Volkswagen Tiguan: Old VS New

The third-generation Volkswagen Tiguan has just been revealed, but how does it stack up against its predecessor? Let’s find out.

The all-new 3rd generation of Volkswagen’s popular family SUV has just been revealed. It’s one of the brand’s best-selling models and it’s vital the winning formula has not been changed too much.

In this article, we look at how the newcomer compares against the outgoing model in terms of styling, technology, engine lineup and more.

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VW Tiguan Styling

Styling is subjective and while one person may be in love with a new car’s design, another may not be as enthusiastic. Given the Volkswagen Tiguan’s popularity, it makes perfect sense for the exterior design team to not rock the boat too much with a polarising visual that’ll impact on sales.

The current Tiguan is a great-looking SUV with sharp lines, smart-looking headlights and that R-Line kit adds a healthy dose of sportiness. The new Tiguan, however, adopts a more rounded and curvy approach. Some of the sharpness has been taken away, but in its place comes the freshest face from Volkswagen with the latest design trends incorporated, like the LED light bars. You can clearly see that the design language from the ID EV models has been incorporated.

Dimensions

	2nd-gen Volkswagen Tiguan	3rd-gen Volkswagen Tiguan
Length	4509 mm	4539 mm
Width	1839 mm	1842 mm
Height	1673 mm (with roof rails)	1639 mm (without roof rails)
Wheelbase	2681 mm	2681 mm
Boot space	615 litres	652 litres

As you can see by the table above, the size between the two generations of Volkswagen Tiguan has not changed too dramatically, with the key differences being the overall length and increase in boot capacity.

The 3rd-generation Volkswagen Tiguan makes use of the latest MQB Evo platform which is said to offer more refinement and make provision for electrification and other smart technologies.

Cabin differences

The big changes can be found in the cabin, with Volkswagen ditching the hit-and-miss haptic capacitive switchgear on the steering wheel for a more natural and direct button approach. The digital dashboard has been given a modern look, but the biggest talking point will be the large 15-inch infotainment screen in the middle of the dashboard.

There’s also a new heads-up display, a repositioned gear selector that can be found behind the right-hand side of the steering wheel as well as numerous semi-autonomous safety technologies. There’s even a new voice control assistant called IDA.

Tiguan Engines on offer

2nd-generation Volkswagen Tiguan	3rd-generation Volkswagen Tiguan
1.4 TSI 110 kW and 250 Nm	1.5 eTSI with 95 kW / 110 kW
2.0 TSI 162 kW and 350 Nm	1.5 eTSI PHEV with 148 kW / 197 kW
2.0 TSI R 235 kW and 400 Nm	2.0 TSI with 148 kW / 192 kW
2.0 TDI 130 kW and 380 Nm	2.0 TDI with 140 kW

At the time of writing (September 2023) we have no confirmation on the 3rd-generation Tiguan engines for the South African market. Given the European push into electrification and lower emissions, it should come as no surprise that hybrid technology dominates the lineup.

We don’t think we’ll see the plug-in hybrid derivatives launched in South Africa anytime soon as the additional taxes levied on electrified vehicles (including hybrids) make them less attractive for retail. If we were to bet on the engine allocation, we’d predict the lineup would mostly be carried over, with turbocharged petrol and diesel four-cylinder engines, as well as a potent R flagship following on in 2025.