VW Tiguan Concept Makes Debut

LOS ANGELES — Volkswagen has pulled the wraps off a new concept car that previews its upcoming Tiguan SUV. Set to go on sale in North America in 2008, the new five-seater is aimed directly at the popular Toyota RAV4.

This one is less radical than the earlier, coupelike Concept A from the Geneva Motor Show last March, which announced Volkswagen's plans to enter the burgeoning compact-SUV market. The Tiguan sports a more conventional two-box silhouette similar to that of its larger four-wheel drive sibling, the Touareg.

The car on display in L.A. this week provides a good glimpse of what the production version of the Tiguan will look like when it reaches North American showrooms in just over a year. However, Volkswagen insiders say its appearance will be toned down further by then.

The Tiguan is slightly shorter, narrower and lower than the Touareg, which is set to grow in size to accommodate a third row of seats when a planned second-generation model arrives in 2009.

Inside, the Tiguan borrows heavily from Volkswagen's Europe-only Golf Plus. The two share the same dashboard structure, instrument pack and switchgear, although the concept car on display in L.A. has been heavily upgraded with leather, a sport steering wheel and upmarket materials. The production Tiguan is set to have more cost-effective soft plastic surfaces along with a variety of optional trims, including wood and aluminum, in line with the larger Touareg.

The Tiguan is underpinned by a lightly modified version of Volkswagen's versatile PQ35 platform structure, as used by the Golf, with a front MacPherson-strut and rear multilink suspension. The ride height on production versions likely won't be quite as extreme as that of the concept on display in L.A., although Volkswagen says the newcomer's optional Haldex-style four-wheel-drive system gives the Tiguan the ability to head off-road.

VW is tight-lipped about the power source behind its latest concept, except to say it is a new diesel engine planned for production in 2008. Inside Line can confirm, however, that it is a transversely mounted 16-valve 2.0-liter four-cylinder common-rail unit. The engine uses the latest Bluetec technology — its special catalytic converter is periodically injected with urea to reduce nitrogen oxide levels by up to 90 percent over the existing pump injector engine offered throughout Europe.
Other engines planned for North America include the 200-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder direct-injection unit now used in the Golf GTI. The new power plant will be in the North American lineup; it is planned to make its debut in early 2008 under the name Clean TDI.
© Source: original article on insideline