” The car features clever aero tricks gleaned from single-seat racing, like a y-duct up front to improve downforce and turn-in. Available in a number of trim levels, the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Volkswagen Golf GTE Wins Top Honor at the 2015 Business Techies Awards

Golf GTE wins Green category in the 2015 BusinessCar Fleet Technology awards Judges praised the Golf GTE for its performance, ease of use and economy Golf GTE launched earlier this year with plug-in hybrid technology – priced from £33,755 204 PS performance combined with CO 2  emissions of just 39 g/km Volkswagen has added to its growing list of 2015 automotive industry accolades by winning the Green category in the annual BusinessCar Fleet Technology Awards – the Techies. The prestigious title was awarded to Volkswagen for the Golf GTE, an innovative plug-in hybrid that combines sporty dynamics with exceptional fuel economy and low CO 2  emissions. Now in their seventh year, the Techies are judged by both BusinessCar’s experienced editorial panel with help from TRL’s technology expert. The industry’s only technology-specific awards, the BusinessCar Techies reward the use of technology to make business car fleet operations easier, cheaper, cleaner, safer and more straig...
Post a Comment
Read more