VW’s 2012 Tiguan is out

Venerable European automaker Volkswagen has been building practical cars for an awful long time. From its origins producing the iconic people’s car more than 70 years ago, the German company has gone on to become a prodigious creator of everything from cheap and cheerful econoboxes for developing countries to some of the world’s smoothest, most powerful and luxurious saloons and SUVs.

One MPV that really took VW outside of its most comfortable market sectors was the Tiguan. The compact crossover (CUV) became the latest addition to this MPV sector just a few years ago, with its debut at the Los Angeles auto show in 2006.

The Tiguan has been quite popular on the European continent, in Russia and in the USA. In China, a locally-constructed version is also available.

The original Tiguan initially struggled to gain a foothold in the US market, though sales came on strongly last year. VW will be hoping the revamped model, which is coming for 2012, can help bolster sales of this compact SUV.

The old Tiguan, which is still on sale, is available from £21,225, with prices ranging up to almost £29,000. The slick little MPV is available with quite a variety of powerplants.

VW’s BlueMotion 1.4TSI churns out 150 horsepower to drive two wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox, while managing to hit the G band for vehicle tax, and returning more than 40 mpg on the combined cycle, so it shouldn’t hit the wallet too hard.

You can, on the other hand, select a turbo-charged two-litre engine that generates 200 horsepower. This 4Motion power train drives all four wheels to provide plenty of grip on-road and off, while still managing more than 33 mpg, which is not too shabby.

For 2012, Volkswagen’s latest Tiguan brings a new look and a range of new technologies to the compact-MPV sector. VW has promised improved fuel economy and even lower tailpipe emissions.

Again, the Tiguan will be available with a variety of petrol and diesel engines. Four-wheel drive will also be delivered with any of the engines. The choice of having only two-wheel drive will be limited to some engines only.

The old Tiguan’s 200bhp engine was always considered to offer plenty of poke. As the industry moves on, however, 33mpg is considered less than stellar.

The new Tiguan still provides that 200bhp, 4wd experience but now it comes with better fuel economy. VW claims drivers of the new Tiguan should see fuel consumption drop by as much as 20 per cent over the previous model.

Inside, the Tiguan’s cabin is nearly the same as that in the old one. That should mean there’s little cause for complaint as quality, thoughtful, well-engineered cabins have long been one of VW’s strong points.

Until the Tiguan starts rolling on the roads of the UK, we won’t know for certain how much of an improvement over the old one it is, or whether it helps to boost sales. While awaiting the new Tiguan, however, many shoppers could already be poring over mpv competitors like the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4.