Volkswagen Tiguan: First Official Photos

Motoring Channel Staff - 29/June/2007

Wolfsburg, Germany — As Europe's largest automaker, Volkswagen has a habit of selling cars in huge numbers, and if the buzz surrounding its new compact AWD is anything to go by, the new Tiguan could be one of its most popular models yet.

The German car company has released the first official photos of the new model, whose front end has a close resemblance to the convertible Eos and Passat models. The new look of the Tiguan will be one of the most important factors in its success, and Volkswagen seems to have taken a somewhat conservative approach to appeal to the broadest possible audience.

VW presented the Tiguan to the public for the first time in at the 2007 International Motor Show, otherwise known as the Frankfurt Motor Show. 

As well as being Volkswagen's first compact AWD, the Tiguan also represents what is the world's first SUV with a park assist feature. The European company is promising Lexus-like hands-free parking, where the car takes control and steers the vehicle into a parking space. 

As mentioned in a previous article, whether or not this is a useful system is almost moot - what's important is that Volkswagen can now claim to have the world's first SUV with an automatic parking/steering assistant.

These first official photos show the Tiguan to be a modern take on the SUV. As Volkswagen points out, it was conceived as a borderliner between the urban world and endless landscapes. Staying true to the original Tiguan concept, the production model features a flat hood, strong shoulder line and smoothly curved silhouette in what is best described as an inoffensive design. 

Volkswagen has taken the extraordinary step of providing customers with two different 'faces' for the new model, which will change the cars character and off-road abilities. For adventurous drivers, the rugged Tiguan versions will feature a less urban appearance and there will also be city-biased 'trendy' models with more pronounced body work suited to urban driving.

As is increasingly the case with SUVs today, the vehicle also heralds a range of new technologies as drivers embrace next generation driving tools. Incorporating the latest generation radio-based navigation equipment, the Tiguan will offer unprecedented mapping capabilities, and will also feature a high-resolution (800x480) 6.5-inch wide VGA color display backed up by a 400Mhz power PC processor with its own graphic processor and a 30 gigabyte hard drive.

The Tiguan will also benefit from a range of driving aids, rolled into one 'Offroad Mode' that will be turned on at the touch of a button. It will feature the following aids:

• EDS adaptation - electronic differential locks are activated at the slightest slip

• Adaptation of driver’s pedal characteristic - for finer gradations of torque

• ABS adaptation - improved braking action on loose road materials

• Hill descent assistant - for optimal control on slopes

• Hill climb assist - support when climbing and protection of the clutch

• Gear preselect - optimal engine braking action (in conjunction with automatic transmissions)

For the first time worldwide, Volkswagen will offer the new SUV exclusively with turbocharged direct injection engines. The car company has revealed that there will be three TSI (petrol) and two TDI (diesel) engines. 

Of these the completely new developments are the extremely quiet TDIs with common rail fuel injection. Outputting 103kW (140hp) and 125kW (170hp) respectively, they deliver decent power for diesel engines, and with 320Nm and 350Nm of torque @ 1750rpm will give the Tiguan models impressive off-road traction at low revs. Both TDIs also meet the limits of the Euro-5 standard which first comes into effect in 2009.

The trio of turbocharged direct injection gasoline engines span 110kW (150hp), 125kW (170hp) and 147kW (200hp). All of these petrol engines develop high levels of torque, including the entry-level 110kW TSI engine, developing 240Nm from 1750rpm.

The new Tiguan will compete with the Japanese-built compact AWDs such as the Toyota RAV4 and Mitsubishi Outlander.

Related articles:
- Volkswagen Golf GTI W12 (Concept)
- Volkswagen Tiguan Compact AWD
- Volkswagen Passat R36
- Volkswagen Golf R32 (Road Test)
- Volkswagen Touareg V10 (Road Test)
- Volkswagen Golf GTI (Road Test)
- Volkswagen Polo GTI (Road Test)
- Volkswagen Polo TDI (Road Test)
- Volkswagen Passat V6 (Road Test)
- Volkswagen Golf R GTI (Concept)