Slow off the blocks, Volkswagen has gotten serious about SUVs, and it wants to make that clear with this teaser image of the Tiguan which will undergo a major update for 2022.
The compact crossover has slipped into the shadows of the bigger Atlas in the last several years but VW is determined to put the Tiguan back on the sales fast track with a makeover that will bring significantly revised styling, inside and out, as well as plenty of new technology and other features.
Set to reach Europe late this year – assuming the auto industry will finally be able to get back into production any time soon – we’ll see the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan roll over to this side of the Atlantic sometime next yearas part of a fast-growing line-up of VW SUVs.
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If this rendering is any indication, we’ll see a significant redesign of the front end, the 2022 VW Tiguan adopting a more sporty and less upright grille that flows into more slit-like headlamps. VW has confirmed that the SUV will now adopt 100% LED lighting, by the way, even on base models, with up-level versions getting adaptive beams. At least in Europe, anyway, as automakers are still waiting for U.S. regulators to approve “matrix” lighting systems that automatically block out high beams so as not to blind oncoming traffic.
The overall look is meant to be “more masculine,” according to VW, though the slight arc to the roofline also gives it a more sleek and refined appearance.
The interior also is expected to undergo some significant updating, though we’ll have to wait for renderings or actual photos. What has slipped out is that the Tiguan will get the thicker steering wheel now used on the larger Atlas, as well as the new MIB3 infotainment system. It not only will add Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but switch to cloud-based technology with all the potential benefits that might offer, including over-the-air updates, more accurate mapping and quicker traffic warnings.
What will be available where in terms of safety technology also remains to be seen but, at least in some markets, the 2022 Tiguan will add such advanced driver assistance systems as lane-keeping assist, lane centering, traffic jam assist, and road sign recognition.
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The 2022 Tiguan will continue to ride on the existing platform – and the U.S. will continue to receive only the long-wheelbase version of the crossover with optional third-row seating.
A complete makeover won’t show up until closer to mid-decade. There will be some powertrain updates, however, though that will vary by market. The U.S. isn’t expected to get a new plug-in hybrid, for one thing, nor any diesels, even with a new emissions control system that could overcome the problems that caused so much trouble for the German automaker a few years back.
During a media call, company officials indicated the current, 184-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo-four engine will carry on, though there are hints something with a bit more guts may appear before the next-generation Tiguan rolls out.
The Tiguan was, for a number of years, the foundation of the Volkswagen SUV line-up in the U.S. market. Today, the various versions of the Atlas, including the new, two-row Atlas Sport, are the power players. And that’s helped VW catch up to the rest of the market, the carmaker now selling more crossovers than conventional sedans, hatchbacks and coupes.
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It hopes to push even further with the addition of a sub-Tiguan model now under development – possibly a version of the T-Roc sold in Europe – as well as the ID.4, its first long-range all-electric model aimed at the U.S. That model, set to be imported initially and then roll out of VW’s Chattanooga plant, will hit American showrooms around the end of this year.
