The competition in the small SUV market is fierce, with every manufacturer needing to bring its A game to make its family- and wallet-friendly crossover stand out from the crowd. The Volkswagen Tiguan kind of fits the bill, impressing with a stylish exterior, lots of room inside, and a robust set of standard and optional features. It's also one of the only compact SUVs with an optional third row, adding to its versatility. However, the Tiguan's unhurried powertrain takes a beat to register a press of the accelerator, the touch-sensitive control panels can be frustrating to operate, and interior materials don't quite match up to segment leaders.
There seems to be good news on the horizon for Volkswagen fans, as thinly disguised Tiguan prototypes have been photographed testing on public roads over the last few months. And since the current Tiguan dates back to 2018, the time is right for a full redesign. A fully revamped Tiguan is expected to debut for the 2024 model year.
The new Tiguan is believed to be available in pure gasoline, plug-in hybrid and fully electric variants worldwide, and though we don't know which of these will come to the U.S., the gas engine is almost assured. Hopefully it's a bit peppier than the current powertrain, or the transmission is retuned to be more responsive. We are also crossing our fingers that VW rethinks the capacitive touch design that debuted on the ID.4 electric vehicle and is percolating throughout other models. The experience, as it stands now, is fairly user-unfriendly and may turn off prospective buyers as early as the test drive.
