The refreshed Volkswagen Tiguan has arrived, with a PHEV variant and a spicy R

You can see it, can’t you? That new era that is gradually taking hold within Volkswagen, led by a new line-up of sports cars and, of course, by vehicles far more committed to caring for the environment. The next step towards it has been taken by the people from Wolfsburg with the Tiguan, a model that has not only undergone a restyling, but also arrives with two new variants in its range designed to appeal to a new type of customer.

And it’s no lie to say that the Tiguan has been one of Volkswagen’s star dishes, and this is reflected in the care and attention lavished on it throughout its life. Now, the German engineers have taken advantage of the innovations that come courtesy of the Golf 8 to offer a Tiguan that is not only fresher, but also sportier and more efficient than ever.

A fresher and more contemporary design

The design canons imposed by the eighth generation of the Golf have served as inspiration for the restyling the Tiguan has undergone. With this premise, we find a blend of patterns present both in Volkswagen’s SUV range and in its quintessential compact, resulting in something brimming with modernity and freshness.

The front is dressed with new, more streamlined and elongated headlights, features complemented by LED technology and Matrix-LED on the higher versions. The bumper also takes advantage of this new language to show off a new design, accompanied by more prominent air intakes on the Tiguan R and a more elegant splitter on the more modest variants of the German SUV.

On the other hand, the cabin shows more modest changes, with the new-design steering wheel, a more advanced climate control system and a more modern gear selector being the only noticeable novelties. The Digital Cockpit digital instrument cluster continues to reign inside, alongside a touchscreen available in 8 or 9.2 inches.

Now with PHEV and R versions

However, beyond the aesthetic and technological changes the Volkswagen Tiguan receives, the high point of this facelift lies in its mechanical side. The German SUV did not want to waste the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon of hybrid vehicles and sporty SUVs, two segments that have an increasingly important place in today’s market.

The PHEV variant hides behind the eHybrid name, a designation that conceals a formula we already know from other members of the Volkswagen Group. It is the pairing of a 1.4-litre TSI engine producing 150 CV with an electric motor producing 115 CV, and this combination allows the Tiguan to deliver a staggering 245 CV and 400 Nm of torque. To these figures we must add a range in electric mode of 50 kilometres on the WLTP cycle.

But the main course is served by the Tiguan R, a version that follows the path set by the recently unveiled Arteon R. In addition to a dazzling look enhanced by a quad exhaust outlet that can optionally be signed by Akrapovič, a sportier diffuser and 21-inch alloy wheels, it comes with a 2.0-litre TSI engine capable of producing 320 CV, a figure managed through a 4Motion all-wheel-drive system with Haldex-type coupling.

Technical specifications of this car

CrossoverVolkswagen Tiguan14 versions · from 36,150 €