The VW Tiguan R is set to join the recently revealed
T-Roc R as the second high-performance SUV to wear the R moniker in the brand’s
history. The test car pictured here appears
to share the same body kit and alloy wheels with the regular R-Line models, so
if you expected something model-specific it appears you are out of luck. The
only actual telltale between the Tiguan R and a Tiguan fitted with the R-Line
pack at this point is the quad exhaust tips.
What we still can’t tell for sure is what kind of
powertrain is VW going to use for the Tiguan R; at first we were certain that
the fastest of the Tiguans is going to get the same 296 hp turbo 2.0-liter TFSI
powertrain with the Golf R but then we spotted another test car that was
clearly powered by a five-cylinder turbo engine, most likely Audi’s 2.5-liter unit.
Given that the smaller T-Roc R is powered by the
turbocharged 2.0-liter EA888 unit, complete with 296 hp and 400 Nm of torque, one can only wonder if VW is going to use the same engine
again for the bigger Tiguan R.
The quad exhausts look like they were lifted
straight from the Golf R, so the possibility of getting a five-cylinder Tiguan
R appears slimmer than ever. Still, we wouldn’t be surprised if VW decided to
boost the 2.0-liter engine’s output with a few more horses, just to give the
Tiguan R the edge over its smaller sibling. Expect to see the VW Tiguan R
getting revealed sometime over the next few months, with a public debut
probably at the Franfurt Motor Show this September.
