Volkswagen teases Tiguan mid-life facelift

VOLKSWAGEN has teased the updated version of its Tiguan medium SUV, showing a heavily revised exterior design that will be revealed in full later this year.

Given the delays in production caused by the COVID-19 virus, it is expected that the facelifted Tiguan will take until the second quarter of 2021 to arrive in local showrooms.

The German car-maker has only revealed a single design sketch of the facelifted second-generation Tiguan, showing a clear move towards the new design language seen on other VW models such as the Mk8 Golf.

From the front, the Tiguan has eschewed the boxy headlight styling seen on the likes of the Amarok pick-up, and has instead adopted a front fascia that looks more like a mix of the new Golf and the Touareg large SUV.

The LED headlight signature features the same semi-hexagonal lighting signature as the Golf, while the way the headlights flow into the central grille is reminiscent of the one-size-larger Touareg.

A lower grille and side inlets horizontally juxtapose the upper grille, giving the Tiguan’s front a sense of symmetry.

No other images have been provided of the Tiguan, however fans should expect some mild changes to the rear styling of the vehicle.

Volkswagen has stayed tight-lipped on further details of the Tiguan facelift, stating that it will be in for a “major technical” update, suggesting new connectivity or active safety features are coming.

The brand also stated that a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain will be added the Tiguan range, however given that Volkswagen Australia has a policy of overlooking PHEV offerings in favour of full-electric models, Australian consumers should not hold their breath on the new variant coming here.

For Australia, buyers can expect a similar range of engines as the current range in the update, including the 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-pot range-opener, and the larger 2.0-litre unit that is currently tuned to produce 132kW/320Nm or 162kW/350Nm.

The current generation of Tiguan first arrived in Australia in September 2016, with the update set to carry it through for the next three years or so.

Through the first quarter of the year, Volkswagen has sold 1298 examples of the Tiguan, representing a 33.2 per cent skid over the preceding period last year.

In 2019, 7747 Tiguans were sold, marking a 15.3 per cent slide over the 9146 units sold in 2018.