Following the short-wheelbase Tiguan’s European debut, this Chinese-market model previews the longer version we’ll get here in the U.S.
Over the past fifteen years, we’ve had two generations of Volkswagen Tiguan here in the U.S., with a few facelifts along the way. The third-generation model launched in its shorter, two-row form late last year. While that version gave us a pretty good idea of what we can expect, this crossover — about to be launched in China as the ‘Tayron L’ — is more of an apples-to-apples view of what should debut in North America sometime in the next few months.
Thanks to figures published through China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, we know the Tayron L measures out to 184.4 inches long, on a 109.9-inch wheelbase. It’s 73 inches wide and 66.3 inches tall, which makes it a little bit bigger in most dimensions, though that wheelbase is exactly the same as the current model. That’s because this car rides on VW’s MQB Evo platform, which underpins the Tiguan you can buy right now, so the major changes at play here come down to styling and technology, rather than an entirely clean-sheet design.
While several other automakers have leaned toward chunkier, more aggressive styling, the Tayron (and indeed, the short-wheelbase European Tiguan) stuck to softer features at the front end, similar to the brand’s electric models like the ID.4. There’s a full-width LED light bars both front and rear, and the R-Line trim gets its own unique bumpers at each end. For some reason, I can’t stop looking at the oddly placed “R” badge on the Tayron L R-Line model (it’s integrated into the grille facade on the Euro version), but that along with the accompanying fender badges will be one way to tell the sportier-looking model apart.
Inside, we should see similar touches to the European version shown below. That includes a new 15-inch center display with a snappier version of VW’s infotainment system. We’ll also get an updated version of the brand’s Digital Cockpit, a rotary dial for the media controls and a column-style shifter, rather than the old console-mounted unit.
Chinese customers get several different trims and powertrains at launch, according to the MIIT filings. A 1.4-liter TSI engine is available, as are two versions of the 2.0-liter unit, managing either 184 or 217 horsepower. Right now, we in the States get the 184-horsepower EA888 2.0-liter engine, so that powertrain should carry over, potentially with a mild-hybrid setup to save a bit of fuel. The real question, though, is whether we’ll get the plug-in hybrid model with 265 horsepower and 62 miles (using the WLTP cycle) of all-electric driving.
More answers should come later this year before an actual production launch in 2025. Before that, though, at least we know with near-absolute certainty what we can expect in the looks department.
