The New VW Tiguan Is Here With Up To 268bhp

Did you know that Volkswagen has flogged no less than 7.6 million examples of the Tiguan compact SUV since launching the first generation version in 2007? That little titbit in the press release of the all-new third-generation Tiguan goes some way to explaining why you see so many of the damn things on the roads. 

The fresh one is based on VW’s MQB Evo platform, and despite only being a smidge longer than the outgoing version and having roughly the same wheelbase, height and width as before, you get 37 litres of extra boot space, giving a total of 652 litres to play with. 

There’s no word on an R version (not that the current Tiguan R is an especially exciting prospect), but you can get two versions with a fairly chunky power output. The pokiest is a plug-in hybrid outputting a combined 268bhp from a 1.5-litre inline-four petrol engine and an electric motor, although since it has to lug around a 19.7kWh battery pack, it’s not going to be quick. 

That new, bigger battery does give about double the electric-only range, though, at 62 miles. You get the same in the lower-powered PHEV, which develops 201bhp. Unusually for a car of this type, it comes with 50kW DC fast charging. 

Although we haven’t seen any performance stats yet, the 261bhp Tiguan TSI with its 2.0-litre, Golf GTi-borrowed engine will almost certainly be the quickest one. It comes with all-wheel drive as standard, as does the 201bhp version of the same engine and the 190bhp 2.0-litre TDI diesel. 

There’s also a front-wheel drive 148bhp oil burner, and a pair of mild-hybrid 1.5-litre ‘eTSI’ engines - one kicking out 128bhp, and the other 148bhp. Whatever you choose, you get an automatic ‘DSG’ twin-clutch gearbox - there are no manuals. 

Inside, there’s the 15-inch infotainment screen which is steadily making its way across the VW range. That means digital climate control functions, but the important ones are, at least, permanently displayed along the bottom. There’s also a 10.25-inch digital cockpit and an optional head-up display. 

Volkswagen says the new Tiguan will be in dealerships during the first quarter of 2024. No price has been revealed just yet.