Even in its last full sales year in 2015 it was Tiguan With almost 59.000 registrations in Germany alone, it is still the bestseller in the so-called compact SUV segment. It is actually difficult to understand, because the model that is now being phased out, which has been available since the end of 2007, does not look too good, nor is it particularly inexpensive - on the contrary. There is also an almost old-fashioned cockpit based on the old Golf Plus and only an average amount of space. Obviously, his success right into the last few days of the sale doesn't stop there.
Nevertheless, after more than eight years of construction, it is urgently time for a change. Not least because competitors such as Hyundai with the new Tucson or Kia with the brand new sister model Sportage are turning into real competitors and BMW with the X1 and Audi with the Q3 are exerting pressure from above.
The Tiguan has been available for order since mid-January, and will come to the dealer in late April. Already at the IAA last September, you could take a first look at the SUV. And was already pleasantly surprised back then: The new generation is visually much more opulent, is in length (+6 cm, 4,43 m), width (+3 cm, 1,81 m) and wheelbase (+ 8 cm, 2,60, 3 m) grown; but at the same time flattened by 1,70 centimeters (XNUMX m). The steeper radiator grille with wider chrome strips and large brand logo make the compact SUV appear more confident.
The Tiguan is also not only more saturated and sporty on the road due to shortened overhangs, the changed dimensions also benefit the interior. Above all, the enlarged wheelbase provides more space in the rear seats and a luggage compartment that is significantly larger by 145 to 615 liters. If you need more space, you can push the back seat forward by up to 18 centimeters and if you additionally fold the rear seats, you have space for up to 1.655 liters of luggage. And thanks to enlarged door cutouts, getting into the rear is much easier than before.
These gains are, of course, mainly thanks to the much-cited Modular Transverse Toolkit (MBQ), which gives engineers more freedom. You can also see in the interior that the new Tiguan is a child of the MBQ family, which you already know from golf, sports van and especially from the Touran. A large 8-inch screen, traffic data in real time for the first time thanks to an online connection and an abundance of assistance systems, which usually require a surcharge, are among the most important innovations. The latter also includes a traffic jam assistant that autonomously steers, accelerates and brakes the Tiguan up to 60 km / h. On the other hand, the standard equipment includes the city emergency braking function, pedestrian detection and lane keeping system.
Also new is the optional head-up display, which, for cost reasons, does not reflect directly into the windshield as with premium brands, but has to use a small plexiglass pane placed in front of it less elegantly. For the first time, LED headlights are also available for the Tiguan for an additional charge. Three engine-gearbox variants are available at the start of sales. The currently cheapest version (from 30.025 euros) is the 2,0-liter diesel (110 kW / 150 hp), which consumes 4,7 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. This engine is also available with all-wheel drive and dual clutch transmission from 33.925 euros. The compact SUV is also available with a 132 kW / 180 hp 2,0-liter petrol engine and also with a dual clutch transmission and all-wheel drive (34.450 euros).
The engine range is expanded rapidly, ultimately there should be four diesels (115 hp, 150 hp, 190 hp, 240 hp) and four petrol engines (125 hp, 150 hp, 180 hp, 220 hp). The base model will in future be the small petrol engine with 92 kW / 125 hp with pure front-wheel drive, which should cost from 25.925 euros, 350 euros more than before. Except for this unit and the small diesel with 85 kW / 115 PS, all engines can be combined with all-wheel drive (Haldex-5). Here the driver can choose between four modes: on-road, off-road, snow and an individual off-road setting.
Since the Tiguan has grown to be around 50 kilograms lighter in weight, even the base engines with the SUV are unlikely to have any problems. The top unit, the biturbo with 177 kW / 240 hp known from the Passat, will form the top of the drive range and, like the large petrol engine, will ensure driving performance similar to that of a sports car.
But a plug-in hybrid is also in the starting blocks. The Tiguan GTE should come on the market in 2017 or 2018 and theoretically creates a purely electric range of 50 kilometers. The system output from the electric motor and combustion engine is said to be around 218 hp.
But it does not only remain with other drive variants. VW builds an entire vehicle family around the Tiguan. Even the normal model is available as a classic on-road version, as an off-road version tailored for off-road use and as a sporty R-Line. In addition, it will also be a kind of coupé with a flatter roof line and slightly finer interior, which will compete against the Range Rover Evoque and BMW X1.
The next year will be the approximately 4,75 meter long version of the Tiguan, which can be ordered with up to seven seats and creates the additional space with a wheelbase extended to 2,79 meters. With this variant, VW particularly targets the markets in North America and Asia, which demand space and prestige. And finally, perhaps a more compact version of the Tiguan should take, which would compete with vehicles like the Renault Captur in the volume range of this class.
More space, more engines and drive systems, more optics, more assistance systems and more body variants: VW cannot be accused of resting on the laurels of the now successful and very successful first Tiguan generation. With the new model, the Wolfsburg-based company is fully attacking. In these times when the group is on the defensive on many fronts, it is certainly not a bad strategy.
Author: Peter Eck / SP-X