The Volkswagen Tiguan R Line - all show, but no go.
Oh, that sounds interesting. An R Line Tiguan. Fresh from the hands of Volkswagen Individual (the VW in-house engineering mob) that brought us the Passat R36 and the Touareg R50. Bound to have a nice new engine with more grunt to make the capable Tiguan a hot 4×4.
But sadly, this is a purely cosmetic job. Not even a tweak or two to drag in a few extra horses. It’s all show and not much go. But if you want a butch-looking small 4×4 this is a good looking car,.
You get more bulbous wheel arches, bigger wheels and a new front splitter. There are some chrome accents and a re-designed rear bumper plus a small spoiler. They suit the Tiguan. It looks much more purposeful.
The interior gets a makeover as well with chrome pedals and trim and a new climate control system. A flat-bottomed steering wheel and some sculptured seats with ‘R’ logos add to the mix. A more road-orientated suspension setup pretty much completes the makeover, and the Tiguan certainly looks the part.
The Tiguan R Line comes in a choice of 5 colours – Candy White, Reflex Silver, Deep Black, Biscay Blue and Mountain Grey. Sales commence in June with prices starting at £24,635, rising to £26,305 for the 2.0 litre TSi.
But I think VW has missed a trick by leaving the engine choices untouched. Or maybe Audi weren’t too keen on the Tiguan encroaching on the Q5 3.0‘s territory?
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