Volkswagen claims that the third generation Touareg that you see here is neither a facelift nor a brand new model. Rather, it's the exact same model that was launched back in 2019. However, this time round, Volkswagen has managed to add in a fair amount safety systems, technology, as well as luxury bits to the full-sized five-seater SUV.

As the flagship model in Volkswagen's lineup, the Touareg has been evolved into a rather upmarket SUV that goes against premium cars such as the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE and even the Volvo XC90.

Arguably, one could even include the Porsche Cayenne into the heavy mix, since it also shares the same mechanical MLB Evo underpinnings with the Touareg. However, while the Cayenne is a sporty alternative, the VW Touareg dominates the luxury territory with its premium bits, comfort-biased driving behaviour and, not to mention, handsome good looks.

Like before, the cabin of the Volkswagen SUV is beautifully built, both inside and out. Rather than just looking like a Volkswagen Golf that has been blown out of proportion, the Touareg appears to be very coherent despite its proportions. It squats lower than before but has grown longer and wider. Despite that, the SUV is 106kg lighter than its predecessor.

This translates to more space on the inside for all five occupants. But more than just space, the Touareg now comes with a whole lot more to widen its appeal to potential SUV lovers. While everything looks and feels the same since it arrived here in 2019, Volkswagen Singapore has added in useful features such as soft close doors, sunshade on rear window glasses, a new multi-function steering wheel, 360-degree area view camera, park assist safety feature as well as adaptive cruise control, amongst many others, as standard.

This puts the car on par, or even ahead, of its peers. What also puts it ahead of its competitors will be its price point. As of yesterday's COE updates, the Volkswagen Touareg will start from $366,900 for the Elegance trim and $399,900 for the R-Line variant.