JE Designs Tunes the Volkswagen Touareg

The Touareg was Volkswagen's first entry into the SUV segment, the brand's bid to get it on the craze. It was an accomplished entry at that, garnering critical acclaim.

The second generation arrived and upped the ante even further, losing weight and becoming more like its sporting Porsche Cayenne sibling. With that platform as a basis, JE Designs has introduced its first ever tuning package for the Touareg.

The first thing immediately noticeable about it is the unique grille design. The grille on the standard Touareg is replaced with a boxy, mesh grille that lacks a grille.

It is certainly different - not sure how we like it exactly. The other changes improve on the Touareg's look, adding new alloy wheels, wheel arch extensions, a rear apron and a spoiler.

The changes don't only include appearance though, as JE Designs bumps power from the diesel 4.2-liter TDI V-8 to 410 horsepower from a standard figure of 340 hp.

Even more impressive is the increase in torque, taking the Toureg up to 686 foot pounds of torque from an already staggering 590 lb ft. 0-62mph speed drops accordingly from 5.8 seconds to 5.4 seconds.

The suspension also gets lowered (via an electronic module) by 35mm. If you're interested, the whole package goes for €19,750 (about $25,300 USD at current exchange rates).