Volkswagen has been an underwhelming contender in the compact crossover segment. Its Tiguan, with its muted styling and higher pricing, fails to stand out among a slew of new competitors. But the German automaker is preparing to make things right with a slew of new variants following the Tiguan’s redesign.
Not only will styling be important for its upcoming Tiguan Coupe, Volkswagen will leverage its R performance engineering to build a range-topping performance variant. Autocar is reporting that the Tiguan Coupe R will borrow the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Golf R to develop 300 horsepower and up to 280 pound-feet of torque.
When the Tiguan Coupe R goes on sale in 2018, it will also feature a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, all-wheel drive, and an electronic torque-vectoring system. The combination with match up against Mercedes-Benz’s GLA45 AMG, Audi’s RS Q3, and the upcoming BMW X2 M and Range Rover Evoque SVR.
Performance benchmarks are still up in the air, but the Tiguan Coupe R is expected to reach 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. Handling will be improved thanks to a lowered suspension, four-mode adaptive damping control, and re-tuned steering.
As for the standard Tiguan Coupe, due in 2017, it will draw styling inspiration from the CrossBlue Coupe TE shown at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this year. It will offer seating for five, a heads-up display, new camera and sensor safety systems, and a digital instrument cluster.
Volkswagen’s future crossover and SUV options will appear as follows:
- The redesigned Tiguan will debut at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show
- A long-wheelbase Tiguan will go on sale sometime next year
- The Tiguan Coupe will launch in 2017
- The CrossBlue will go on sale in US and China in 2017
- An all-new Toureg will debut in 2017 as a 2018 model
- In 2018, the proposed T-Roc that was shown in Geneva last year will rival the Nissan Juke
