Think of a 373 bhp performance car, and the first marque that springs to mind is unlikely to be Volkswagen. OK, now we're over that hurdle, imagine the body style. Two-door coupe? Supercar? Hot hatch? Nah. Think 4x4 off-roader actually. As for the engine, maybe a V8, perhaps, at a push, a straight 6? Wrong again. V10. Er... and it's a diesel.

The car in question is the new Abt Sportsline Touareg VS10, which this week arrived in the UK. Hailed proudly as the world's most powerful diesel off-roader, the VS10 features VW's diesel powerplant with various engine management changes to raise power and torque (the latter to an incredible 634 lb.ft at 2000 rpm) and improve throttle response. This allows acceleration from 0-62 mph in just over seven seconds, and a top speed of almost 150 mph.

Visually the car benefits from deeper front and rear bumpers, a new front grille, a 'discreet' rear spoiler and extended wheelarches and sideskirts. The rear skirt incorporates the four Abt tailpipes. The look is further enhanced by Abt's gargantuan 10 x 22 inch rims shod with low profile ContiSport Contact tyres.

Clearly not one for habitual off-roading, the VS10 sits at rest approximately 60 mm lower than the standard Touareg. Abt's newly developed Abt Level Control (ALC) air suspension system optimises the ride for a given condition, and when the car is running it is raised 30 mm (or 20 mm in 'Sport' mode). Bear in mind this is still 30-40 mm below standard ride height.

The complete Abt Touareg VS10 costs £64,460 - this price includes engine management changes, suspension modifications and styling upgrades mentioned above. Individual Abt Sportsline products for the Volkswagen Touareg start from just £340 and can be purchased from local Volkswagen centres or from Abt Sportsline.

When we approach Abt to borrow a VS10 for a few days I'll be happy to hand over my green wellies in exchange, as I'm confident they'll be seeing absolutely no use whatsoever.

Adam Jefferson - 22 Nov 2003