Photo: SB-Medien
That’s it. No more weird hairstyles or silly T-shirts. From now on, the attitude is sure-footed, and there’s an elegant shirt on display - the experiment is now over, with the second generation of the Volkswagen Tiguan bringing a mature approach.
Out goes the less-than-organic first-gen Tiguan, albeit one that managed to convince 2,64 million customers, and in comes the 2016 model, which can give the Touareg a run for its money, visually speaking.
Did we say “2016”? We meant 2017, since the Tiguan is now headed Stateside. All the changes start from the VW Golf VII-introduced MQB modular platform. This allowed for a generous increase in size.
The overall length of the car has grown by 2.4 inches (6.1 cm), while the wheelbase has been expanded by 3 inches (7.6 cm). That means more interior space, but also better handling thanks to the wheels being pushed closer to the corners of the car.
The Tiguan is now also more offroad-capable, with its ground clearance jumping by 0.43 inches (11 mm) - this is true for the 4MOTION-fitted versions. Speaking of which, you can get an offroad package, which brings respectable rugged terrain numbers, such as an approach angle of 25.6 degrees.
These changes were allowed by the VW Golf VII-debuted MQB modular platform. This mixes high strength steel with aluminum, also bringing a weight reduction of 110 lbs (50 kg) and greater torsional rigidity.
Those willing to put the Tiguan to trailer-related work, should know that the towing capacity can climb as high as 5,512 lbs (2,500 kg).
As usual with Vee-Dub, you can pretty much have different cars if you look at the two ends of the line-up. For instance, while the entry-level Trendline trim offers a monochrome 5-inch display, at the other end of the line-up we find an 8-injch touchscreen offering features such as AppleCarPlay and Android Auto.
VW used its engineering fetish to also introduce the Tiguan GTE in Frankfurt. For now, this is just a concept, but you can regard it as a scaled-down (way down) incarnation of the Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid.
The GTE moniker brings the now-usual plug-in hybrid powertrain, consisting of a 1.4-liter TSI, an electric motor and a DSG gearbox. While the turbocharged engine’s power has been slightly increased to 156 PS, the overall output of the system sits at 218 PS.
The electron side of the vehicle sips from a 12.0 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which offers half the capacity of the e-Golf’s hardware. Nevertheless, the Tiguan GTE has an all-electric range of up to 31 miles (50 km) and an EV mode top speed of 81 mph (130 km/h).
It’s the efficiency that matters, though. The official combined consumption sits at 1.9 l/100 km (123.8 mpg US), with CO2 emissions of 42 g/km, about half of the Cayenne’s value.
Still, the performance is just barely respectable. To be more specific, the 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint takes 8.1 seconds, while the top speed sits at 200 km/h (124 mph).
As for the three shades of Tiguan in the gallery below, the Blue one is the GTE, the Red incarnation is the offroad pack-fitted model, while the White car shows the R-Line sporty appearance version.
Did we say “2016”? We meant 2017, since the Tiguan is now headed Stateside. All the changes start from the VW Golf VII-introduced MQB modular platform. This allowed for a generous increase in size.
The overall length of the car has grown by 2.4 inches (6.1 cm), while the wheelbase has been expanded by 3 inches (7.6 cm). That means more interior space, but also better handling thanks to the wheels being pushed closer to the corners of the car.
The Tiguan is now also more offroad-capable, with its ground clearance jumping by 0.43 inches (11 mm) - this is true for the 4MOTION-fitted versions. Speaking of which, you can get an offroad package, which brings respectable rugged terrain numbers, such as an approach angle of 25.6 degrees.
These changes were allowed by the VW Golf VII-debuted MQB modular platform. This mixes high strength steel with aluminum, also bringing a weight reduction of 110 lbs (50 kg) and greater torsional rigidity.
Powertrains
The second-gen Tiguan is motivated by downsized all-turbo TSI and TDI oil burners. If the range starts with a 115 hp petrol unit, at the other end we find a 240 hp twin-turbo diesel (called 2.0 BiTDI in VW language).Those willing to put the Tiguan to trailer-related work, should know that the towing capacity can climb as high as 5,512 lbs (2,500 kg).
Step inside the cabin
If you’ve been inside the new B8 Passat, you’ll feel familiar with the cabin of the 2017 Tiguan. And we’re not just talking about the digital dashboard here.As usual with Vee-Dub, you can pretty much have different cars if you look at the two ends of the line-up. For instance, while the entry-level Trendline trim offers a monochrome 5-inch display, at the other end of the line-up we find an 8-injch touchscreen offering features such as AppleCarPlay and Android Auto.
VW used its engineering fetish to also introduce the Tiguan GTE in Frankfurt. For now, this is just a concept, but you can regard it as a scaled-down (way down) incarnation of the Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid.
The GTE moniker brings the now-usual plug-in hybrid powertrain, consisting of a 1.4-liter TSI, an electric motor and a DSG gearbox. While the turbocharged engine’s power has been slightly increased to 156 PS, the overall output of the system sits at 218 PS.
The electron side of the vehicle sips from a 12.0 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which offers half the capacity of the e-Golf’s hardware. Nevertheless, the Tiguan GTE has an all-electric range of up to 31 miles (50 km) and an EV mode top speed of 81 mph (130 km/h).
It’s the efficiency that matters, though. The official combined consumption sits at 1.9 l/100 km (123.8 mpg US), with CO2 emissions of 42 g/km, about half of the Cayenne’s value.
Still, the performance is just barely respectable. To be more specific, the 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint takes 8.1 seconds, while the top speed sits at 200 km/h (124 mph).
The step up
After the Passat, the Tiguan is the second Volkswagen model that makes the brand’s upmarket move obvious, and you can say the Germans have put on a tuxedo for the American appearance.As for the three shades of Tiguan in the gallery below, the Blue one is the GTE, the Red incarnation is the offroad pack-fitted model, while the White car shows the R-Line sporty appearance version.
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