Published: 19 June 2023
► Launch event scheduled for autumn 2023
► Based on Volkswagen’s MQB Evo architecture…
► … which brings loads of new technology
Volkswagen is gearing up for the launch of the next-generation Tiguan. The third iteration of the company’s best-selling family SUV will break cover in autumn 2023 before going on sale in 2024. It’ll offer renewed rivalry for the likes of the Kia Sportage, Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Tucson.
But Volkswagen knows the SUV game has moved on since the Mk2 Tiguan was launched in 2016. These days, buyers expect their cars to feature a lot more technology – so Volkswagen has given the next Tiguan a head start by moving it on its MQB Evo platform.
It’s the same architecture found under the Mk8 Volkswagen Golf and new Skoda Octavia – and it’ll bring a veritable truckload of new equipment to the Tiguan. Key upgrades include Volkswagen’s newest Matrix LED headlights, latest adaptive suspension and freshest plug-in hybrid powertrains, along with some bang-up-to-date infotainment hardware.
The next Tiguan is in the latter stages of its development programme, hence the camouflage wrap on the car in these images. But, considering how close we are to the car’s launch event, the car shown here should be a faithful representation of the finished product. Scroll down to learn everything we know so far about the new Volkswagen Tiguan.
Certainly. The next Tiguan will have a full complement of powertrains, including petrol, diesel, mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid options. We’ll start with the PHEV, because that’s the most interesting.
Volkswagen says the new Tiguan eHybrid will get a larger battery pack than the previous model, which will allow it to cover up to 62 miles on electric power alone. The battery will also support DC rapid charging for the first time, which should make it easier to exploit the car’s electric capability on long road trips.
We haven’t received any official specifications on the next Tiguan eHybrid’s powertrain, but we expect it’ll use the same electric motor, six-speed automatic gearbox and 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine found in the Volkswagen Golf eHybrid and the Skoda Octavia iV.
This PHEV powertrain is available in two states of tune across the Volkswagen Group. The entry-level model has 201bhp, while the sporty variant (as found in the Golf GTE and Octavia vRS iV) has 242bhp. From launch, we reckon Volkswagen will stick with the former unit for the Tiguan.
The rest of the new Tiguan’s engine range will be familiar to Volkswagen buyers. The SUV’s petrol line-up will include 148bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder and a 187bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder units, while the diesel range will be built around Volkswagen’s ubiquitous EA288 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, offering buyers outputs of either 113bhp or 148bhp.
Mild hybrid versions of the new Tiguan will use the same powertrains as the Golf eTSI. The hatchback is available with both a 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre petrol engine but, because of its added size and weight, we expect the new SUV will only be offered with the larger displacement unit. Expect power outputs of 128bhp or 148bhp.
Rather unusually (considering the car hasn’t been official unveiled), Volkswagen has given us an uncamouflaged look at the Tiguan’s interior. Its design is an evolution of the brand’s current design language. The centre console, doors cards and dashboard appear to have been inspired by a mixture of the Golf and the Arteon – and it’s complemented with a new high-mounted 15-inch touchscreen, a new digital gauge cluster and a fresh backlit trim panel for the passenger-side dashboard.
Look at the Tiguan’s steering wheel, too. It’s the same shape as the Golf’s, but it doesn’t feature the hatchback’s touch-sensitive buttons because, after lots of customer criticism, Volkswagen decided to swap them for conventional buttons on all its future new cars. When the facelifted Golf arrives later this year, we expect it’ll feature a lot of the design elements introduced on the new Tiguan.
Volkswagen has also freed up some storage space in the centre console by only offering the Tiguan with an automatic gearbox. There’s a new gear selector switch on the steering column, like the unit fitted to the company’s pure-electric cars, which the driver rotates forwards and backwards to move between drive and reverse.
There’s also an extra rotary dial on the centre console which Volkswagen calls its ‘Driving Experience Control.’ It has its own miniature screen – and Volkswagen says it can be used to switch between the car’s drive modes, adjust the radio volume and alter the car’s interior ambient lighting colours.
Volkswagen says the next Tiguan will be more practical than the old model, too. It’s around three centimetres longer than before, but its height, width and wheelbase are almost identical to the previous car. Nevertheless, it’s boot space has increased by 33 litres to 648 litres.
The new Tiguan uses a version of the adaptive suspension and chassis control system introduced on the Volkswagen Golf GTI. The technology controls two areas of the car’s chassis – its damping and its braking. When cornering, the car can automatically adjust the stiffness of each suspension strut and individually brake each wheel, which Volkswagen says will help to keep it settled.
Matrix LED headlights will also be available as an optional extra, as will Volkswagen’s ergoActive front seats. The latter extra features heating elements, ventilation, four-way lumbar support adjustment and a 10-chamber massage function.
Volkswagen hasn’t officially confirmed whether there’ll be a new Tiguan R, but the brand could easily build one if it wanted to. The Golf R is based on the same MQB Evo underpinnings, which means its engine, gearbox, suspension and rear differential would simply bolt into the SUV’s chassis.
If the Golf R’s mechanicals are transferred to the new Tiguan R wholesale (as they were in the outgoing model), that would give the hot SUV an output of 316bhp and 310lb/ft of torque. That should be enough for a 0–62mph time of around five seconds and a top speed of 155mph. Here’s hoping Volkswagen’s engineers are mad enough to fit it with the hot hatchback’s drift mode, too.
Staff writer. Unhealthy obsession with classic Minis and old Alfas. Impenetrable Cumbrian accent
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