The second-generation Volkswagen Tiguan has been on sale since 2016 and after 7 years, an all-new third generation of Volkswagen’s popular SUV model has just been officially previewed.

Built on an enhanced MQB evo platform, the all-new Tiguan will be offered with 4 powerplants, namely turbodiesel (TDI), turbocharged petrol (TSI), mild-hybrid turbo petrol (eTSI), and for the first time ever, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system called eHybrid.

No technical details on these powertrains have been announced yet but Volkswagen claims that the electric range of the PHEV system has been increased to 100 km. Furthermore, the eHybrid variants will allow faster AC charging times and DC fast charging is also allowed.

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The all-new Tiguan will also be equipped with the IQ.Light HD matrix headlights as well as the adaptive Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) Pro with 2-valve dampers as options. The standard DCC will be available on all variants of the third-gen Tiguan.

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Though photos of the exterior show the all-new SUV wrapped in camouflage, it is rounder in shape, almost like the all-electric ID.4. Still, at first glance, the all-new Tiguan looks futuristic, quite a jump from the outgoing predecessor.

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While the official press release doesn’t mention much about the exterior, it has explained quite a bit about the interior. It’s mostly screens inside with a 15-inch infotainment unit slapped dash in the middle but Volkswagen hasn’t removed physical buttons completely.

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The all-new Tiguan has a rotary knob (with its own display) that adjusts the driving mode, the infotainment, and ambient lighting colours. It sounds like VW’s version of BMW’s iDrive or Mazda’s Commander Control.

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Although the all-new Tiguan is about 30 mm longer, its height, width, and wheelbase remain almost identical to its predecessor. Even with that small increase in length, boot space has been increased by 33 litres to 648 litres with the rear seats up.

The next-gen Tiguan will also only be available with a dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission as the 6-speed manual transmission, which is offered in some markets, will be dropped. To free up room for more storage space in the centre console, the gear shifter is located behind the steering wheel as a stalk ala Mercedes-Benz.

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Another optional feature announced is the ergoActive front seats that come with a massaging function via a pneumatic 4-way lumbar adjustment and a pneumatic 10-chamber in the backrests. Even the humble Volkswagen is now encroaching luxury territory with its popular SUV model.

More details on the all-new Volkswagen Tiguan will be announced later during its world premiere in Q3 2023 while it is scheduled for a market launch in 2024.

In Malaysia, the locally-assembled (CKD) Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace is available in 3 variants:

• Tiguan Allspace Life – RM 159,990
• Tiguan Allspace Elegance – RM 188,990
• Tiguan Allspace R-Line – RM 235,990

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