The Volkswagen core brand has a new flagship model in Europe, but it’s not the Phaeton. The fullsize luxury saloon has been delayed and might return one day as a pure electric model, and in the meantime, the third-generation Touareg will serve as the crown jewel of VW’s massive lineup. The Wolfsburg squad hasn’t introduced all powertrain versions of its midsize posh SUV yet, but this video goes to show the 3.0-litre TDI V6 delivers more than adequate performance.

The folks over at Automann-TV on YouTube hopped onto the driver’s seat of a high-end R-Line model fitted with the diesel engine rated at 282 bhp and 442 pound-feet of torque like in the Audi Q8 50 TDI. Despite having considerably less oomph than the 421 bhp and 664 lb-ft the V8 diesel will pack, the Touareg did just fine in an acceleration test to 62 mph by completing the task in seven and a half seconds.

A diesel engine’s limitations become more noticeable as you get to higher speeds, with the run from 0 to 124 mph taking 31 seconds. It eventually got up to 142 mph without breaking any laws thanks to the remaining unrestricted sections of the German Autobahn.

Acceleration test aside, this POV video gives us the opportunity to admire the high-tech dashboard of the new Touareg with its Innovision Cockpit comprising a 12-inch digital instrument cluster and a massive 15-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system. No other Volkswagen model has this setup, but it’s probably a matter of time before some of the higher-end VWs will adopt the expansive display layout.

The Touareg’s future looks bright aside from the aforementioned V8 diesel model, the large SUV will also get a plug-in hybrid derivative in some parts of the world and there might even be a range-topping Touareg R further down the line.