VW Tiguan R: Volkswagen pimps best-selling model

Volkswagen is expanding its R family.

R as in Race.

Now there is even the best-selling VW model in an extremely hot version - the Tiguan.

It already has technology on board that the Golf R will not get.

The driving test.

• After the Golf * and the T-Roc * comes the next R model.

• 320 hp catapult the car to 100 km / h in less than 5 seconds.

• Unfortunately, the gearbox is beating at a sensitive point.

The

main competition

comes from the same group.

With the Kodiaq RS *, Skoda offers a 240 hp SUV that runs from 0 to 100 in 6.6 seconds.

Seat also delivers a sporty SUV with the Ateca Cupra.

300 hp - and 100 km / h in 4.8 seconds.

In the extended environment there is the Audi SQ 3 with 310 PS, and one sphere higher is the X3 M from BMW with its 480 PS or the Mercedes GLC 43 AMG with 367 PS.

VW Tiguan R: From 0 to 100 km / h in less than five seconds

In such an environment you first have to assert yourself.

VW is not necessarily breaking new ground.

With the Golf R, the Wolfsburg-based company has had a high-performance vehicle in its range since 2003.

The first of its kind was the Golf IV R32 with 241 hp.

The current 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which already powered the Golf VII R, now generates 320 hp, 20 more than its predecessor.

The torque is 420 Nm and pushes the

, which

from 2,100 rpm.

On paper that makes a top time of under 5 seconds from 0 to 100. But it feels much sharper.

Perhaps this is because in the Tiguan, as in every SUV, you sit high up and therefore feel the power better.

It has to be four exhaust pipes

Speaking of power: you can already see that on the outside of the R-Model.

In contrast to the normal Tiguan, it has more

under the radiator.

There is a new diffuser at the rear, and for the first time the R is discreetly emblazoned under the VW logo.

And of course the combustion engine does not exhale from two tailpipes.

, just because of the look.

+

Four exhaust tailpipes are a must for a performance model.

The letter R is discreetly hidden under the VW logo.

© Ingo Barenschee / Volkswagen

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A small blue button unleashes the Tiguan

Inside, the difference is made by a

: just put your thumb on it and it's like being at the kebab stand.

Once with everything and hot.

By ten millimeters lower down even more rigid chassis through to engine response - in the

-

is (911,000 alone in 2019) a real racing machine from the staid VW SUV.

No wonder, because works driver and TCR professional Benjamin Leuchter was involved in the development. 

+

Last year alone, the Tiguan sold over 900,000 times worldwide.

He even beats the golf with it.

© Ingo Barenschee / Volkswagen

Technical delicacies from racing

Leuchter is

particularly impressed

by

that will probably also be found in the new Golf R.

On the one hand, there is

, which for the first time can not only shift the forces from the front to the rear axle, but also distribute them between the individual rear wheels.

Experts call this torque vectoring.

This means that up to 100 percent of the power can be directed to the outer wheel when cornering.

This reduces the radius and

.

And understeer is also prevented.

The

steering is also new

.

The ratio is adjusted here depending on the steering angle, speed or accelerator position.

That means: the steering becomes more direct.

+

Checkered seats, embroidered R. The equipment of the Tiguan is iconic and is based on the 1970s of the Golf generation.

© Uli Sonntag / Volkswagen

That's how sharp the R model drives

All theory is gray - but even a layperson quickly notices during the driving test: Thanks to these technical innovations, the Tiguan R is

.

When steering you only need a small stop, even in extreme corners.

You literally always have the car in your hand.

The rear waggles exactly at all times, like the back of a slalom runner.

And the chassis is also perfectly coordinated, which is not so easy to solve with the towering body of an SUV.

Nothing wobbles, nothing tilts, nothing nods.

A car made from one piece.

Unfortunately, the gearbox takes a moment to remember

A

problem is annoying

.

If you want to go full speed while standing and press the accelerator pedal to

, you have to be a little patient.

It feels like a moment of thought before the Tiguan finally trots off is long and annoying.

A problem that doesn't quite appear in higher gears, but that is being worked on.

You can also argue

, which partly generates via exhaust flaps, but also comes artificially from the generator.

The thudding is appropriate and sounds cool, but the misfires when downshifting appear hollow and artificial.

Maybe the sound is a little pubescent - will Tiguan clientele appreciate that?

+

Compared to the R model, the e-Hybrid looks a little tamer, maybe even a tad more elegant.

© Ingo Barenschee / Volkswagen

The sensible alternative to the racer

If you want it a bit more sensible, you get the Tiguan eHybrid

also a car with strong performance, but a green conscience.

The drive train of the Golf GTE is installed, i.e. the 1.5 TSI petrol engine (150 PS), combined with a 115 PS electric motor.

In

, the system intelligently switches between the drive types.

For example purely electric at low loads, the combustion engine runs automatically at speeds above 130.

Also interesting

The hybrid can travel 50 kilometers purely electrically

If the

-

is pressed, the electric motor functions

-

.

The combustion engine runs hard at maximum output, which is unfortunately uncomfortably loud to hear.

On top of that, the electric motor adds the shovel power, which guarantees a lot of driving pleasure.

And

enables

a time of around

/

.

As with the R model, however, there are no precise details yet.

It is said that the rechargeable Tiguan should cover

.

Our driving test, which we completed in hybrid mode, provides a small clue of what this looks like in practice.

The

.

At this time we had in addition to the 13.5 kWh electricity even

,

needed.

The GTE will probably not be cheap to buy.

A price of around 45,000 euros seems realistic - the Golf GTE is just under 42,000.

Euro.

Also interesting

And that's new with the normal Tiguan models

Oh yes -

.

The facelift literally includes the new front section reminiscent of the Touareg, but above all

.

The SUV gets the engine generation that is already installed in the Golf.

So the particularly clean and new 2.0-liter turbodiesel (150 - 200 hp) with double SCR catalytic converters and double Ad-Blue injection.

And the 1.5 TSI petrol engine (130/150 PS) with cylinder deactivation.

On the digital side, for example, for the first time

-

possible.

Premiere also

-

that support the drive to speed 210 km / h partly autonomously or automatically adjust the speed to the speed limit.

The prices for the normal Tiguan start at just under 28,000 euros for the small gasoline engine and at 30,500 euros for the smallest diesel (122 hp).

is estimated to be around 50,000 euros. 

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