The third generation of the SUV bestseller VW Tiguan will be released next spring. It is part of the further developed modular system of many Volkswagen models. Gasoline and diesel engines live on, but a new plug-in hybrid is making people sit up and take notice.
It is undoubtedly a global icon, the VW Tiguan. Built around eight million times since 2007, it was the best-selling SUV in Europe for a long time. Despite the turning point towards electricity and the company’s own competition from the slightly smaller T-Roc, it is still considered a solid guarantee of success in the VW family. The third generation will start at the beginning of next year. It continues to rely on classic values, but garnishes them with a long list of modern technology such as a total of 20 assistance systems or a new cockpit in the style of the electric ID models. But VW also listened to its customers. There is again an analog rotary switch instead of inconvenient swiping like when adjusting the audio volume. Here comes a powerful plug-in hybrid. A difficult task for the designers and technicians. How do you improve a popular SUV with classic combustion engines under the hood, even though all signs point towards electric cars? For example, by building a bridge from the old to the new world for hesitant customers. A plug-in hybrid with a battery that can be recharged via a socket and in which a petrol engine and an electric motor work together was already available in the previous Tiguan. However, it had an electrical range of only around 50 kilometers and could only be recharged from weak power sources. However, the double heart technology of the new Tiguan now relies on an almost 20 kWh battery with the option of quick charging with up to 50 kW and a range of 100 kilometers. This could attract commuters with a green conscience and make them ready for the Tiguan ID, which will probably come in two years, which will then do without a fuel tank and exhaust technology and will find its place below the current ID SUV. There will still be combustion engines for the traditionalists are still in the majority, VW has revised the two-liter petrol and diesel engines, which offer up to 265 hp and are also available as all-wheel drive models and can tow up to 2.3 tons. The bargain hunters among combustion engine fans can opt for the 1.5-liter gasoline engine with mild hybrid technology, which is the only Tiguan to provide 48-volt technology with a starter generator, thanks to electronic control, depending on the driving situation, two of the four cylinders or even the the entire engine switches off temporarily. This e-TSI is probably the entry-level model in the new Tiguan world. Current Tiguan owners don’t have to worry about its appearance. The changes are so subtle that the tens of thousands of current VW SUVs do not suddenly become classic cars. The front section was adapted to the ID fleet. In the narrower headlights, there is also the so-called adaptable “IQ.LIGHT” with HD matrix headlights, which is already known from the flagship Touareg and is intended to provide a sensational lighting experience without blinding oncoming people. At the rear, the taillights now stretch a little way around the sides and grow together in the middle to form a continuous band. Noticeably grown and a bit ID on the inside. The dimensions of the newcomer hardly change, but they are noticeable. 3.2 centimeters longer (now 4.55 meters), the height increases by 5 millimeters to 1.64 meters. Width (1.94 m) and wheelbase (2.68 m) remain the same. As usual, there is plenty of space in the back seats, and even more for luggage. With an increase of 33 liters, the trunk volume behind the rear seats increases to 648 liters. All of this in the feel-good climate of the newly designed interior. It is now reminiscent of the electric flagship ID.7. The elimination of the gear lever in the center console creates new airiness between the seats. The dual clutch transmission is now operated using a knobby switch on the right behind the steering wheel. At the previous location there is now a rotary switch with an OLED display, which is not only responsible for the volume of the audio system. It can also be used to set the various all-wheel drive programs or the lighting mood. Long live analogue. Many functions still move to the 15-inch display, depending on the version, which dominates the center of the cockpit. The large monitor is complemented by another display directly behind the steering wheel. It can be individually designed, from the classic view with round instruments to navigation mode, in which the map is displayed in the direct field of vision. There is also an optional new head-up display that projects all information directly into the windshield. Modular sharing not only with the Passat Many of the innovations were possible because the Tiguan is now based on a further developed MQB modular system. This substructure serves many corporate brands. This means that the development costs can be spread across several shoulders. The new MQB version has the suffix “Evo” and will be used in addition to the Tiguan for the new Passat station wagon and, from 2024, also for the facelift of the Golf. Skoda models such as the Kodiaq or the Superb also benefit from this. Other brands are to follow. One example of joint use is the development of the new Parking Assistant. It allows you to save an operation such as parking in a carport or garage. The next time the driver reaches a familiar waypoint, such as the driveway of their home property, the electronics remember it. The rest of the work is carried out by a smartphone app with which the driver who has previously gotten out remotely controls his Tiguan to the rest position. Conversely, it can also be used to park out. Helpful in narrow garages. A total of 20 assistance systems are available, some as standard, others in various packages for an additional charge. No price has yet been mentioned for Austria; in Germany the Tiguan starts at 36,600 euros. Further data for the individual models will follow, as will their consumption and performance information. It will be on the road from spring 2024. (SPX)
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