Presented last year in Frankfurt, the new Tiguan is a much better compact crossover than the first generation. Slated to go on sale in the U.S. only in long wheelbase form for the 2018 model year, the second-generation model will be joined by the old model for 2018 and 2019 because there’s a market for such a product.
Speaking to the peeps over at Car & Driver, the marque’s senior vice president for product marketing said that the first-generation Tig will soldier on as the Limited. According to Hendrik Muth, “the Tiguan Limited will be aimed at more budget-minded buyers and those who don’t want the new Tiguan’s third row and considerably larger footprint.”
Pretty fair points, if I may add. What’s not so great about the old Tig living on for 2018 and 2019 is the warranty. Compared to the second-generation model’s and the Atlas SUV’s six-year/72,000-mile warranty, the Limited is covered by a three-year/36,000-mile limited warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.
Pricing and specifications haven’t been announced at the time of writing, but don’t expect too many goodies or too much flair from the budget-oriented crossover. A 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot with 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque should be on the menu, mated as standard to a six-speed automatic.
Maximum towing capacity will likely mirror that of the 2017 Tig. More to the point, 2,200 pounds when equipped properly. Gas mileage, meanwhile, is expected to remain unchanged: 20 mpg city and 24 mpg highway, which isn’t exactly great nor bad.
The bottom line is, a not-quite-up-to-date but cheap compact crossover is an interesting proposition for buyers interested in this segment. Sure the looks may be yesterday’s news, but in terms of value, Volkswagen has a winner on its hands.
What I’m not so sure about is the Limited handle, which in auto industry jargon, is usually applied to the top-of-the-line trim level of a given model. If the Tiguan Limited isn’t to your liking, there’s always an alternative in the form of the Nissan Rogue Select, i.e. the old generation in cheapo guise and with a $20,150 starting MSRP.
Pretty fair points, if I may add. What’s not so great about the old Tig living on for 2018 and 2019 is the warranty. Compared to the second-generation model’s and the Atlas SUV’s six-year/72,000-mile warranty, the Limited is covered by a three-year/36,000-mile limited warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.
Pricing and specifications haven’t been announced at the time of writing, but don’t expect too many goodies or too much flair from the budget-oriented crossover. A 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot with 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque should be on the menu, mated as standard to a six-speed automatic.
Maximum towing capacity will likely mirror that of the 2017 Tig. More to the point, 2,200 pounds when equipped properly. Gas mileage, meanwhile, is expected to remain unchanged: 20 mpg city and 24 mpg highway, which isn’t exactly great nor bad.
The bottom line is, a not-quite-up-to-date but cheap compact crossover is an interesting proposition for buyers interested in this segment. Sure the looks may be yesterday’s news, but in terms of value, Volkswagen has a winner on its hands.
What I’m not so sure about is the Limited handle, which in auto industry jargon, is usually applied to the top-of-the-line trim level of a given model. If the Tiguan Limited isn’t to your liking, there’s always an alternative in the form of the Nissan Rogue Select, i.e. the old generation in cheapo guise and with a $20,150 starting MSRP.