Frankfurt Show: VW Unveils All-New Tiguan
VOLKSWAGEN took the covers off its bigger-but-lighter new-generation Tiguan compact SUV on the eve of the Frankfurt motor show overnight, ahead of its launch in Europe early next year and an Australian arrival in the second half of 2016.
Four variants were unveiled to a capacity crowd at a large-scale event in an outer suburb of Frankfurt, including a traditional model, an off-road-specific version and a higher-performance R-Line flagship.
The new model is longer and wider, while up to 50kg of weight has been shed, depending on the variant.
Cargo space has increased by 145 litres to 615 litres with the seats up, and 1645 litres with them folded flat. VW claims it has also lowered the boot sill height for easier loading.
All Tiguans will be fitted as standard with Emergency City braking and an active pedestrian safety bonnet, along with lane assist and emergency post-braking technology, while top-end cars will feature VW’s ACC active radar cruise control system.
A 12.3-inch infotainment screen forms the basis of the cabin architecture, while Apple and Android phone connectivity will also be fitted.
The current Australian line-up includes the entry-level two-wheel-drive 118TSI, while the 132TSI, 130TDI and range-topping 155TSI R-Line are all-wheel drive.
The AWD system has also be comprehensively overhauled, with a new fifth-generation Haldex coupling underpinning the system. It has been improved with the addition of a system VW is calling 4Motion Active Control, which allows a driver the ability to access off-road functions (including a Snow mode) via a rotary dial.
The off-road version presented this week also features a different front bumper arrangement that increases the Tiguan’s approach angle to 25.6 degrees as opposed to the standard model’s 18.3.
The Tiguan has been on sale in Australia since 2008, and was heavily refreshed in 2011. It currently competes in the small SUV category against newer rivals like the Mazda CX-3 and Nissan Qashqai, and has notched up 4639 sales so far in 2015.
More than 2.6 million Tiguans have been built worldwide since 2007.
