Volkswagen has had a tough time over the past few months. Their reputation has taken a hit due to the massive diesel gate scandal. They even had to stop production of the Polo and Vento diesel due to this issue. Things are now changing though and the company is ready to introduce a whole bunch of new products for the Indian market. The Tiguan will be one of those vehicles.
The Tiguan is a compact SUV that takes on the Honda CR-V in the global market. Even in India, the Tiguan is expected to take on the CR-V. The Tiguan is based on VWs MQB platform that underpins the new Passat and Octavia sedans. The vehicle that has been imported for testing is the 2.0 liter diesel version which comes in various states of tune. It is yet not clear which engine spec VW will choose for the Indian car.
The engine is either mated to a 6 speed manual or a 7 speed DSG. It also comes in either 2wd or 4wd versions. The vehicle was showcased at the Auto Expo in Delhi earlier this year. However that featured a 2.0 liter TSi petrol unit which is unlikely to be launched in the Indian market.
The vehicle looks very sharp and has aggressive looking LED DRLs up front. On the inside, the car gets a digital instrument cluster that looks really nice and provides useful information. The center console houses the touch screen system which will most likely get Apple Car Play and Mirror Link.
VW has never had a small SUV to compete in the Indian market. They have only had the Touareg which was very expensive due to it being a CBU offering. The company is expected to price the Tiguan around the Rs 30 lakh mark and the company is expected to launch the car next year if all goes as planned.