New VW Tiguan South African launch delayed – Details

The next-generation VW Tiguan was scheduled to launch in South Africa by the end of June, but it will now only make landfall sometime between July and September.

When it was first unveiled in September last year, VW said it hoped to have the new Tiguan “in South Africa in the first half of 2024.”

It said the same of the facelifted Touareg, the bigger brother to the Tiguan.

With this deadline fast approaching, TopAuto got in touch with the automaker’s domestic subsidiary to find out whether it plans to launch both these SUVs within the same month, or if we can expect them at a later date.

In response, a VW spokesperson said: “Please note that the Tiguan and Touareg will both be launched in Q3 2024.”

The German marque did not provide a reason for the short delay, however, it’s not unusual for vehicle introductions to miss their initial deadlines for a number of reasons.

In previous cases, manufacturers blamed hiccups in the homologation processes, port delays, component shortages, or production pauses at the factory, the list goes on.

What to expect

The next-gen Tiguan sits on VW’s MQB Evo platform and sports a completely revised look that takes hints from the automaker’s electric ID. cars.

Its new exterior aesthetic is underscored by “very flat” LED headlights, a glass-covered horizontal strip on the nose, a larger grille with air openings located at the outer edges of the bumper, side air curtains with improved aerodynamics, a more pronounced shoulder line, a new LED light strip on the tailgate, and redesigned alloy wheels between 17 and 20 inches in diameter.

Additionally, it is now available with the IQ.Light HD Matrix headlights that feature 19,200 multipixel LEDs per cluster.

Courtesy of its refined underpinnings the new VW is also larger than the outgoing one, coming in at 4,539mm long, 1,842mm wide, and 1,660mm tall – reflecting a difference of +30mm, +3mm, and -24mm, respectively.

The interior compartment of the new Tiguan similarly went under the scalpel and came out the other side looking seriously chic.

The dash now comprises a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, a 12.9 or 15-inch central touchscreen with an overhauled menu structure and graphics, as well as the gear selector behind the steering wheel – allowing for significantly more storage space and two wireless smartphone chargers in the centre console.

Moreover, there is a new rotary controller between the front seats with its own integrated screen that can be used to set the driving profile, radio volume, or background lighting colours.

The Tiguan now also gets an expanded selection of standard equipment, including keyless entry and start, a leather multifunction steering wheel, climate control, front and rear parking sensors, a reverse camera, lane-keep assist, lane-change assist, autonomous emergency braking, a driver drowsiness monitor, and dynamic road sign display.

Buyers can further install the newly designed ergoActive Plus seats with four-way lumbar adjustment and 10-chamber massage functions, as well as a setting for the automatic activation of seat heating or ventilation at certain outside temperatures.

An extensive range of optional add-ons is available, too, including Park Assist Pro with remote parking capability and Trailer Assist for assisted manoeuvring with a trailer.

VW confirmed that the new Tiguan will be sold in a range of turbo-diesel (TDI), turbo-petrol (TSI), mild-hybrid (eTSI), and plug-in hybrid (eHybrid) specifications.

Each power unit is paired to either a six- or a seven-speed automatic transmission, and both two-wheel and four-wheel-drive powertrains will be on offer.

The current-generation Tiguan in South Africa is sold with one TDI and three TSI drivelines, the diesel generating 130kW and 380Nm, and the petrols anywhere between 110-235kW and 250-400Nm.

With VW being hesitant to introduce its hybrids to the domestic market due to fuel regulations, we don’t anticipate major changes in the selection of TDI and TSI engines that we currently have at our disposal.

The driving experience in the upcoming Tiguan is additionally complemented by a new Vehicle Dynamics Manager taken straight out of the Golf GTI, which electronically controls the functions of the differential locks and the lateral dynamics components to best suit the situation at hand.

The South African-specific features, engines, and model line-up of the new VW Tiguan will be revealed closer to its launch date in the third quarter of 2024.