Powertrain, cargo space lend sales edge to VW Tiguan
Since 2018, when the Volkswagen Tiguan grew by a foot, it along with big brother Atlas has been a sales leader for the brand.
A couple reasons the Tiguan will continue on a positive sales course:
• Its combination for 2021 of a turbo 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine and 8-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic 4Motion all-wheel drive producing 27-miles-per-gallon highway fuel results.
• Cargo capabilities of 37.6 cubic feet behind the second row of seats and spacious 73.5 feet with the second row folded; back in the day the smaller Tig could be squeezed for only 23.8 feet with the seats up and 56.1 with them folded. If there is no cargo concern, a third row of seats may be added.
Volkswagen recently sent my way its upper-level Tiguan trim model, the SEL Premium R-line with sticker price of $40,290, $12,000 higher than the base S model.
The R-line is dressed up with 20-inch alloy wheels and storm gray leather interior, power-folding heated side mirrors, panoramic sunroof, heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, USB charging port in second row, remote engine start, hands-free easy-open power rear liftgate, Fender premium audio with subwoofer and Android Auto and Apple Carplay smartphone integration.
Plus, a long list of safety and driver-assistance features, including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian monitoring, lane-keeping, adaptive cruise with stop-and-go, high-beam headlight control.
Among other competitive makes in the compact SUV crossover field are Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5,
Subaru Forester, Nissan Rogue, Ford Escape.
I’ve liked the Tiguan since May of 2008 when I attended a national press gathering at St. Julien hotel in Boulder for unveiling of the little VW SUV. I drove the ‘08 to Estes Park, down the Big Thompson Canyon, over to Fort Collins and through beautiful Rist Canyon. Descending the Big Thompson, I touched the brakes only once all the way down, as I depended on the instant manual downshifts of the Tiptronic transmission to lower the speeds and maintain grip on the highway’s twisty roads
Sharpened exterior for Tiguan in 2022
A sharpened exterior and refined interior are planned for the VW Tiguan in 2022, the automaker said.
The brand’s best-selling vehicle will come equipped with new standard and available tech features, while retaining Volkswagen’s driving character, spacious interior and long list of features. It will be available in four trim levels – S, SE, SE R-line Black and SEL R-line.
All models will come equipped with an 8-inch VW Digital Cockpit instrument cluster, while available on the top trim will be a 10.25-inch Cockpit Pro.
Dual-zone Climatronic automatic climate control is standard on Tiguan SE and above and has touch-sensitive controls in the center stack. It can be activated with natural-language voice control, with commands like
”My feet are cold.”