Volkswagen doesn’t deny that there’ll be a PHEV in the third-generation Tiguan lineup and confirms that the European version will be able to travel up to 100 km on electric power. That’s a big increase on the 50 km today’s plug-in Tiguan delivers, and is mostly achieved by up-sizing the battery from 10.4 kWh to 18.5 kWh.

It’s not only the battery that’s new, however. The Tiguan moves to the more modern MQB Evo platform already used by the VW Golf and will take on both of the VW Groups’ latest 1.5-liter plug-in hybrid drivetrains that can handle DC rapid charging. The base version serves up 201 hp and drives the front wheels only, while the more powerful version generates 268 hp and dishes out the grunt to all four wheels.

 

Beyond some ‘e’ badging and a charging port on the left-hand fender, as seen on this prototype, there won’t be many visual differences between the PHEV models and the plain 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter petrol and 2.0-liter diesel versions VW will continue to offer. And the same goes for the interior, where the firm has promised a big jump in quality compared with today’s SUV, whose lower plastics feel really cheap.

There’s also a large new 15.0-inch touchscreen display pinched from the electric ID.7 sedan (basic cars get a still generous 12.7 inches), a Driving Experience Control dial in the console taking up the space left by the mandatory dual-clutch transmission’s shifter being relocated to the steering column. Having realized its mistake with the Golf Mk8 and its terrible touch-sensitive steering wheel buttons, VW sticks with old-fashioned physical buttons for the Tiguan but does get more techy under the SUV’s skin, where VW’s new DCC Pro adaptive damper setup will be available.

All of this applies to the European-spec five-seat Tiguan shown in both these pictures and VW’s official spy shots. But presuming America once again receives a longer version with space for seven, little is likely to change from the Euro model beyond the length and lack of a diesel option. North America has missed out on the PHEV powertrain option that’s been available in Europe since 2020, so a plug-in option could really help it take the fight to the massively popular Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.