Motoring: VW Touareg joins the elite R badge club

This is the first time an R model, usually the fastest and most sporting version in a range, is powered by a plug-in hybrid powertrain

You might assume that this is an expensive way to get the R interior and exterior makeover, but the Touareg R, at €95,630 on the road, is about €3,000 cheaper than the diesel model in the R-Line specification. Picture: Volkswagen.

Volkswagen’s R badge is usually applied to the fastest and most sporting version in a given model range. The Golf R is the best-known, but in recent years the badge has also been applied to the T-Roc crossover, the Tiguan SUV and the Arteon that sits above the Passat. Now it can be found on the rump of the largest car in the Volkswagen line-up, in the shape of the Touareg R.

Is that a ...