2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Preview
CARS.COM
Competes with: Nissan Rogue, Honda CR-V, Kia Sorento
Looks like: A stretched version of the European Tiguan
Drivetrain: 184-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder; eight-speed automatic transmission; front- or all-wheel drive
Hits dealerships: Summer
It’s been a long time coming, but a redesigned 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan has landed in the U.S. at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Volkswagen Tiguan compact SUV is overdue for a freshening and it arrives in a big way. Bigger, in fact, than the European version that’s already on sale. The U.S.-market Tiguan comes with an extended wheelbase compared with the overseas version and the extra length makes room for an available third row.
More 2017 Detroit Auto Show Coverage
Exterior
The 2018 version measures 185.2 inches long, 10.7 inches longer than the outgoing Tiguan. It’s similar in size to the Nissan Rogue (184.5 inches) and Kia Sorento (187.4 inches) — they also have available third rows. Styling should look familiar; it looks like the Volkswagen Tiguan GTE Active Concept shown last year at the Detroit auto show, only stretched and less cool than the off-road-themed GTE. Volkswagen maintains there’s a little edge built into the Tiguan with a 26-degree approach angle for off-roading.
Interior
The Tiguan’s interior design is nearly identical to the GTE Active Concept and the European Tiguan. The extra wheelbase and length are good for up to 57 percent more cargo room than the current model. The second row slides fore/aft 7 inches and folds in a 40/20/40 split. Third-row seating is standard on front-wheel-drive models and optional on all-wheel-drive versions.
Volkswagen’s Digital Cockpit is an available reconfigurable instrument display that can show navigation information between the traditional speedometer and tachometer gauges. Keeping up with the technology theme is standard mobile integration for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which mirror navigation, phone and streaming music to the VW’s multimedia display. Optional equipment includes heated front seats, heated steering wheel, foot-activated power tailgate and panoramic sunroof.
Under the Hood
Power comes from a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 184 horsepower and 221 pounds-feet of torque, which pairs with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, and Volkswagen’s 4Motion with Active Control all-wheel drive with four driver-selectable modes for on- and off-road driving is optional.
Safety
The 2018 Tiguan takes its safety content up a notch with the addition of an available forward collision warning system with automatic braking, a popular feature that the Tiguan has been lacking. Other optional safety features are a blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, lane keep assist and an automatic post-collision braking system that automatically brakes after a collision.
