Instead of going down the smaller-is-better road with the all-new Tiguan, Volkswagen of America chose a new EA888 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. Although EPA numbers aren't available yet, the company expects it to be more economical than the 1.8 TSI used by the current Passat, Jetta, Beetle, and Golf family models.
The thing is, we're not surprised by their decision, as Audi too has given up on smaller displacement units. The 184 horsepower unit in the Tiguan is related to the one now used by the A3 compact sedan, where it replaced the 1.8T. Volkswagen promises that its new Tiguan will do better miles than the old one, which got 20 in the city and 24 highway.
We have to point out that the outgoing crossover had 200 horsepower, so they're giving us 16 fewer ponies, and it was smaller too. But torque is up by 14 lb-ft, from 207 to 221. Will there be any more versions to match something like the 2-liter turbo'd Ford Escape? We think not, as VW is deliberately aligning this single powertrain with what most of the industry is offering.
In Europe, you can buy the Tiguan with all kinds of engines, including a 1.4T and plenty of TDIs. There's also plans to bring a Tiguan R to market with around 300 horsepower. But that simply has nothing to do with this U.S.-spec model, which is bigger.
The rightsized powertrain belongs to VW Group's signature EA888. The family of direct-injected mill kicked off with the CC sedan in 2009 and marked the start of a new efficiency theme for Volkswagen. This now continues with new aluminum pistons, cylinder heads, and valve springs.
As in the previous 2.0-liter TSI engines, the increased displacement over the 1.8T comes solely from a longer piston stroke (92.8 mm vs. 84.1), while the compression ratio rises to 11.7:1 due to a modified combustion chamber. New TSI injectors can produce up to three injection sequences per stroke depending on conditions.
Volkswagen says this new 2.0-liter engine will later be offered in other but doesn't say which. It's reasonable to believe that the Passat and Golf Alltrack are likely candidates.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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