The bizarrely named 2009 Volkswagen Touareg 2 has arrived on the scene but it certainly isn’t trying to fit in. The 4×4 off roader is more at home on the beaten track than it is on the highway and city streets, but Volkswagen haven’t abandoned fuel economy and comfort entirely.

The Touareg 2 comes in two fairly self explanatory trims; the VR6 and V8FSI. The two models sport 280 hp 6,200 rpm and 350 hp 6,700 rpm engines respectively. Unlike most VW’s these engines are explosively powerful, perhaps overly so, but they are also beautifully tuned.

The Touareg 2 fits into the “light truck” EPA classification, but would be more commonly recognized as a crossover SUV. That means there’s plenty of space inside, with a dash of luxury furnishing and entertainment fixtures and fittings. The Touareg 2 isn’t as well suited to being a family car as VW’s Tiguan or Routan, though.

What the Touareg 2 excels at is off-roading. Though Volkswagen has dropped the massive V10 engine this year, the Touareg 2 still generates massively more power than it could conceivably need. In standard trim, VW’s suspension provides 8.3 inches of ground clearance. This is the standard position, but their air suspension system allows variations between 7.3 and 11.8 inches.

In all, it’s an extraordinary off road vehicle, easily giving Dodge’s and the British Land Rover a run for their money, but it lacks the family friendliness of the previous two, making it a bit of an outside runner.