Photo: L'Automobile Magazine
Volkswagen usually takes a long time testing a new product, but a revised version of the Tiguan CUV has come out seemingly out of the blue. It has been spotted during a photo shoot, suggesting that a debut is imminent, most likely during the 2020 Geneva Motor Show.
There is only one photo, as you can probably tell, coming courtesy of the French website L'Automobile Magazine. But it is enough for us to notice some changes.
The most obvious is a new set of headlights with halos and a little tail, just like on the new Golf. This probably required them to stamp out new front fenders. The grille has been tweaked to look more like that of the bigger Touareg while the bumper suffers modest changes as well. By the way, this looks like the R-Line body kit.
The interior should suffer some changes as well. The easiest to predict is a new steering wheel and the MIB 3 infotainment, both shared with the updated Passat. However, the Golf 8 has many more features it can share, like a personal assistant function or the tiny fly-by-wire DSG shifter.
While spotting the 2021 Tiguan came as a surprise, the timing is perfect. This second-gen CUV has spent over 3 years on the market in Europe and could benefit from a number of new technologies being developed for the MQB platform.
The most important is a mild-hybrid system that can be fitted to most engines. It captures lost energy during deceleration, stores it in a battery usually mounted under the front passenger and uses it to power the car's systems.
Also, Volkswagen has recently announced a slightly more efficient 150 horsepower 2.0 TDI and a more powerful top-end TDI with 200 hp (instead of 190 hp). Many years ago, VW also announced a GTE version of the crossover, though it was never offered outside of China. As the EU wants average emissions of 95 g/km, now is the right time to offer such a plug-in hybrid.
The most obvious is a new set of headlights with halos and a little tail, just like on the new Golf. This probably required them to stamp out new front fenders. The grille has been tweaked to look more like that of the bigger Touareg while the bumper suffers modest changes as well. By the way, this looks like the R-Line body kit.
The interior should suffer some changes as well. The easiest to predict is a new steering wheel and the MIB 3 infotainment, both shared with the updated Passat. However, the Golf 8 has many more features it can share, like a personal assistant function or the tiny fly-by-wire DSG shifter.
While spotting the 2021 Tiguan came as a surprise, the timing is perfect. This second-gen CUV has spent over 3 years on the market in Europe and could benefit from a number of new technologies being developed for the MQB platform.
The most important is a mild-hybrid system that can be fitted to most engines. It captures lost energy during deceleration, stores it in a battery usually mounted under the front passenger and uses it to power the car's systems.
Also, Volkswagen has recently announced a slightly more efficient 150 horsepower 2.0 TDI and a more powerful top-end TDI with 200 hp (instead of 190 hp). Many years ago, VW also announced a GTE version of the crossover, though it was never offered outside of China. As the EU wants average emissions of 95 g/km, now is the right time to offer such a plug-in hybrid.
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