Though a limited number of models are already on sale, Volkswagen has announced that the full line-up of its updated Tiguan SUV will be available to UK buyers by the end of July. Is this news? Well, yes, in fact it is.
For it would seem that here in the UK we rather like the little Tiguan, which in VW sales terms, only has the ubiquitous Golf and Polo ahead of it. This compact SUV is a significant player, and, proving the point, its UK sales numbers have shot up from a modest 8,121 units in 2011 to a whopping 21,889 units last year. And if the Tiguan’s growing presence in ag show, conference and demo car parks is any sort of barometer, UK farmers have taken more than a passing interest in the vehicle, too.
Having established the new Tiguan is ‘news’, what is it exactly that’s new? Its appearance for starters. Lower, longer and wider than the outgoing design, the Tiguan is still, however, distinctly a Tiguan … albeit a much better looking Tiguan. Whereas the old vehicle was a bit of a blob, VW’s designers have successfully managed to stretch the profile lines in all directions to palpable modernizing effect — a sharper edge here, an extra curve there, plus that slight lowering of the whole body.
Put simply, the new aesthetics work. An added bonus is that the vehicle weighs slightly less, too. Then there’s the detail. Kicking off with the engine offering, it’s all change here as well.
The outgoing Tiguan was only available as a diesel, but now there are three petrols and four diesels, from a 1.4-litre 125hp TSI petrol up to a 2.0-litre 240hp BiTDI diesel, with other variants in between. All motors are reckoned to be more powerful and economical than their predecessors, and naturally they’re all EU6 compliant. Despite now listing a petrol option, VW concedes that it still expects around 90% of UK buyers to stick with diesel.
As for drivelines, again there’s the choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or seven-speed DSG auto — the likely sales split here is about 60/40 in favour of manual — and 2WD or VW’s 4Motion four-wheel-drive system, with a 25/75 split; not surprisingly, that 4WD percentage will be even higher for farming. Key change in this department is that 4Motion now gains its own rotary control, which not only allows the driver to select from one of a number of auto setting modes, but also includes the capability for him or her to tailor the settings according to their own preference. Clever? Or perhaps a bit too clever?
We suspect that most will rely on the simpler auto off-road modes, which, to be fair, can only enhance the pretty decent off-road performance of the first generation vehicle, given that it, like the new version, has no air suspension, no low ratio box and no cross-axle diffs to call on. Incidentally, it’s also worth mentioning that Tiguan’s towing capacity remains the same at 2.5t (engine size dependent). Yet, for all of the above, we suspect it’s the Tiguan’s impressive array of gadgetry (along with the previously highlighted new look, including more interior space) that will attract most interest. The list is too long to fully detail here. Suffice to say, among the fresh contributors to what was already a comprehensive electro package are Active Info Display, Head-Up Display, Area View with Park Assist, and Trailer Assist, although we’d hope that most tractor/trailer drivers wouldn’t have too much need for the latter.
Perhaps less eye-catching but nonetheless still significant are items such as Front Assist, Driver Alert and Adaptive Cruise Control, Side Scan and Active Bonnet. For an explanation of all these features, keep an eye out for a test in an upcoming issue of profi. In the meantime, if you’re looking to get in an early order, there are five trim levels to pick from — S, SE, SE Navigation, SEL and R-Line — which then must be matched with the engine and transmission of your choice, as well as whether you require 2WD or 4WD capability.
At £29,745 on the road, the most popular UK model is predicted to be the SE Nav 2.0-litre 150hp TDI diesel with six-speed manual gearbox and 4Motion 4WD. Prices for the full line extend from £22,510 all the way up to £36,375 for the R-Line 2.0-litre 190hp TDI diesel with seven-speed DSG auto and 4Motion 4WD. A retail figure for the 240hp twin-turbo BiTDI diesel range-topper is still to be announced.
