New Volkswagen Tiguan SUV: prices & release date

Prices and the release date for the new Volkswagen Tiguan small family SUV have been revealed as the car becomes available to order. Those who put their deposits down early were limited to just two engines, but VW has recently released another. Five trim levels are available, while prices will start at £25,530 (a number which is expected to drop to around £22,500 when all versions become available) and top out at £38,640. First deliveries are due imminently.

Expected to join the Tiguan range later in the year are some smaller-capacity petrol and less powerful diesel engines, while a plug-in petrol/electric hybrid GTE model is also forthcoming. As well as taking on its fellow Volkswagen Group rival, the SEAT Ateca, the Tiguan will be up against the Ford Kuga, Nissan Qashqai, Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4.

New Volkswagen Tiguan design

As well as a new hybrid propulsion system, the 2016 Tiguan features an updated design and is bigger, longer, and lower than the outgoing model. The Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen Passat lend their design language to the new car, in the shape of Volkswagen's 'family face' and chrome grille.

Overall, the Tiguan looks more like the larger Touareg SUV and Volkswagen says the design is 'perceptibly sporty'. The Tiguan R-Line will add to this, with bigger wheels, body-coloured trim and twin chrome exhaust pipes.

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The Tiguan shares mechanical parts with many recent VW Group models, allowing the company to make it bigger than before. With this comes added practicality: rear legroom has increased and boot space is up 145 litres to a maximum of 615 litres with the seats up (1,655 litres with them down).

The GTE concept shown at Detroit features some pretty rugged design features, including a huge front skid plate and roof-mounted spotlights. These won't be standard kit, but Volkswagen says they're 'feasible' for the options list.

Interior and technology

The Tiguan GTE Active Concept features the all-new infotainment system that made its debut at last week's Consumer Electronics Show and includes things like gesture control and a larger screen than the current system. It also boasts greater smartphone compatibility, with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink all coming as standard.

The production car, however, is likely to get the current-generation infotainment system, as the face lifted Volkswagen Golf has been earmarked as the first model to get the new system.

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Design-wise, the car's interior is very much about evolution, rather than revolution. Much of it will be familiar to those who know the current generation of Volkswagen interiors. The dominant design theme is rhomboid shapes, which are present in the air vents, infotainment screens and instrument binnacle. The wide, slender central air vent is also reminiscent of the one in the current Volkswagen Passat.

Entry-level S trim includes 17-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning, automatic lights and wipers, a lane keeping assistance system and an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen, complete with with Bluetooth connectivity and a DAB radio.

SE Tiguans get 18-inch alloys, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, all-round parking sensors, extra chrome detailing outside, a folding front passenger seat, powerfold wing mirrors and cruise control. SE Nav, as you might reasonably imagine, adds sat nav to SE trim for roughly £700.

Moving up to SEL trim gets you auto-dipping LED headlights, sat nav, heated seats, active cruise control, a panoramic sunroof, improved interior trim details and a 12.3-inch TFT display in place of traditional dashboard dials. Top-spec R-Line trim has these features as well as a sporty bodykit, together with large 20-inch alloy wheels. The 237bhp twin turbo diesel and the 178bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine are only available with these top two trims.

Engines

At launch there were only two engines offered - a 178bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol and a 2.0-litre diesel producing 148bhp – but the range-topping 237bhp twin turbo 2.0-litre diesel has just become available to order. Volkswagen is expecting approximately 95% of the cars sold in the UK to be diesel variants, which partly explains why another pair of diesel engines will eventually join the range, producing 113bhp and 187bhp. There will also be three new petrol engines, managing between 113 and 237bhp. At some point in the future, a plug-in hybrid version will also arrive.

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The plug-in hybrid GTE model is expected to be fitted with a hybrid system featuring a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine and two electric motors – one at the front and one at the back. Together, they produce 221bhp and the car can run for up to 20 miles on electric power alone. All four wheels can also run on electric power simultaneously. Volkswagen claims the car will have a total range of 580 miles when combined with a full (64-litre) tank of petrol.

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Initially, only the 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel is available across the range with a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes and two or four-wheel drive. This engine gets the Tiguan from 0-62mph in 9.3 seconds and will have CO2 emissions ranging between 123 and 149g/km, depending on the gearbox, trim level and driven wheels. This means you'll be liable for annual tax bills of between £110 and £145, while Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company car tax will be in the 24 to 29% brackets.

You can also currently order the 178bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol or the 237bhp twin turbo 2.0-litre diesel. The petrol can only be had with four-wheel drive, though you can choose between a manual or a DSG automatics gearbox. This means a 0-62mph time of 7.7 seconds and CO2 emissions of 170g/km, resulting in a £210 tax bill every year. The 237bhp diesel engine also gets four-wheel drive as standard, but does without the manual option – it’s automatic or nothing.

The new Volkswagen Tiguan will have better off-road ability than the outgoing model. It'll be available with four-wheel drive (the GTE model will be four-wheel-drive only) and VW's '4Motion Active Control' system. This is similar to Land Rover's Terrain Response feature and allows you to adjust the car to the surface you're driving on. This can aid traction on slippery surfaces such as a snowy road or rutted country lane.

The various driving modes will be divided among Onroad (with Comfort or Eco settings available) Offroad (Rocks, Sludge & Sand or Gravel) Sport and Snow. The GTE model will add a Charge mode (which charges the car's batteries while driving) and a Battery Hold mode (which maintains the current level of battery charge). Each of these modes allows the car to adapt to different circumstances instantly.

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Prices and relase date

Orders for the new Volkswagen Tiguan are open now, with prices starting at £25,530 for entry-level S models, rising to £38,640 for a four-wheel drive, automatic 237bhp diesel in R-Line trim.

For more on the Volkswagen range, check out Carbuyer's reviews page.