New Volkswagen Tiguan On Sale

(Friday 1 July 2011)

The revised Volkswagen Tiguan compact SUV is available to order from today, with first customer deliveries expected in September.

There are four trim levels, called S, SE, Sport and Escape, the last of these being reserved for the more off-roady Tiguan which has a different front end (increasing the approach angle from 18 to 28 degress, if that's useful to you) among other helpful aspects.

The previous Tiguan had an Escape version too, but it wasn't particularly well-equipped. Customer research has persuaded Volkswagen that it should have been, so the new Escape comes with things like Bluetooth connectivity and a multfunction steering wheel, neither of which was on offer previously.

Of the other variants, S models come with 16" alloy wheels, Climatic air-conditioning, DAB digital radio and an alarm; SEs get 17" wheels, dual-zone electronic air-conditioning, Park Assist, iPod and Bluetooth preparation and a Fatigue Detection system; and Sports have the multifunction steering wheel, chrome plated roof rails, tinted (and heat-insulated) rear glass, sports seats, sports suspension and front foglights.

There are six engines, and Volkswagen reckons that 90% of UK customers will go for one or other of the three diesels. Two of these - 138bhp and 168bhp versions of the 2.0 TDI - are carried over from the current model, though they both have lower official CO2 emissions than before, while the 109bhp 2.0 TDI is new to the range. The 138bhp unit is expected to be the most popular, and is also the only one available in the Escape.

Possibly of more academic interest, the three TSI turbo petrol engines (a 158bhp 1.4, a 178bhp 2.0 and a 207bhp 2.0) are similar to the ones used previously, but maximum power output is up by about 10bhp in each case.

Four-wheel drive and six-speed manual transmission are the general rule, but the 1.4 TSI and the less powerful diesels are also available in two-wheel drive form, reducing CO2 emissions in some cases to 139g/km, while the seven-speed DSG twin-clutch semi-automatic gearbox is an option on some models.

Prices range from £21,085 for the 1.4 TSI S with front-wheel drive to £28,020 for the 207bhp 2.0 TSI Sport 4x4 DSG.

Volkswagen Reviews