Get Ready for the 2009 Tiguan
Ready to jump into the compact SUV market, VW will bring the smaller Tiguan to market late next year. The SUV will be just a tad shorter than a Honda CR V, measuring 174 inches long, 71 inches wide, and 66 inches tall, sitting on a 102.5 inch-long wheelbase (the CR V has a 103.1 inch wheelbase). Look for the Tiguan to come with a 200 horsepower, 2.0 liter turbocharged I 4 mated to a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The vehicle is reported to weigh about 3500 pounds and fuel economy is most likely rate to around 21 mpg city, 28 highway. No doubt VW will offer its characteristic top-level fit and finish, and the vehicle's final pricing should fall around $25,000. To date, VW says it expects to sell 20,000 units in the U.S., but if the segment continues to grow (Honda will sell close to 300,000 CR Vs this year), we're told it could double that number. Some journalists have driven European-spec Tiguans in remote African deserts (see Ron Kiino's story at www.motortrend.com), but we expect to be driving a U.S. spec production vehicle by summer of next year.--Mark Williams
...
>>next page