New VW Tiguan launched in South Africa – Pricing and specifications

VW has finally launched the new Tiguan in South Africa, ushering in the SUV’s third generation.

The line-up has grown from five to six variants, though only three of these are available at launch, as the others will be added later in 2024 and early 2025.

The new Tiguan has a starting price of R651,500, all the way up to R835,900.

Engines

The next-gen Tiguan is powered by three different engines – two petrol and one diesel.

The base petrol units, available at launch, employ the same 1.4-litre turbocharged plant as the outgoing models, which generates a total of 110kW and 250Nm.

This is mated to a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox that connects to the front wheels, netting an average fuel consumption of 7.6l/100km.

Also making a return is the 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel block, though this has been downscaled from 130kW and 380Nm to 110kW and 340Nm.

The diesel models use the same seven-speed transmission but benefit from the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system, letting them average 6.6l/100km.

It’s a similar story with the range-topping R-Line, which is still running on a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol mill but has seen its output reduced from 162kW to 140kW.

However, it has the same torque at 350Nm, and it employs the seven-speed box and 4Motion system just like the diesel units.

Important to note is that the diesel models will only go on sale this November, while the flagship petrol will arrive in the first quarter of 2025.

Features

The reworked Tiguan sports a more powerful-looking front end with integrated LED headlights, as well as an edge-to-edge horizontal bar covered in glass sitting below a new LED light strip that replaces the traditional radiator grille.

Furthermore, the SUV can now be purchased with the brand’s IQ.Light HD matrix headlights, which contain 19,200 multi-pixel LEDs per lamp that can react to oncoming traffic to avoid dazzling other drivers.

The vehicle’s boot has also been increased by 37 litres, giving users a total of 652 litres of space for luggage.

As before, the VW is offered in three trim levels – base, Life, and R-Line.

The base SUV is sold with 17-inch Bari alloy wheels, Eco-LED headlights, 10-colour ambient lighting, a 12.9-inch infotainment screen with wireless App Connect, two USB ports, fabric upholstery, a leather multifunction steering wheel with paddle shifters, a 10.25-inch digital cockpit, three-zone climate control, and Park Assist Plus.

The Life units then add electronic auto-folding side mirrors, exterior ambient lighting with illuminated door projections, and LED-Plus headlights.

The top-spec R-Line, meanwhile, comes with 19-inch Coventry alloy rims, automatic high-beams, R-Line badging, silver roof rails, Sport Varrena leather upholstery with R logos, Ergo Active seats with power adjustment, massaging, and climate functions, and 30-colour ambient lighting.

Customers can also pick up the R-Line with the Black Style Package that adds 20-inch black York alloys, privacy glass for the rear windows, and black-themed roof rails, side mirrors, grille elements.

The list of driver assistance systems available on the new Tiguan also includes trailer assist, adaptive cruise control, hill assist, front and rear parking sensors, electronic stability control, travel assist, driver alert system, proactive occupant protection system, a rearview camera, lane-keep assist, and rear traffic alert.