The third-generation VW Tiguan made its debut in South Africa where more than 41 000 of its previous generations have been sold since its local introduction here in 2009. Worldwide, the Tiguan has also racked up the sales with a total 7.4 million units finding new owners.
What is it?
The Tiguan is Volkswagen’s top-selling global SUV package in the medium segment of this competitive market. It slots in below the large, premium VW Touareg and above a number of smaller more crossover SUV-type of vehicles in VW’s T-range, like the T-Roc, T-Cross and Taigo.
Exterior:
A distinctive feature is the higher, more powerful-looking front end with the integrated LED headlights. In-between, a glass-covered horizontal bar with an integrated LED strip replaces the traditional radiator.
Athletic shoulder sections above the wheel housings dominate the silhouette. The wheels are up to 20-inches in size. A horizontal LED strip between the tail light clusters emphasises the width of the Tiguan’s new rear end.
The new Tiguan has increased in length by approximately three centimetres. The height, width and wheelbase remain identical to its predecessor. The luggage compartment capacity has increased by 37 litres to 652 litres.
Interior:
VW has completely redesigned the interior of the new Tiguan. The components of the latest modular infotainment matrix (MIB4) are merged on board to create a clearly designed and closely integrated cockpit landscape that is intuitive to operate.
The modules include the new Digital Cockpit, large infotainment screen with a completely new menu structure and graphics (standard 12.9 inches, optionally 15 inches), a new optional head-up display and a new multifunction driving gear shift.
There are new leather seats with pneumatic four-way lumbar adjustment and a pneumatic 10-chamber pressure massage function. These leather seats are optional on the Life derivative but come standard on the R-Line derivative.
Equipment:
The new Volkswagen Tiguan is optionally available with the new IQ.LIGHT HD matrix headlights; this high-tech lighting system with 38 400 multi-pixel LEDs (19 200 multipixel LEDs per headlight) has been derived from the new Touareg.
The new Tiguan is the first MQB model to be launched with the newly developed IQ.LIGHT HD matrix headlights. HD stands for High Definition, meaning a high resolution of the light sources.
Engine:
At launch, the new Tiguan will be offered with the 1.4 TSI 110 kW engine mated to a 7-speed DSG transmission developing 250 Nm.
The new Tiguan 2.0 TDI 110kW DSG and 2.0 TSI 140kW DSG engines will be available for sale in November 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, respectively.
Prices:
1.4 TSI 110 kW DSG (R651 500), Life 1.4 TSI 110 kW DSG (R702 800), R-Line 1.4 TSI 110 kW DSG (R766 300), 2.0 TDI 110 kW 4M DSG (R755 700) and the 2.0 TSI 140 kW 4M DSG (R834 800).
Falling back on their heritage and the legacy specific models have established over decades seems to be a strategy for European manufacturers to try and neutralise the tsunami of Chinese vehicles, especially full-electric vehicles (EVs), being set loose on Europe’s roads.
South Africa has taken important steps to position itself within the global electric vehicle (EV) industry, but industry stakeholders argue that further policy adjustments are needed if the country is to accelerate adoption and support long-term investment in clean transport infrastructure.
Dealer excellence was recognised at the Mahindra South Africa Dealer Conference Awards Evening, where dealerships were acknowledged for their performance across retail sales, commercial vehicles, customer satisfaction, aftersales and other areas of the business.
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