The “Power-Packed” little SUV from Volkswagen, the Tiguan, is, as VW puts it, putting on a fresh face for 2012. Since its debut as a 2008, the Tiguan has been the German version of popular crossovers such as the Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4 and the Acura RDX. With the turbocharged RDX right in the Tiguan’s crosshairs, VW has upped the ante for the 2012 model year that includes an outside redesign, improved fuel economy and a reasonable price.
The most significant change for the 2012 Tiguan is on the outside. The front has been altered to incorporate the new, horizontal VW brand ‘face’. The headlamps now house Bi-Xenon lights with available adaptive movement as well as a VW/Audi quintessential LED trim treatment. The bumper has been widened to house integrated fog lights and air-flow guides, all of which are new. The back shows off 2012 exclusive two-piece tail lights that are much more compact compared to the 2011 mode. Also new for the Tiguan are 19 inch ‘Savannah’ wheels featuring 10 spokes and development by VW’s R GmbH performance division. All these changes were done so the Tiguan could more resemble its big brother, the Touareg.
Under the hood is where the Tiguan has always shined and the 2012 model is no different. Borrowed straight from the hot-rod Golf GTI is the 2.0 liter, direct injected turbocharged inline four cylinder. Producing 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque at a stump-pulling 1,700 rpms, the light-weight Tiguan can truly hustle. An oddity for its segment is the standard six speed manual transmission also borrowed from the GTI. Even though this transmission is only available on the base S model with front wheel drive, it is still nice to see three pedals no matter what the application. The rest of the Tiguan line up gets VW’s six speed automatic, which has been altered to up fuel economy. A non-sport mode and second overdrive gear has been added to put the 2.0 liter’s low-end torque to good use and ups the highway average from 25 to 27 mpg. No crossover would be complete without optional all wheel drive and the Tiguan satisfies with available 4Motion. Driving around normally will yield most of the power to the front wheels, but in certain conditions, up to 100 percent of the engine’s torque will make it to the rear via the Haldex center differential.
A surprise from Volkswagen is the Tiguan’s suspension as the rear is a multi-link setup rather than a torsion beam. On high end SEL models, the Tiguan can be made available with a stiffer, sport-tuned suspension and the big, 19 inch ‘Savannah’ wheels with 255 mm wide tires. The quick steering and 12.3 inch front brakes add to the sporting nature of the little VW.
Pricing for the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan starts at $22,840 for the S. That price gets you the high torque turbocharged engine and the d0-it-yourself six speed manual with front wheel drive. If you want 4Motion, the automatic is your only choice and will run for about $25,000. The most expensive Tiguan will carry an MSRP of $37,780 for the top of the line SEL with Navigation and Dynaudio.
Source: Volkswagen
