The brand new 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan is less powerful than the previous and outgoing model but has grown to be significantly bigger than the small, expensive crossover it’s replacing, a model that was considered to be a flop in the U.S. until sales skyrocketed last year.
The U.S. spec Tiguan is technically the long-wheelbase “Allspace” version of the European model that’s already been on the market for sale for a few months. The crossover is over ten inches longer than the outgoing Tiguan, and now all front-wheel-drive trims will be equipped with third-row seating standard (which is still an option on all-wheel-drive models). It’s an interesting development considering the launch of the three-row Atlas model this year, but hey, name recognition counts for a lot these days.
The 2018 Tiguan also have VW’s new 2.0-liter four-cylinder, down 16 horsepower from the outgoing model to just 184 hp, but with a boost in torque up to 221 lb-ft. It will be available with an eight-speed automatic transmission and adjustable dampening modes, as well as a standard rear-view camera and optional aides like adaptive cruise control, pedestrian monitoring and collision prevention.
We plan to press some people about a more committed off-road AWD trim level like the awesome Tiguan GTE Active concept from last year, and please sound off below if you have any more pressing, practical questions you’d like answered.