VW’S NEW DAKAR CHALLENGER
Replacing the Race Touareg 2 – twice winner of the gruelling Dakar Rally and the first diesel-powered vehicle ever to win the event – the new Race Touareg 3 promises to be faster and more efficient, while retaining the immense strength and durability of the outgoing car.
Wind tunnel testing has led to changes being made to the carbon fibre and Kevlar bodywork, with particular attention paid to improving the cooling systems around the roof of the vehicle and minimising the disruption to airflow at high speeds. At the same time, the changes have seen the Touareg adopting a new look, with LED lights, a redesigned grille, new window line, rear clamshell and new wheels adding to the effect.
Beneath the bodywork, the twin-turbocharged 2.5-litre TDI engine has been optimised to allow greater economy, while still producing 297bhp and 442lb.ft. of torque. It has also been revised to cope with the severe altitude changes incurred on the Dakar, with competing vehicles climbing to heights of over 15,000 feet above sea level. The Race Touareg 3 can now adapt better to these conditions, meaning the performance doesn’t suffer despite the thinner air encountered at such altitudes.
The 2.5-litre engine channels its drive through three limited slip differentials via a newly upgraded five-speed sequential gearbox and a ZF-Sachs three-plate ceramic clutch. The result is the ability to hit 62mph from rest in 6.1 seconds before reaching a top speed of 117mph in nearly any conditions.
To be successful in the Dakar Rally, Race Touareg 3 needs to be able to cope with a combination of sand dunes, deep mud, gravel and broken tarmac roads – which explains its use of a high-strength steel spaceframe chassis with a pair of springs and damper units fitted to every corner in order to protect the vehicle against severe impacts. A set of specially developed BF Goodrich 235/85 R16 tyres provide the grip.
Race Touareg 3 has already undergone shakedown tests, comprising 10,000 kilometres of simulated special stages ahead of the 2011 Dakar Rally. It seems Volkswagen is going all out to make it a hat-trick of Dakar victories…
