Pre-launch bookings for the sporty Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line are open ahead of its 14 April India launch.
Volkswagen are set to introduce a couple of exciting cars in the country. The first is the Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line which will launch on 14 April, with the Golf GTI set for a launch soon after. As we head closer to the launch date, more details of the sporty SUV have been revealed. Here’s a rundown of what we may expect.
To start with, the Tiguan R-Line has a new design language that sheds a bit of its corporate look for a more in-your-face personality. It’s apparent especially at the front with a massive honeycomb-like mesh radiator grille opening placed below the sleek LED headlights connected by a glass strip. Towards the sides of the front bumper there are air curtains to optimise air flow. The sporty look is even more apparent from the sides with the pronounced shoulder line and prominent wheel arches. Being an R-Line model, it comes with a sportier set of 19-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, with “R-Line” badging.
Inside, the Tiguan R-Line cabin is quite a premium affair with soft-touch material around the dashboard. . There’s “R-Line” branding here too with inserts on front seats, and an illuminated ‘R’ logo with an interesting pixel theme on the passenger side on the dashboard. To set the ambience there are up to 30 colours to choose from for the ambient lighting, present on the dashboard and door trims.
There’s no dearth of niceties onboard with things like a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, massaging sports seats with adjustable lumbar support, tri-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, Park Assist Plus with Park Distance Control, and inductive charging for two smartphones.
Volkswagen cars have safety as a key USP and the Tiguan R-Line continues this trend with things such as nine airbags, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), disc brakes on all four wheels, as well as hill start and descent control. Of course, how can we forget more than 21 Level 2 ADAS features including lane-change assist with rear traffic alert, emergency braking system, active cruise control, and lane-keeping system.
Under the hood, the Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line gets the 2.0 TSI EVO turbo-petrol engine, putting out 204 hp and 320 Nm. This setup will be mated to a seven-speed DSG automatic with the 4MOTION intelligent all-wheel drivetrain sending power to all four wheels. There’s other trickery in store with a new iteration of the Dynamic Chassis Control Pro system, as well as a Vehicle Dynamics Manager that helps implement specific wheel-braking interventions and wheel-specific adjustments of the shock-absorber damping. This should help give the SUV a more agile feeling while attacking corners while also furthering a more comfortable ride.
The outgoing Volkswagen Tiguan was priced at Rs 38.17 lakh (ex-showroom, India). Expect the new Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line to incur a significant premium considering everything that’s changed in the SUV. In markets abroad, it has the Skoda Kodiaq RS for company but, in India, it doesn’t have a true rival for now. So, how it is priced will play an important role in its success in the country.
