Volkswagen announced the official name of its new compact SUV last month, and now we bring you the first unofficial video of the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan. Caught during hot-weather testing in Death Valley, California, the Tiguan shares its platform with the Rabbit and GTI hatchbacks. Power for base models will come from the same 200bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder used in the GTI with an upgrade to VW's 3.6-litre V6 a possible option.
The ForMotion all-wheel-drive system used in both the Passat and the upcoming R32 could be standard if Volkswagen wants to position the Tiguan further upscale than typical compacts like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, both of which offer lower-cost front-wheel-drive models. Although European versions will have a manual transmission as standard, U.S versions will get a six-speed Direct Shift Gearbox as the sole option. Although the Tiguan is based on the Concept A, what little of the cabin we could see showed a fairly typical dash layout. There may be a few upgrades added to give the Tiguan a unique look and feel compared to its Rabbit and GTI cousins, but other than a few minor trim changes it will be a standard-issue Volkswagen design.
A third-row seat won't be available, but it looks as though second-row passenger room will be generous by compact-SUV standards. And just in case you're wondering, the name "Tiguan" is a made-up combination of "tiger" and "iguana." Volkswagen decided on the name after polling readers of a European automotive publication. Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, Volkswagen's chairman, called it a "unique event [that is] demonstrative of how Volkswagen is opening up."
We call it a unique look at how clueless Volkswagen is when it comes to selling SUVs in the U.S. We won't see how the Tiguan name goes over here in the States for another two years as production doesn't begin until 2008.
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