Overview

VOLKSWAGEN’S Tiguan has always had a problem with appealing to the everyman.

Dynamics? Never an issue.

Build quality? The Tiguan’s always done it better than most.

Sharp pricing that brings punters flooding into the showroom? Well, not really – and Volkswagen has never actively chased that audience with its Medium SUV either.

The delta between Tiguan sales and, say, a Mitsubishi Outlander are evidence of that.

But that could well change with the arrival of the third-gen Tiguan.

As average transactions continue to march north, Volkswagen has managed to deliver a generational step-change that barely makes any upward movement on the pricing guide, and the brand now looks like it’s going to meet the market in the middle.

Though its rivals are still kicking off their Medium SUV ranges in the mid-$30K region, and the Tiguan’s starting price remains in the middle of the $40K bracket, VW’s new mid-sizer looks set to capture plenty of attention in the low and mid-grades; especially as the latter have effectively come down in price by a few thousand.

There are plenty of SUV shoppers with circa-$50K budgets, after all.

Counterbalancing that is an absence of electrification; well, within the Tiguan range at least.

Volkswagen Australia reckons SUV buyers searching for a greener option within its showrooms are already ably served by the newly arrived ID.4 and ID.5. Even though a Tiguan plug-in hybrid (PHEV) exists overseas, an Australian business case has yet to materialise for it.

Will that hold the Tiguan back from becoming a bigger volume player when an ever-growing slice of the buyer set are calling for hybrids and PHEVs?

Time will tell, but right now the third-gen Tiguan range has plenty to recommend it to those unfazed by an unelectrified line-up.

The $44,990 110TSI Life opens the range with a feature set that’s more akin to a mid-spec offering from a Korean or Japanese marque, with things like dual wireless charge pads, a powered tailgate, a 12.9-inch infotainment screen with integrated nav, 19-inch alloys and a 360-degree parking camera all as standard.

The seats are cloth and unpowered in the 110TSI Life, but the value equation is more compelling than before, especially when you factor in less tangible advancements like better cabin ergonomics, which apply to every new Tiguan.

While the second-generation ‘5N’ Tiguan was very conventional in its interior layout, its replacement showcases some innovative thought.

The centre console is essentially a long tray with removable cupholder inserts, which can be configured to carry not just cups and bottles but items as large as a handbag or tablet computer.

Ahead of that tray is another tray, the dual-phone wireless charger. Not only is it actively cooled to improve energy transfer – important when using the battery-sucking wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay – but it’s also hidden beneath a hinged lid that forms a convenient spot for keys and wallets. It’s a nice piece of packaging.

In the middle of the range lies the 150TSI Elegance and R-Line, the two variants that VW Australia expects will move the most metal.

Effectively replacing the 162TSI of the previous generation and sacrificing 12kW of power and 30Nm of torque, the 2025 Tiguan 150TSI R-Line’s $55,990 retail sticker is around $4500 less than the superseded 162TSI R-Line, despite also arriving with substantially more standard equipment.

The new 150TSI Elegance is $3600 more expensive than the old 162TSI Elegance, but again there’s a big lift in equipment to compensate.

But if you don’t need a powerful engine and AWD, the 110TSI Elegance gives a high-spec option at a lower-spec $50,690 price point. Popping the optional Sound and Vision package on it for an extra $2700 effectively boosts it to the same equipment level as the 150TSI Elegance, too.

At the top is the 195TSI R-Line, which will be the performance flagship for the time being, at least until VW sees fit to send a new-generation Tiguan R down the production line.

With an RRP of $70,490, it too sits below the price point of its predecessor while trading off some performance.

Driving Impressions

Enhancing the Tiguan’s showroom appeal should translate into a more broadly appealing offering, but VW hasn’t forgotten its core Tiguan customer: keen drivers who, for whatever reason, must put an SUV in the driveway.

The base architecture is still VW’s versatile MQB platform, albeit slightly evolved from the second-gen Tiguan. That means a multi-link rear suspension on all variants (no torsion beams for FWDs here), with MacPherson struts up front.

This time around, it’s enhanced by variable-rate steering in R-Line variants for a bit more of a sporty feel through the wheel, as well as VW’s DCC Pro adaptive dampers on the 150TSI and 195TSI variants, which can vary compression and rebound damping independently.

But even the 110TSI, which misses out on the steering and damper gear, feels sweet. Responsive and nicely weighted steering makes the Tiguan feel more lithe and agile than the typical medium SUV, and while there can be some torque steer tugging on hard acceleration out of a corner, it’s fairly vice-free.

The seven-speed dual clutch transmission, now with a more compliant wet clutch design, can occasionally chatter and hesitate when doing low-speed heavy traffic crawling, but it too does a great job.

The same seven-speed is used throughout the range, but the 150TSI and 195TSI variants connect it to an adept 4Motion AWD system.

Our launch drive included nothing in the way of a proper loose surface to test it out, though the torque steer issue of the 110TSI isn’t present in its AWD sisters. What is present: a much stronger torque delivery that’s partially absorbed by the extra weight of that AWD hardware, but nevertheless feels strong out on the road.

The 195TSI R-Line, meanwhile, is quite a rocket. Though it’s not a full-fledged R product, it can do a reasonable impression of one thanks to a fat 400Nm torque peak and sticky Continental ContactSport6 tyres, which allow the DCC Pro suspension to do its best work.

It’ll accelerate to 100km/h in a very hot-hatch-like 5.9 seconds as well, so the kids shouldn’t ever be late to school.

Is the 195TSI worth the $70K RRP?

Real performance freaks might be better off waiting for the next installment of the Tiguan R, but for the rest of us the 150TSI pair present a much more compelling value-for-money equation – as does that 110TSI Elegance.

The Tiguan has never had any trouble being a sharp handler, but now it’s looking like a pretty sharp deal. Hybrid or not.