New Volkswagen Tiguan receives a mild facelift

Volkswagen's bestselling SUV gets a fresh face, a revamped interior and a healthy dollop of additional driver-assistance features.

Volkswagen & the VW Group's bestselling SUV across the globe is back for 2020 with a minor facelift. Why minor? Though the new 2020 Tiguan sports an all-new look front & back, the car's overall profile & silhouette remains unchanged. Thanks to a look inspired by VW's latest design philosophy (that made its debut on the new Golf), the Tiguan now looks more similar to its elder siblings, like the Atlas Cross Sport & the Touareg. The 2020 Tiguan will go on sale in Europe in a few days, however, the American markets will get the car only in 2021. Although to compensate for this delay, the USA will also get the hotter R version (315bhp) as well as the more efficient hybrid (241bhp).

Coming back to the changes, the 2020 Tiguan sports new LED lighting that's standard across all variants. The new headlamps merge with the new grille, giving the front fascia an unmistakably bolder appeal. The air intakes are now bigger and more aggressively styled. At the back, the LED taillamps retain their old shape but with a new light signature, they look much sharper as well. Plus, the larger 'Tiguan' lettering on the boot lid looks bolder now, thanks to new placement right under the VW badge.

Inside too, the 2020 Tiguan gets some significant updates. Gone are the old push buttons for new touch controllers & sliders. From steering-mounted controls to the controls for the HVAC operations, all of them now feature touch surfaces. Like all new VW models, the new Tiguan also gets the latest-gen MIB3 Modular Infotainment System with an 8.0-inch touchscreen as standard. Plus, the Volkswagen Digitial Cockpit (digital driver console) is now standard across the Tiguan line-up. But opt for a higher-spec variant and additional goodies like a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen, 15-colour ambient lighting & a 480W Fender premium audio system will be part of standard kit.

In terms of powertrain, the Tiguan will retain the previous 2.0-litre four-cylinder TSI motor (181bhp/300Nm) paired to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. For improved tech, the new Tiguan will come with a new Travel Assist feature, capable of managing the car's steering, braking & acceleration at speeds of up to 210km/h.

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Volkswagen Tiguan Long Term Report: June 2020