► World debut: VW Tiguan
► Regular SUV and GTE hybrid
► Now on MQB architecture
Volkswagen saved a proper world debut for the Frankfurt motor show: it slid the covers off a brace of Tiguan crossovers at the 2015 IAA.
As well as showing the regular SUV we also saw the Tiguan GTE, a plug-in hybrid with a near-600 mile range.
The new, second-generation VW Tiguan switches to Wolfsburg’s MQB architecture – the same oily bits as a Golf – and this brings a wealth of technology such as pedestrian detection, as well as more flexible proportions. The front overhang, for instance, is much shorter.
The latest 4motion all-wheel drive system now has a Land Rover-spec switch to let drivers toggle between on- and off-roading functions, as well as a mode for snow.
The VW Tiguan GTE in detail
The surprise of the show was the arrival of a Tiguan GTE plug-in hybrid, following in the footsteps of the Golf and Passat versions. It mates an 85kW electric motor with a 130bhp combustion engine for a 30-mile EV range. And Volkswagen claims, rather improbably, just 42g/km of CO2.
Check out the solar panel roof on the GTE: it should generate an average of 620 miles of carbon-neutral EV range a year.
Even in cloudier Britain, you’ll benefit from a 580-mile combined range.