Volkswagen Tiguan Imported To India For Testing; Launch In 2017

Volkswagen Tiguan, the long-awaited luxury SUV from the German carmaker is all set to be put through its paces in India. We've already driven the car and have told you that Volkswagen has big plans to bring it to India. Apparently, the company has recently imported a single model of the Tiguan SUV into the country for testing and the arrival of this test mule indicates that the carmaker is gearing up for the big launch, which is slated to happen in 2017.

The model imported to India is powered by Volkswagen's new 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine that is capable of churning out a maximum of 147bhp. The 1968cc turbocharged motor will come mated to the company's tried and tested 7-speed DSG automatic unit in the India-spec Tiguan. That said, European markets will get four TSI petrol engines churning out 123bhp, 147bhp, 177bhp, and 217bhp along with the TDI motor and the option of a 6-speed manual gearbox as well.

The new Volkswagen Tiguan is based on the carmaker's popular MQB platform and it is 60mm longer and 30mm wider and sits 33mm lower than the older model. The wheelbase too has been increased by 77mm to 2681mm, which means there's more space on the inside. The new Volkswagen Tiguan has also shed some weight as it now weighs 50kg less than before.

The SUV will come with features like 5-inch screen or a bigger 8-inch display (depending on the variant) along with support navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, MirrorLink and many other services. Among safety features the car comes with front assist with city emergency braking and pedestrian monitoring, automatic post-collision braking system and lane assist are all part of standard equipment.

With the new Tiguan, Volkswagen will enter a new segment in India and since the production of the car won't happen in India, we expect it to take the CBU route. This will mean that the price of the car will on the premium side. That being said, Volkswagen is aware that standing up to premium carmakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz will not be an option and taking on the likes of SUVs like the Toyota Fortuner or the Ford Endeavour will prove to be a task (considering its smaller and the India-spec model will come sans an all-wheel drive), which is why the company is searching for a middle ground.