Volkswagen India launches locally assembled Tiguan at Rs 31.99 lakh

Thirteen days after Volkswagen India began production of the locally assembled petrol-engined Tiguan at its Aurangabad plant, the company launched the SUV at an introductory price of Rs 31.99 lakh (ex-showroom, India).

 Bookings for the SUV are open with deliveries set to commence from mid-January 2022. The five-seater SUV is available in a single fully-loaded Elegence trim.

The move to locally assemble the Tiguan in India seems to have had little effect on the SUV’s pricing, with the five-seater SUV costing about Rs 221,000 lesser than the larger three-row Tiguan Allspace. The now-discontinued Allspace, was priced at Rs 34.20 lakh (ex-showroom), and was imported as a CBU.

Styling and interior
The new Tiguan retains the squared-off design of the outgoing model, but gets some key changes to set it apart. Exterior changes on the Tiguan facelift include new, sharper headlights, a new front bumper and a tweaked front grille. It also features a new design for the 18-inch alloy wheels, a re-profiled rear bumper, new LED elements in the tail-lights and Tiguan lettering on the tailgate.

The Tiguan is available in a choice of seven exterior paint shades – Nightshade Blue, Pure White, Oryx White, Deep Black, Dolphin Grey, Reflex Silver and Kings Red.

Inside the cabin, the new Tiguan’s dashboard design and layout is similar to the outgoing model, with the biggest change being the touchscreen climate control system, which replaces the traditional buttons and knobs. The Tiguan facelift also gets Volkswagen’s new steering, as seen on the Taigun SUV, replete with the brand’s new logo.

How’s it feature-wise?
In terms of features, the Tiguan facelift is equipped with a powered panoramic sunroof, LED Matrix headlights, leather upholstery, ambient lighting, a 10-inch digital instrument screen, an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, connected car tech, three-zone climate control, an eight-way powered driver’s seat and more. Safety features include six airbags, ABS, ESP, hill-start and descent assist, a tyre pressure monitor, ISOFIX anchors and a Driver Alert System.

The Tiguan facelift is powered by a solitary 190hp, 320Nm, 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, TSI turbo-petrol engine that comes paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox sending power to all four wheels via Volkswagen’s 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system. This 2.0-litre engine replaces the 143hp, 2.0-litre TDI turbo-diesel engine, that was on offer with the older five-seater Tiguan.

The new Volkswagen Tiguan will rival other petrol-powered, five-seater premium SUVs, like the Jeep Compass (Rs 17.29 lakh-25.84 lakh) and the Hyundai Tucson (Rs 22.69 lakh-24.37 lakh). At Rs 31.99 lakh (ex-showroom), the locally assembled Tiguan is pricier than its petrol-powered rivals, and is priced closer to the fully-loaded Compass Model S diesel-auto 4x4 (Rs 29.34 lakh) and the diesel-only Citroen C5 Aircross (Rs 31.30-32.80 lakh). The fully-loaded Tucson diesel, in comparison, is priced at Rs 27.47 lakh.