2008 Tiguan
by VW
Just 18 months after first signaling its intent to enter
the growing market for compact SUVs with its fanciful Concept
A showcar, Volkswagen has pulled the wraps off the definitive
production version of the new four-wheel-drive 2008 Volkswagen
Tiguan.
Little brother to the Touareg, the new five-seater is aiming
to lock horns with popular compact sport-utilities like the
Acura RDX and Honda CR-V, while providing buyers with an affordable
alternative to more prestigious entries such as the BMW X3
and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLK.
Set to make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show
before going on sale across Europe in November, the Tiguan
should appear in North American showrooms next June. It will
be positioned slightly above the Japanese competition but
well below its more luxuriously equipped German rivals, and
our sources at VW's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, tell
us it'll be priced at about $27,000.
Let's Get Practical
Styled under the leadership of Murat Gunak, Volkswagen's former
design boss, the Tiguan boasts a number of cues first established
on the Concept A, including its bold chrome grille and swoopy
headlamp treatment. But while the Concept A received a rather
sporting, coupelike silhouette with a roof line that plunged
to the rear, the production version of Volkswagen's new SUV
is far more upright toward the rear in a move clearly aimed
at providing it with greater practicality.
The overall look with its muscular body surfacing has been
previewed by the preproduction Tiguan showcar wheeled out
at last year's Los Angeles auto show. But while the showcar
wore towering 19-inch wheels to give it a particularly sporty
stance, the production version is far more conservatively
equipped with 17-inch wheels likely to be made standard in
North America. Those seeking to inject some added snap to
the Tiguan's appearance can specify optional 18-inch wheels
along with a panoramic glass roof that stretches the length
of the new Volkswagen's cabin.
Two versions are planned, each with its own distinct front
end. The more road-friendly iteration to be sold in North
America gets a deep front bumper that limits approach angles
to 18 degrees. In other markets, including Europe, there will
be an off-road version with a front bumper shaped to handle
more severe approach angles of up to 28 degrees.
At 174.3 inches in length, 71.2 inches in width and 66.3
inches in height, the Tiguan is 3.7 inches shorter, 0.4 inch
narrower and 5.0 inches lower than the CR-V. Nominal ground
clearance is put at 7.4 inches for the American edition of
the Tiguan.
Euro Architecture for the Interior
If the interior of the new Volkswagen looks familiar, it's
no coincidence. In a bid to keep development costs down, Volkswagen
has provided its new SUV with the same basic cabin architecture
as the European-market Golf Plus, a high-roof version of its
perennial best-seller that first came to market in 2003.
The Tiguan and the Golf Plus share the same basic dashboard,
switchgear and trims, but Volkswagen is using the Tiguan to
launch a new entertainment system developed in cooperation
with Siemens that features a 6.5-inch color touchscreen. Meanwhile,
a 30-gigabyte hard disk delivers data to a comprehensive navigation
system that includes an off-road mode to allow up to 500 route
points to be recorded during a journey across the trackless
waste. (VW has become known for its participation in the Dakar
rally raid through North Africa, after all.)
Seating is for five, although the middle rear seat is compromised
somewhat by a raised cushion. To extend rear legroom, the
split rear seats can be manually adjusted fore and aft through
a range of 6.3 inches. Trunk space, meanwhile, is put at a
competitive but far from class-leading 16.6 cubic feet, some
1.9 cubic feet less than that offered by the CR-V.
Power From the Golf GTI
Volkswagen will offer the Tiguan from the outset of sales
with three different gasoline engines. For European markets,
there will be updated 150-bhp and 170-bhp (DIN) versions of
its award-winning 1.4-liter four-cylinder Twincharger engine,
with its combination of supercharging and turbocharging. North
America will get the 200-hp (SAE) turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder
engine from the VW GTI.
Also planned to make its way into the Tiguan is the German
carmaker's yet-to-be-revealed 2.0-liter four-cylinder common-rail
diesel. It will feature low-emissions Bluetec technology when
it comes to the U.S.
The standard gearbox is a six-speed manual, although North
American buyers will also be able to option the Tiguan initially
with a six-speed automatic and, later on, a VW dual-shift
gearbox (DSG) offering both manual and automatic modes. Two
versions of the DSG are planned: a new seven-speed in combination
with the Twincharger engines and an updated version of today's
six-speed with the turbo 2.0-liter four.
Which Way to Dakar?
Channeling drive to all four wheels is a multiplate Haldex
center differential, essentially the same VW 4Motion hardware
found in the new VW R32. The European-market version of the
Tiguan will also be equipped with an electronically controlled
differential, plus altered throttle mapping, hill-descent
control and an automatic hill holder. In addition, the ABS
antilock braking system will change its threshold of intervention
to accommodate off-road driving.
Although the Tiguan relies on the same basic mechanical setup
as the Golf, with a transversely mounted engine, it has a
unique 102.5-inch wheelbase and slightly wider 61.8-inch track
front and rear. Other significant changes concern the steering,
which features a new speed-sensitive electrohydraulic setup
that is claimed to provide greater feel than the Golf's ZF
system while filtering out steering kickback from off-road
impacts.
In its lightest European-spec form, the Tiguan weighs 3,411
pounds, so America can expect at least another 100 pounds
of metal.
Tested in the Land of Sand Dunes and Elephants
We recently drove prototypes of the VW Tiguan on some of the
world's most rugged roads in the former German colony of Namibia
in Africa, and it seemed remarkably similar in character to
a Golf on the bitumen — no coincidence, given their
similar underpinnings.
Despite its taller build, this new Volkswagen four-wheel-drive
quasi-truck displayed progressive handling with confidence-building
response when pushed hard in corners. At high speed, it had
excellent stability. The ride was nicely compliant on pockmarked
roads and the steering seemed as linear as that of the Golf
and unmolested by off-road priorities. It's an easy vehicle
to settle into, requiring little effort from the driver.
Even more impressive is its off-road ability. For something
conceived primarily for the road, the Tiguan makes a good
fist of the rough stuff. We managed to traverse steep grades
and rocky trails without too much trouble in the Euro-spec
off-road version, compromised only by a lack of real ground
clearance. All of which makes Volkswagen's decision not to
sell the more rugged version of its new entry-level SUV in
North America rather puzzling.
Built in Wolfsburg
The Tiguan will be assembled at Volkswagen's traditional Wolfsburg-based
factory in Germany alongside the European-market Touran. VW
plans to build a lot of them, some 120,000 per year with about
40,000 headed to North America. It's a big number, but comparable
to sales of the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.
Volkswagen figures that fuel-economy concerns in the U.S.
won't be enough to squash the interest of Americans in the
sport-utility package and instead will shift attention to
compact sport-utilities. The 2008 Volkswagen Tiguan will try
to ride the same wave of enthusiasm that's making the BMW
X3 and Honda CR-V more familiar sights on American highways.
