Petar Danilovic, senior vice-president for product marketing and strategy with Volkswagen of America, introduces the new Tiguan for North America at the LA Auto Show on Thursday.Mark Richardson/JOBFlocks
Volkswagen introduced the third generation of the Tiguan SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday, but don’t confuse it with the new Tiguan sold in Europe and elsewhere – it’s a much different beast.
The North American Tiguan now has only two rows of seating – a third row was previously available, and it was a tight squeeze back there. The wheelbase is about the same as before, though there’s less overhang behind the rear wheels, making the whole vehicle about 20 millimetres shorter. It’s built with all-new sheet metal on VW’s new MQB Evo platform, and weighs 77 kilograms less than the previous generation, owing mostly to using aluminum in its suspension and high-strength hot-formed steel in the body.
We get only one power plant in Canada and the United States: a turbocharged two-litre four-cylinder engine that’s good for 201 horsepower, matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. That’s a boost from the previous 184 horsepower. Europeans, however, also get a front-wheel drive, plug-in hybrid engine that has an all-electric range of up to 100 kilometres, though that’s the optimistic WLTP rating. The more realistic EPA rating would probably assess it at around 80 kilometres, which is still much more than the competition. I drove it here in L.A. and found it to be very pleasant, but Canadians don’t get it. “We are studying potential alternatives for the future, but for now, it’s the internal combustible engine only,” said Patrick Danielson, a Volkswagen Canada spokesperson.
The Tiguan for Europe will have much more electric range on the PHEV than its competition.Mark Richardson/JOBFlocks
The new European Tiguan is also shorter still. This is because it is based on the previous generation of the Tiguan, while the new North American Tiguan is based more closely on the larger, three-row VW Tayron, which is not sold here and probably never will be. “Think of it as a bespoke Tiguan just for North America,” said Danielson here at the show.
There is no pricing yet announced for the new Tiguan before it arrives in Canada next summer, but it will probably be similar to the current compact SUV Tiguan, which starts at $37,620 after all additional fees but before taxes, and tops out around $48,000.
The new North American Tiguan has an upgraded cabin, with quilted cloth seats and two large display screens. There’s a standard 10.25-inch digital cockpit screen for the gauges and either a 12- or 15-inch touch screen across the centre of the dash. A large round dial between the seats controls either the audio volume or the ambient lighting and sound system, to provide “atmospheres” for passengers. The wireless charging and the 12-speaker Harmon Kardon sound are both boosted in power and there are now four additional airbags, for a total of 10.
On the outside, the headlights are slimmer and there’s an optional light bar and illuminated loga, just to let everybody know you’re driving a Volkswagen.
The new Tiguan for North America is slightly shorter and weighs less than the previous generation.Mark Richardson/JOBFlocks
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