Dual-screen interactive design, fool-proof driving mode, what black technologies does the Volkswagen Touareg hide?

The new Touareg is changing the rules of the game with its brand-new digital technology and connected interactive design.

When it comes to Volkswagen Touareg, many people probably think of the classic advertisement first: a Touareg is parked in water with half a wheel submerged, and a diver is sitting in the trunk with the tailgate open, preparing to jump in...

Or maybe it was just too idle to go to the airport to pull a plane (Boeing 747). However, if you know more about Touareg, you will also know that it was the birth of Touareg that provided the prerequisite platform for the subsequent Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne to be developed.

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to call the Touareg the father of the Q7 and the grandfather of the Cayenne. Now, when the new generation of Touareg is released, the MLB EVO platform it adopts has become the foundation of the Lamborghini Urus. So, if you say that the Touareg is the pioneer of Volkswagen's high-end SUV (longitudinal engine), it seems that no one can refute it.

So, what surprises will this living fossil, which has played with airplanes, is called "grandfather" by the Cayenne, and is on good terms with the big bull Urus, bring us after it develops to the third generation?

From Classic to Glassic?

If we call a classic car "Classic", then the new Touareg can be called "Glassic" (derived from the English word glass).

Because the physical buttons that once performed various functional tasks in the Touareg are now all taken over by an oversized screen called "Innovision Cockpit" in the new Touareg.

Even this is not all, next to this screen, there is also a 12-inch digital display screen specially used to replace the traditional instrument panel. These two screens together constitute the digital interactive space for the entire new Touareg to serve the driver.

Through them, you can complete intuitive operations of various complex functions, such as adjusting the air conditioner, or quickly switching between USB, radio and other multimedia, or even customizing the home screen with your favorite applications and photos, etc. Instead of struggling to find the button you need in the dense forest of keys/buttons like the old models.

Therefore, you can understand that every square centimeter of the new Touareg's human-computer interaction interface is endowed with greater usage efficiency, and this efficiency is almost impossible to achieve on traditional physical button panels (because your buttons cannot be made small enough).

I have eyes that can see through the darkness.

On the new Touareg, you have two ways to see through the mystery of the night: the first is to use a night vision device that uses infrared imaging like a spy, and see all heat sources within 300 meters in front of the car through the Innovision screen.

Just like, vehicles that are still warm, pedestrians who are running, or animals that are about to jump out suddenly to give you a surprise, they cannot escape the "infrared eyes" of the new Touareg.

It is worth affirming that this pair of infrared eyes can also identify animals. When a collision is predicted, it will actively alert the driver. Of course, this function needs to be used with a sense of justice, and it should not be used casually at the parked and shaking vehicles in the suburbs in summer...

The second type is a smart headlight that combines LED matrix technology with a camera. It can detect what is happening on the road through the camera and adjust the light distribution according to the situation. 

For example, if the camera in front of the car sees a road sign, the light directed toward the sign will be dimmed to avoid dazzling the driver. Or, when approaching oncoming vehicles, the headlights will automatically tilt so that other drivers can still see the road clearly.

It can even adjust the width and intensity of the light in bad weather. It is like you have added a "wartime command center" behind the traditional headlights to help you make plans in the front when the light is dim.

Give cars a "fool mode" so that novices are no longer afraid

In this generation of new Touareg, engineers have prepared more safety driving assistance systems for you, making this car like a point-and-shoot camera, which means it is "harmless to humans and animals" even for novice drivers.

For example, when you drive out of an alley with poor visibility, it can help you sniff out vehicles or pedestrians on the side of the front of the car. Or, when you are alone and face a narrow parking space, it can help you park the car accurately.

If you ever get tired of long-distance driving, you can use the semi-automatic driving function to allow the vehicle to perform semi-active control in traffic or on highways.

If, as a last resort, the system identifies a collision risk, the vehicle can improve the safety of the occupants by tightening the seat belts, moving the seats upright and closing the doors, windows and sunroof.

Of course, some of the above functions are not new to luxury cars, such as night vision, which has been adopted by many brands. However, for the new Touareg, enabling the vehicle system to identify animals that appear in the night vision system is a very forward-looking move.

I wonder if those monster hunters who search for vampires in the wild every day in a mysterious way would consider buying a new Touareg with night vision function to replace the night vision goggles hanging on their heads.

In addition, some of the more mature features of the previous generation Touareg have also been carried forward on the new Touareg:

For example, the new Touareg still offers an air suspension system that can raise the chassis by 30 centimeters, and also has an all-wheel steering system that allows the rear wheels to "follow" the footprints of the front wheels as much as possible.

Moreover, the stabilizer that maintains the balance of the vehicle has also been upgraded to an electromechanical active roll stabilizer. This system has a faster response speed and a lower intervention speed, avoiding poor vehicle stability caused by excessive speed or uneven road surface.

In general, in addition to retaining the advantages of previous models, the new Touareg has borrowed more from current mainstream technologies: using a large touch screen to greatly improve the convenience of "communication" between the driver and the vehicle.

At the same time, the achievements in active safety, passive safety and information interconnection of the vehicle have transformed the Cayenne's "ancestral" model into a car that would make even today's young handsome men exclaim "Da Bomb!"

So, as latecomers, will the Q7 and Cayenne feel overwhelmed by the Touareg's complete transformation?