VW Tiguan eHybrid: Test drive with the next generation

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There is now something unintentionally comical about the advertising of the previous Tiguan eHybrid on Volkswagen's website. Under the headline "Full charging does not have to take long" it continues: With a charging power of 3.6 kW, the battery is even full again within approx. 3:40 hours. The range is only a maximum of 49 km even under the accommodating conditions of the WLTP. It has not been possible to officially order this Tiguan for some time now, and at VW they of course know that a plug-in hybrid with these benchmarks will not stand a chance on the market in the medium term at the latest.

The last new Tiguan

On the other hand, the Tiguan is currently VW's bestseller globally, which is more due to the format than the car itself. The second generation has been on the market since 2016 and apart from a small refresh in the fall of 2020, nothing has really changed dramatically about the Tiguan since then. After eight years, the third edition is due to be launched next year, presumably at the IAA in Munich. It will have a special role in two respects: On the one hand, VW naturally hopes to build on the success of the previous model, but on the other hand, the next Tiguan will mean a farewell. It will probably be the last model of the core brand to be launched on the market with an internal combustion engine. We were able to get a first impression of the 2024 Tiguan.

Formal constant

Externally, despite the camouflage films, VW is not aiming for a revolution. The design remains conservative and resembles the VW ID.4, especially at the front. In length, the Tiguan increases minimally to 4.51 m, while the height shrinks somewhat. This does not change anything in terms of interior space: for an SUV of this size, the next Tiguan also offers a decent amount of space. The luggage compartment is also slightly larger. VW claims to have decisively improved the drag coefficient, which is said to have dropped from 0.34 to 0.29.

VW intervenes much more extensively in the interior than on the outside. The criticism VW received for the margin-optimized interiors was harsh. In the pre-production model we drove, the impression was completely different: The materials appeared high-quality, the workmanship solid. The instrument cluster is integrated into the dashboard, and the huge screen in the center looks like a glued-on tablet. Depending on the equipment, it is supposed to be between 12.9 and 15 inches in size. The menu navigation is more intuitively structured than in recent VW models, and the software ran stably in the pre-production model.

Steering wheel without touch

Interestingly, a steering wheel without wiper surfaces was installed. The mechanical buttons may seem less fashionable, but they always do exactly what they are supposed to do the first time they are pressed. Hopefully, the pragmatists will prevail and this will also find its way into the production model in this form. One thing that has already been decided is the disposal of the small plastic screen, on which the optional head-up display previously displayed its information. In a way, the Tiguan takes two steps forward here because, as in the ID models, there will probably also be a version with augmented reality.

Further spread driving modes

On the road, it is noticeable that VW has noticeably increased the spread of the driving modes. The Comfort mode, in conjunction with the adaptive suspension, filters out more bumps than before. The Sport mode is considerably firmer. The steering seemed more direct than in the current Tiguan. The sound insulation also seems to have been improved. Volkswagen wants to improve this with an optional acoustic package.

Two PHEV

In the future, the engine range will consist of the already familiar gasoline and diesel engines and two plug-in hybrids. At the start of next year, the 1.5 TSI with 110 kW and two diesels with 110 and 142 kW are planned. The two plug-in hybrids will follow somewhat later. In both, a gasoline engine with 115 kW and an electric motor with 96 kW work together. Depending on the version, the system output is 150 or 200 kW, and the maximum torque of the combination is always 400 Nm. Previously, the system output in the Tiguan eHybrid was 180 kW.

More importantly, VW is upgrading in two other areas. With an energy content of 18 kWh, up to 100 km should be possible in WLTP. In practice, a plug-in hybrid that continues to accommodate the electric motor between the combustion engine and the transmission is more likely to manage around 70 km with this energy content, which would still be a major advance over the previous model.

Until now, the maximum charging power was reached at 3.6 kW on AC. VW did not want to reveal how fast this will be in the future. However, we assume that VW will allow three-phase charging with 11 kW at least for an additional charge. DC charging will be even faster. Here, up to 50 kW should be possible. The small battery should be filled again in less than half an hour even with a falling charging curve. In plug-in hybrids, this option is the absolute exception.

Probably slightly more expensive than before

The current base model of the Tiguan costs 32,930  euros. With only slightly higher demands, the list price rises steeply. The desire for an automatic transmission alone raises the threshold to 37,355 euros, while the least expensive diesel costs 35,550 euros. With an equipment level that most Tiguan buyers choose, 40,000 euros is certainly exceeded. With the successor, prices will almost certainly rise again. But Volkswagen cannot overdo the game if the Tiguan is to remain a global bestseller. It has internal competition in the form of the ID.4 and ID.5, but so far they have not come close to the Tiguan's overall sales figures.

(mfz)