One of
Volkswagen’s best-selling vehicles, of the more than 7.6 million units sold globally through two generations, to date, a significant number of these have found homes in
South Africa. In its current application, this includes two body styles; a standard
SUV and an Allspace with its third row of seating; the option of an R-Line styling package and, indeed, the first-ever
Tiguan R derivative.
Recently unveiled and scheduled to arrive in South Africa in the second half of 2024, the all-new third-generation
Tiguan (its name derived from the words, “Tiger” and “Iguana”) is built on a heavily revised MQB platform that not only adds newfound levels of stiffness and rigidity to this
SUV's frame – which bodes well for overall levels of refinement and comfort – but is also able to accommodate several drivetrain configurations, including a traditional internal combustion engine and gearbox, a new eTSI traditional hybrid arrangement and, indeed, a plug-in hybrid setup.
Instantly recognisable as a member of the modern VW family, the new Tiguan features a full selection of LED lighting technologies – including light bars, front and rear – and will be offered with a set of the brand’s latest “ID.Light” adaptive headlamps. With new head of design for Volkswagen, Andreas Mindt, stating that he would like to bring back stable-looking and likeable designs within the brand’s broad portfolio of passenger cars, on the Tiguan he especially likes the car's pronounced wheel arches.
While the new car shares its 2 680 mm wheelbase with the current
SUV package (the long-wheelbase Allspace will be discontinued and replaced by a model named Tayron), the third-generation
Tiguan is 30 mm longer than the outgoing model. This means 37 litres more luggage space compared with before, but also a slight increase in rear passenger legroom.
Highlights of the new
Tiguan’s interior include the placement of the car’s transmission lever onto the steering column to free up space on the centre console, the adoption of ambient lighting throughout the cabin and the fitment of the brand’s newest infotainment display and operating systems. The smallest display will be 12,9-inch in size, while top-of-the-range derivatives gain a 15-inch item.
A new rotary dial is placed on a centre console that now has more storage space than before. This dial acts as both the volume control for the car’s audio system, but also offers one-touch access to various driving modes and cabin ambience settings.
Volkswagen has also addressed concerns about the usability of its modern interiors and as such has reintroduced physical buttons to replace fussy, touch-sensitive items including on the multi-function steering wheel and climate control settings.
It’s expected that the initial batch of cars that will launch in
South Africa will feature the same engine line-up as in the current
Tiguan range. This will likely include a 1.4 TSI petrol motor powering the front wheels only, a 2.0 TDI and 2.0 TSI with 4Motion all-wheel drive and eventually the new
Tiguan R with its powertrain borrowed from the Mk8 Golf R.
Volkswagen South Africa will undoubtedly be looking into introducing the brand’s new eTSI and eHybrid drivetrains, that latter is a plug-in hybrid that offers a range of up to 100 km of all-electric propulsion per charge from its 19.7 kWh battery.
