Volkswagen Tiguan launched for Rs. 27.98 lakh

Volkswagen India have launched the new Tiguan in India for a starting price of Rs 27.98 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

While in the international market, Volkswagen has had the Tiguan on sale for a while, in India the scenario has been completely different. In the SUV class, the German car maker only had the Touareg on sale in India, which too was discontinued in 2014. This time around, Volkswagen is playing a smarter game by bringing in the smaller and relatively affordable Tiguan to our shores.

Just a few months back in March, Volkswagen officially announced that they have commenced production of the Tiguan at their facility in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. The Tiguan is going to be the most important product for Volkswagen considering that it marks their debut in the premium full-size SUV class. The Tiguan, like its cousin Skoda Kodiaq, is based on VW Group’s MQB platform, due to which the latest Tiguan sheds more than 50kg from its predecessor.

[caption id="attachment_98443" align="alignnone" width="642"] Thierry Lespiaucq, Managing Director, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd. along with the all new Volkswagen Tiguan[/caption]

In India, the Tiguan is offered in Comfortline and Highline trims and will only be offered with a diesel engine for now. At the heart, the Tiguan will come with Volkswagen’s bread and butter 2.0-litre TDI unit that makes about 140bhp and 340Nm. This engine will come mated to what is arguably the best gearbox in the business – the 7-speed DSG. It also comes with Volkswagen's 4MOTION intelligent all-wheel drive system.

Volkswagen have also loaded the Tiguan with features like Pedestrian Safety Active Hood, 6 airbags, Hill start assist, self sealing tyres, cruise control, automatic LED headlamps with LED DRLs, LED tail lamps, Panoramic sunroof and more. The Tiguan in India only features a 5 seat option.

The Tiguan is priced at Rs 27.98 lakh for the Comfortline and Rs. 31.38 lakh for the HIghline trim (ex-showroom, Delhi). As a direct rival, the Tiguan will compete against the Hyundai SantaFe. But in the same price range, Indian consumers also have the option of 7 seat SUVs like the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and the recant arrival Isuzu MU-X.