Volkswagen is working on a performance version of its upcoming Tiguan Coupé SUV, the Tiguan Coupé R. The car-like SUV is being developed by the firm’s in-house R division.
As compared to the standard Tiguan, the five-seater Coupé R will have a sloping roofline, a shallower glasshouse and wider C-pillars. Overall appearance will be very similar to the Cross Blue Coupé shown at the Detroit motor show in January. The Tiguan Coupé R is expected to receive a number of upmarket interior appointments, such as an active instrument display, a heads-up display and a full selection of camera-aided safety features, including an emergency braking function.
It is likely to get a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine, similar to the one used by the Golf R, making around 300bhp and 38.7kgm of torque. It will come with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, four-wheel drive and an electronic torque vectoring function, according to insiders. Nothing is official at the moment, but the Tiguan Coupé R could have a claimed 0-100kph time of around 5 seconds.
A specially tuned version of the standard Tiguan Coupé’s MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension with reduced ride height and a four-mode adaptive damping system will aim to provide the necessary traits needed to set the R model apart from the rest of the line-up.
Engine options are likely to include 1.4 and 2.0-litre petrol units, and 1.6 and 2.0-litre diesels. Also planned is a plug-in petrol-electric hybrid-propelled GTE model running a similar set-up to that used by the Golf GTE. While the Tiguan Coupé is planned to go on sale globally in 2017, the range-topping R version will be on sale in 2018.
Volkswagen is in the final phase of testing the next-gen Tiguan in standard form which is likely to be unveiled at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show 2015. The carmaker has also confirmed that this new SUV will come to India in mid-2016.
The Tiguan Coupé R will be Volkswagen’s answer to the likes of the Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG, Audi RS Q3 and the Range Rover Evoque SVR.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Glenn Noronha
Dhruv Dhaka
Dipan Sur
