Volkswagen Tiguan: World's First SUV With Auto Parking Motoring
Channel Staff - 19/June/2007 | 
2008 Volkswagen Tiguan
Power will come exclusively from 4-cylinder
engines to begin with, both petrol and diesel
With a raft of electronic driving aids, the 'trail'
Tiguan models will be fairly capable off-road
Ride height appears to be the one thing that
will stop the Tiguan rivalling larger SUVs
The interior is typical Volkswagen: neat and tidy,
with the addition of a 6.5-inch wide LCD screen
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Windhoek, Namibia —
It is widely known that Volkswagen has green-lit the Tiguan project, a
compact AWD that will slot in under the German marque's Touareg SUV.
Until recently it wasn't clear whether the vehicle would be a
city based soft-roader like the Honda CR-V or a more serious mud-slinger, and it seems now that
the latter label will be attached to its flared fenders. Volkswagen
has released photography of the disguised pre production
version on the
Tiguan's final test phase in the African country of Namibia. The photos
show that the headlights have been masked to hide the final look of the
car, though the rear end doesn't seem to be camouflaged. Volkswagen
said that during the final acceptance drive on the
African continent, the electronic components and chassis of the new SUV
were the primary focus of testing. Considering
the electronic systems of the new SUV, which will include a completely
new generation of radio and navigation system according to Volkswagen,
not to mention an intuitive network of traction enhancing driving aids
(collectively called 'Offroad Mode'), this final testing phase for the
Tiguan was conducted in tandem with the most important local
Volkswagen operations from Europe, Asia and America. The official world premiere of the Volkswagen Tiguan will take place in early September at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, and though
the Australian contingent of Tiguan models is yet to be finalised, we
understand that five different engine types will be offered with the
compact AWD, all of which were tested in the dry sands of Namibia. The engine types include TSI (twin charger) and TDI (diesel) technology, and are as follows: As
is clear from the engine range, the new Tiguan will compete with the
Japanese-built compact AWDs such as the Toyota RAV4 and Mitsubishi
Outlander, with the highest power output coming from the 147kW TSI
engine. The Tiguan will also be available with two
different 'faces', which change the cars approach angle. The more
rugged versions will feature a less urbanised sporty appearance and
have an approach angle of 28°. The trendy versions with more
pronounced body work will be more suited to on-road driving and because
of the different front apron design will have an approach angle of
18°. In the area of electronics, the Tiguan was designed to
set new standards in the compact SUV class, and if everything goes to
plan, it may achieve this feat. The core of its electronic systems
is the RNS 510, a radio navigation system controlled using
fixed menu buttons, two knobs and a touch screen
for the numerous information, entertainment and system functions. A
rear-vision camera is also included. The
hardware of the RNS 510 includes a 6.5-inch wide VGA color display
(800x480 pixel resolution), which is back-ended by a 400Mhz power PC
processor complete with its own graphic processor to computer high
level visuals. As well as the powerful CPU, navigation and music/video
can be stored on the systems 30Gb hard disk. Volkswagen explains that a further innovation of the RNS 510 is a specially
developed off-road navigation system. This mode makes it possible to
record up to 500 route 'points' during a journey, even in non-digitised
areas. This allows the driver to find his or her way back from off-road
adventures into any desert or steppe, similar in effect to high end GPS systems. Long
before the first prototype was built, Volkswagen indicated that it
wanted the Tiguan to be a capable and safe off-road vehicle. The
German marque talks of tuning the car to exhibit handling and steering
feel between neutral and lightly
understeering, and a low level of body roll. Whether this can be
achieved will be known after the vehicles launch later in the year. The
road holes along the edge of the Namib Desert were expected to provide
a good benchmark for damping and springing rates on the new Tiguan
suspension system, and Volkswagen lists the following criteria as
important to the cars success: Agile driving behavior Very good vibration behavior and ride comfort Low roll angle with harmonic roll dynamics High driving dynamic stability Good off-road handling
The suspension rig for the Tiguan consists of McPherson
front axle that has been modified for the SUV with lower A-arm steering linkages
and the wheels hanging from damper struts. The
rear axle consists of a four-link setup, and has been modified
better suit the permanent four-wheel drive
system (4MOTION). It was based on the Passat's 4MOTION setup and
with modifications (such as increased strength) can deal with the
extra punishment that off-road driving sometimes deals. Wheels
and tyres for the new Tiguan models will varying depending on the
model, road
or trail. The rugged trail versions will be packaged with 16-inch
wheels and tyres designed for off-roading, with
215/65 R16 aspect ratios. The trendy/sporty version of the Tiguan
forgoes off-road versatility and focusses on style, and will ship
standard with 17-inch alloy wheels and 235/55 R17 tyres, plus
18-inch wheels
with235/50 R18 tyres will be offered as a cost option.
Volkswagen
has been talking up the Tiguan's new generation of electromechanical
power steering, which according to the German car maker has a decisive
advantage: despite the very precise steering feeling,
even in off-road operation no jolts whatsoever are transmitted to the
steering wheel. It remains to be seen whether this wholesale damping of
feedback through the steering wheel is a good thing. Rest assured we'll
give you the low down when we road test the car. In regards to the new steering system, the Tiguan will also be available with a park
assist feature. Not just a basic visual outline on the rear vision
camera, Volkswagen is promising Lexus-like hands-free parking,
that automatically steers the vehicle into a parking space.
Whether or not its useful is almost moot - what's important is that
Volkswagen can now claim to have the world's
first SUV with an automatic steering assistant. The
electronics in the new Tiguan are multifaceted, from the new navigation
and touch-screen technology to the advanced steering and park assist.
The main reason for testing the car in Namibia was to ensure that the
electronics didn't cook in the sun, and also to determine how well the
vehicles computerised systems deal with dust, dirt and sand. Another
of the Tiguan's electronically governed systems is the
collective off-road system. Volkswagen has confirmed that drivers
will have to hit one switch, which activates the 'Offroad Mode'.
Only the rugged trail versions of the Tiguan will come with the Offroad
Mode that, once activated, will improve the cars handling and
road holding significantly. The initial idea behind the Offroad Mode, explains Volkswagen, was that all key
off-road support functions should be activated by a central user
control. The functions activated by the Offroad Mode switch are as follows: Hill descent
assistant - for optimal control on slopes Adaptation of
driver’s pedal characteristic - for finer gradations of
torque EDS adaptation - electronic differential locks
are activated at the slightest slip ABS adaptation - improved braking action on loose road materials Hill climb
assist - support when climbing and protection of the clutch Gear
preselect - optimal engine braking action (in conjunction with automatic transmissions)
Volkswagen
installed five ECUs to manage these various systems
simultaneously, again highlighting the Tiguan's advanced electronics.
The company says the
pushbutton itself is connected to the engine controller and from there,
the information “Offroad Mode active” is communicated to
other ECUs via the vehicle's CAN bus. For safety reasons, the
function has to be reactivated after each ignition cycle. We'll
have more news on the Tiguan compact AWD closer to its global launch at
the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show (Germany) in September. 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) |
