LA Show Exclusive: Volkswagen Tiguan Concept

Hold onto your butts because here�s VW�s first ever compact SUV. The Tiguan, which will make its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in a couple of days, puts VW right up against the heavyweight players of the category like Toyota�s RAV4 and Honda�s CR-V.

Don�t let the word Concept fool you, as with the exception of a few details like the bi-coloured tires, what you is what you will get when the car goes into production in the 3rd quarter of 2007. Although we admit that we were waiting for something more extravagant �don�t blame us, blame VW and its 2006 Concept A prototype� the Tiguan looks quite good, and it could be easily be characterized as a, �baby Touareg�.

Moving to the interior, for those of you living in Europe, yes you�re right: the Tiguan uses Golf Plus�s (MPV version of the Golf / Rabbit) dashboard! That�s no coincidence as the Tiguan is actually based on the Golf Plus platform which in its turn is based on the Golf/Rabbit/ Touran platform.

Based on previous information I gathered talking with VW people, the Tiguan uses Golf�s simple 4wheel drive system, dubbed 4MOTION. Despite the fact that the prototype is fitted with a TDI engine, the production version is expected to use VW�s wide range of petrol and diesel motors, including the Golf GTI�s 200Hp 2.0 TFSI. In Europe, the Tiguan will most possibly be offered with the new generation 1.4 TSI engine available in 140 and 170Hp versions.

So when is the Tiguan due to go on sale? Sources say it will be available in Germany right after its Frankfurt Motor Show presentation in September 2007 with other European countries following till the end of 2007 - beginning of 2008. As for the US, the most probable launching date is the first quarter of 2008.

Related Article: 2008 VW Tiguan Video

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