2020 Volkswagen Tiguan facelift unveiled, features new styling, latest tech, and R-Line trim

KUALA LUMPUR: The best-selling brand in VW's lineup, Volkswagen Tiguan, lies among the top-ranking SUVs in the world. Since its debut in 2007, the automaker has built more than six-million Tiguans. But having been on sale since 2016, the current-generation Tiguan was due for a refresh, and well, the new iteration is out now, just in time.

The all-new Volkswagen Tiguan is continuing to impress us with its captivating new design and loads of tech updates, as well as a new plug-in hybrid engine and an R-badged variant.

Starting with the exterior, the new Tiguan features an all-new larger grille that flows into redesigned headlamps. The SUV also adopted a sportier front bumper with more striking air intakes. At the back, changes include new taillights and an updated bumper while the restyled wheels are placed on the sides. The "Tiguan" lettering has also been repositioned to the centre of the tailgate, and it's also coupled with a new "4Motion" badge.

With the R-Line trim package, the new Tiguan looks more aggressive with a full-width lower bumper, which gets contrasting-colored trim at the edges and largely covered by the middle intake. An R logo is also applied to the front grille of the SUV.

Coming to the interior changes, the SUV largely looks the same, although Volkswagen has added several tidbits to it. These include touch-based controls on steering wheel and the Climatronic system, upgraded Modular Infotainment Matrix (MIB3), 15-colour ambient lighting, and a 480-watt Fender audio system. 

The new infotainment system features natural voice control, multi-phone pairing, and wireless App-Connect. The choice for digital instrument cluster display is 8- or 10.25-inch.

The refreshed Tiguan is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 186 PS of power and 300 Nm of torque. A hot Tiguan R with 320 PS, as well as a more efficient plug-in hybrid with 245 PS will also be available in Europe. However, the Malaysia-spec Tiguan is currently powered by a 1.4-litre TSI engine, churning out 150 PS and 250 Nm.

In terms of safety, the new iteration gets the brand's "Travel Assist" safety suite. With features such as adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane-keep assistance, the equipment comes as an option for the base model but available as standard for higher-spec Tiguans.

The updated SUV will go on sale in Europe next month, but the Malaysian buyers interested in the new Tiguan will have to wait.

Also read: Buy a new Volkswagen Tiguan with six months free installment