THERE is little doubt that the Volkswagen Touareg is over-engineered. Here is a luxurious sport-utility vehicle with more wood and leather than a furniture shop, yet it still has the all-wheel-drive ability to climb 45-degree hills and cross water hazards up to a depth of 580 mm.

And for most of those who buy the car here, the closest they will go off-road is when they enter the gravel driveway of the Raffles Hotel. Yet, there is something fascinating about having such a prodigious off-road capability, even if you are never going to use it.

The latest version of the Touareg is even more competent. Four years after the Touareg made its debut as Volkswagen's second luxury model (after the Phaeton limousine), a recent makeover has included replacing the old 3.2-litre V6 engine with a new 3.6-litre direct injection unit. The FSI engine has 280 hp (up 60 hp) and 360 Newton-metres of torque from just 2,500 rpm onwards (up from 305 Nm at 3,200 rpm).

The result is that the Touareg no longer feels as sluggish as it used to when accelerating from standstill. With a standard six-speed automatic transmission, the engine does a credible job hauling the huge car in Singapore's interminable start-stop traffic.

VW engineers say the facelifted Touareg has 2,300 newly developed parts. While the ordinary buyer might be hard put to identify all of them, the most obvious are the new headlamps, bumpers and the family-look grille. This big SUV now has a nose to resemble its smaller VW siblings like the Passat and Golf.

Also new are the door mirrors, which have been redesigned to reduce wind noise, as well as darkened tail lights.

The cabin is virtually unchanged, with that same high standard of build quality and beautiful detailing.

More importantly, however, is that there are also some improvements which the naked eye cannot see. The first is the inclusion of rollover sensors. If the sensors detect that at least one wheel is much higher than the rest and a rollover is imminent, the belt tensioners are activated and the curtain airbags deployed to protect the occupants from shattering glass.

The new ABSplus system is another improvement. The anti-lock brake system now has better steering under full braking on normal roads. If the car is travelling on a loose road surface like gravel, wheel lock is controlled and VW says the braking distance is shortened by up to 20 per cent in off-road situations.

The Touareg may not be a sporty drive but it is a luxurious one. At the same time, its subtle looks and relatively modest badge do not attract undue attention.

Of, course as a large SUV with permanent four-wheel-drive, it isn't the greenest statement anyone can make. But if stylish understatement is the intention here, then the Touareg will more than fit the bill.

Volkswagen Touareg V6 FSI
Engine: 3,597 cc V6 direct injection
Gearbox: 6-speed automatic transmission
Max power: 280 hp @ 6,250 rpm
Max torque: 360 Nm @ 2,500-5,000 rpm 0-100 kmh: 8.6 secs
Top speed: 218 kmh
Price: $188,600 (with COE)
Distributor: Volkswagen Group Singapore, tel 6474-8288