All About Japan Autos

Who said German hybrids are cheap? Pricing for the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg has been released and it may knock the wind out of you.

KickingTires writes: “The 2011 Touareg starts at $44,450 for the base 280-horsepower, V-6 gasoline engine, which is rated 16/23 mpg city/highway. The 225-hp, turbocharged V-6 diesel, rated 19/28 mpg, will start at $47,950, and the new supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 hybrid model, rated 20/25 mpg, will start at an eye-popping $60,565.”

Compared to its rivals, the Touareg may seem like a rip off — as its competitors “[i]nclude the 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid SUV, which starts at $56,665, and the 2011 Lexus RX 450h, which starts at $44,110,” says The Washington Post.

Although $60,000 is an expensive price to pay for a hybrid V6 powerplant, the Touareg may be the most advanced hybrid sport-utility vehicle yet. That’s because the direct-inject V6 also has an electric motor and a set of nickel metal-hyrdride batteries. All of this technology comes together to make a “[c]ombined horsepower of…380, enough to earn a 7,700-pound towing capacity,” reports Kelley Blue Book.

If you’ve got the money and that’s the kind of power you’re looking for, the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid is worth a look. If not, check out the cheaper, but still green and luxurious, Lexus RX 450h.

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