autoevolution
 

Old Tiguan Lives On In The U.S. For 2018 And 2019 MY Thanks To Demand

Presented last year in Frankfurt, the new Tiguan is a much better compact crossover than the first generation. Slated to go on sale in the U.S. only in long wheelbase form for the 2018 model year, the second-generation model will be joined by the old model for 2018 and 2019 because there’s a market for such a product.
Volkswagen Tiguan 6 photos
Photo: VW
Volkswagen TiguanVolkswagen TiguanVolkswagen TiguanVolkswagen TiguanVolkswagen Tiguan
Speaking to the peeps over at Car & Driver, the marque’s senior vice president for product marketing said that the first-generation Tig will soldier on as the Limited. According to Hendrik Muth, “the Tiguan Limited will be aimed at more budget-minded buyers and those who don’t want the new Tiguan’s third row and considerably larger footprint.”

Pretty fair points, if I may add. What’s not so great about the old Tig living on for 2018 and 2019 is the warranty. Compared to the second-generation model’s and the Atlas SUV’s six-year/72,000-mile warranty, the Limited is covered by a three-year/36,000-mile limited warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Pricing and specifications haven’t been announced at the time of writing, but don’t expect too many goodies or too much flair from the budget-oriented crossover. A 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot with 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque should be on the menu, mated as standard to a six-speed automatic.

Maximum towing capacity will likely mirror that of the 2017 Tig. More to the point, 2,200 pounds when equipped properly. Gas mileage, meanwhile, is expected to remain unchanged: 20 mpg city and 24 mpg highway, which isn’t exactly great nor bad.

The bottom line is, a not-quite-up-to-date but cheap compact crossover is an interesting proposition for buyers interested in this segment. Sure the looks may be yesterday’s news, but in terms of value, Volkswagen has a winner on its hands.

What I’m not so sure about is the Limited handle, which in auto industry jargon, is usually applied to the top-of-the-line trim level of a given model. If the Tiguan Limited isn’t to your liking, there’s always an alternative in the form of the Nissan Rogue Select, i.e. the old generation in cheapo guise and with a $20,150 starting MSRP.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories