As the crossover segment has been gathering a lot of attention lately, it seems Volkswagen might be planning to introduce its Tiguan model any time soon. Owing to the strong show by crossovers, the success may have prompted Volkswagen to tap into the market share of this segment. Volkswagen Tiguan is already on sale in major European countries and is expected to hit the Indian car market by 2013 end. In order to address the need of a small affordable SUV, the company might aggressively price its upcoming model.
In foreign markets, Tiguan has been appreciated by many industry critics owing to its strong engine performance. The crossover of Volkswagen is 4.43 metre long, 1.8 metre wide and 1.7 metre tall whereas the wheelbase stands at 2.6 metre. For Indian roads, the ground clearance of Tiguan seems to be fine at 175 mm. The car bears the conventional Volkswagen design philosophy that has got strong character lines, chrome accentuated front grille and clear lens headlamps. It must be noted that Tiguan is built on the Volkswagen's PQ35 platform, which is also shared by cars including Skoda Yeti and the current generation Jetta.
In terms of comfort and convenience, the upcoming crossover offers a spacious cabin, which is apt for seating five passengers. Owing to the perfectly moulded front pillars, the visibility offered to the driver is good. The car boasts of ample head and knee room so as to give greater convenience to passengers seated at the rear. The boot space is worth mentioning as the car has 670 litres of room for carrying luggage, which can extended by folding the front seats in 40:60 or 70:30 proportions. While the interiors bears somewhat same resemblance to the one given in Polo hatchback, the vertically placed air-conditioning vents on the centre console are unique in Tiguan.
Talking about engine specifications, Tiguan come equipped with the same motor that does duty in Yeti. According to industry analysts, Volkswagen might resort to offer Tiguan in 1.4-litre TSI petrol and 2.0-litre diesel powertrain that would be available in three differently tuned options of 108 bhp, 138 bhp and 168 bhp. Powered by the Bluemotion technology, these engine will be highly refined and fuel efficient. The expected fuel efficiency of these engine is expected to be around 16 to 18 kmpl.
Volkswagen Tiguan shall be provided with best-in-class features and functionalities like electric power assist steering, front and rear wheel drive option, automatic transmission and other other safety equipment like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Equal Brake-force Distribution (EBD). As far as pricing goes, Volkswagen might place its crossover in between Rs. 13 lakh to Rs. 15 lakh. However, if the company plans to bring Tiguan in India through the Completely Built Unit route, then the price would be much higher than desired.
