“Did we even go over a speed bump?” ... Behind the Wheel of the Volkswagen Touareg Final Edition [Brilliant Mobility]

[Financial News] The road out of Gapyeong has frequent bends and an uneven surface. We went over a speed bump. I wondered if we had even gone over it. The body dipped once, then quickly settled. This is the Volkswagen Touareg Final Edition.
I drove from Gapyeong County in Gyeonggi Province to Jonggak in Seoul. The route runs through mountain roads, highways and city congestion in succession.
The Touareg is part of Volkswagen Group Korea’s history. When the company was established in Korea in 2005, the first-generation Touareg arrived as well, and the model has continued through to today’s third generation. Volkswagen Group Korea’s current lineup consists of two electric vehicles, two gasoline-powered vehicles and two diesels, with the Touareg still occupying one of the two diesel slots.
Its global debut came in 2002. The test car is based on the facelifted third-generation model launched in Korea in August 2024. The Final Edition is the last version, released ahead of the end of production in 2026.
The first thing that catches the eye on the exterior is a horizontal LED light strip running across the grille. The radiator grille and black front bumper sit beneath it. The headlights are the brand’s first IQ.LIGHT HD Matrix units. The design, named “3 Eyes,” incorporates more than 38,000 LEDs and adjusts the lighting in 12 modes using camera data, location information and vehicle speed. It also features Lane Light, which illuminates the lane the car is about to move into, and a lane-change warning function that projects a linear light along the lane boundary if there is a car in the adjacent lane when the driver is about to change lanes.
The Final Edition branding starts in the places your hands reach first. “FINAL EDITION” is embossed on the leather gear lever, and the same wording appears on the illuminated door sill plates and interior trim. Outside, the lettering is laser-etched onto the window frames. At the rear, the taillights combine a horizontal LED strip running across the tailgate with six L-shaped LEDs.
The cabin is centered around the “Innovision Cockpit,” which combines a 12-inch digital cockpit, 15-inch MIB3 infotainment system and head-up display. The front seats are 18-way ErgoComfort seats with heating, ventilation, massage and memory functions. Four-zone Climatronic automatic climate control and a panoramic sunroof are standard, while soft-close doors and rear door sunshades come on every trim. The audio system is the Danish Dynaudio Consequence system, with 12+1 speakers, a 16-channel amplifier and a subwoofer, delivering up to 730 W.
The chassis is where this car makes its strongest case. Air suspension that adjusts the ride height according to the driving mode and all-wheel steering that also controls the rear-wheel steering angle come standard on every trim. This facelift adds a “Roof Load Sensor,” which works with the body control system to improve driving stability.
The mountain roads around Gapyeong put this combination to the test. Road impacts do reach the driver’s seat, but with their sharp edges softened. After crossing a bump, the body doesn’t keep rocking for long. In corners, the rear wheels turn along with the front, allowing the car to turn through as if it were smaller than it really is. It was the same when turning onto narrow streets near Jonggak. Even with less steering input than expected, the car is already pointed in the right direction.
The powertrain is an EA897 evo3 V6 3.0 TDI diesel engine. It uses “twin-dosing” technology with two SCR catalytic converters. Paired with permanent all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission, it produces 286 horsepower and 61.2 kg·m of torque. Peak torque is available across a broad range of 1,750–3,250 rpm.
On the highway entrance ramp, the car seems to shrug off its weight and surge forward. Rather than needing high revs to push on, it draws on its power low down. Its official combined fuel economy is 10.8 km/L. IQ.DRIVE, which bundles driver-assistance features including Front Cross Traffic Assist and Travel Assist, is standard on every trim.
There is one thing to consider: the price. A price tag topping ₩100 million is still unfamiliar at a Volkswagen dealership. A closer look at the chassis and equipment makes the price understandable, but it is not an easy figure to accept at first glance. The choice of a diesel is also one that requires explanation in today’s market. And this option comes with a deadline: production ends in 2026.
The Prestige is priced at around ₩108.35 million, and the R-Line at ₩118.49 million (based on a 5% individual consumption tax). A five-year/150,000-km extended warranty program is also included at no extra cost.
[email protected] Kim Dong-chan Reporter