The Volkswagen Tiguan is a sport utility vehicle produced since 2007, sitting between the smaller T-Roc and the larger Touareg. The first generation used the PQ46 platform and the second, released in 2016, the MQB A2 platform; in Europe the car is considered a medium-sized SUV, while in North America it counts as a compact crossover. By the spring of 2020 six million Tiguans had been sold worldwide, and with 910,926 cars built in 2019 alone it was the best-selling model in the entire Volkswagen Group and the best-selling SUV in Europe.
Volkswagen Tiguan at a glance
| Maker | Volkswagen |
|---|---|
| Production | since 2007 |
| Position | between the T-Roc and the Touareg |
| First generation | 5N, 2007, on the PQ46 platform |
| Second generation | 2016, on the MQB A2 platform |
| Name | a portmanteau of Tiger and Leguan (iguana) |
| Public debut | Frankfurt Motor Show, September 2007 |
| European launch | early 2008 |
| Launch engines | 2.0 TDI of 140 PS and 1.4 TSI of 150 PS |
| Sales | six million by spring 2020; 910,926 in 2019 |
| Chinese version | long-wheelbase car built by Shanghai-Volkswagen from 2009 |
| Drag coefficient | 0.37 on the first generation |
History of the Volkswagen Tiguan
The first Tiguan was shown as a concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2006, and the production form appeared online in June 2007 after a prototype preview in Namibia, before the official launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2007. It went on sale in Europe in early 2008 with two engines, a 2.0-litre TDI of 140 PS and a 1.4-litre TSI of 150 PS. All first-generation cars had two rows of seats and transversely mounted four-cylinder engines, and production began at the end of 2007 at Volkswagen’s Auto 5000 subsidiary in Wolfsburg and continued at Wolfsburg and in Kaluga, Russia.
The first generation was built on the PQ46 platform, shared with the Passat B6, the Sharan 7N, the Škoda Superb 3T and the SEAT Alhambra 7N; it is often mistaken for a PQ35 car like the Golf Mk5 and Mk6, but the PQ46 is a different, larger platform, and the Tiguan shared its dashboard design with the Golf Plus. Its drag coefficient was 0.37. Trim levels varied by market: S, SE and SEL in the United States, S, Match, Sport and Escape in Britain, Trendline, Comfortline and Highline in Canada, and Trend & Fun, Sport & Style and Track & Field in Russia and elsewhere, with an R-Line version in Europe from 2010. Track & Field cars had a redesigned front with a 28-degree approach angle instead of 18, a hill descent assistant, modified pedal response and ABS and differential settings for loose surfaces.
In China an imported Tiguan appeared in 2009, followed by a locally built car from Shanghai-Volkswagen, with a 2,684 mm wheelbase and 1.8 TSI and 2.0 TSI engines of 160 and 200 PS, which kept the Tiguan name in Chinese characters while the import kept the Latin one. After the second generation arrived the first stayed on sale there as the Tiguan Silk Road until 2020. In North America the Tiguan was launched in May 2008 for the 2009 model year with a turbocharged and direct-injected 2.0-litre petrol engine of 200 PS, imported from Germany and positioned as a niche product because of its price, with annual sales of 20,000 to 25,000 cars.
Design and features
- Group bestseller: 910,926 cars in 2019, more than any other Volkswagen Group model.
- Two platforms: PQ46 for the first generation and MQB A2 for the second.
- Market-specific trims: from Track & Field with a 28-degree approach angle to the European R-Line.
- Chinese long-wheelbase car: built by Shanghai-Volkswagen with a 2,684 mm wheelbase.
- Six million sold: by the spring of 2020.
Volkswagen Tiguan versions
- Tiguan 5N (2007–2016): the first generation on the PQ46 platform.
- Track & Field: the off-road-oriented trim with a 28-degree approach angle.
- R-Line (2010): the sporting trim in Europe.
- Tiguan Silk Road: the Chinese first-generation car sold until 2020.
- Second generation (2016): the MQB A2 car.
The Tiguan sits between the Touareg above it and the Golf-based cars below, such as the Touran. More cars are in the Volkswagen collection.
Video: Off-Road (Fail): 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan on Everyman Driver
Video by Everyman Driver on YouTube.
Sources
- Volkswagen Tiguan, English Wikipedia: launch, platforms, trims, Chinese and North American markets, sales
