Volkswagen Tiguan R review

Pricing for the Tiguan R won’t be announced until the car goes on sale sometime next year. But we suspect that it will sit somewhere between smaller hot SUV rivals like the T-Roc R and Cupra Ateca, and more ‘premium’ rivals like the Audi SQ5 and Porsche Macan.

Volkswagen is being equally cagey about specifications, but we have it on good authority that the Tiguan R will get goodies such as 21in wheels, LED lights front and rear, VW’s range-topping 9.2in Discovery Pro infotainment system, Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) and a sports steering wheel with ‘touch controls’ as standard.

Official fuel economy and CO2 figures are also yet to be announced, but the R is unlikely to be any more efficient than the smaller, lighter T-Roc R. With the same engine, that car pumps out 176g/km of CO2, putting it into the top 37% benefit-in-kind (BIK) company car tax bracket. And, while its official fuel economy is a healthy 32.1mpg, you have to drive it pretty sensibly to get near that.

The Tiguan scored a full five five stars when it was tested for safety by Euro NCAP in 2016. A more in-depth look at the results shows the Tiguan is rated higher for keeping adults out of harm than either the BMW X1 and Seat Ateca, but that the Audi Q5 is better at protecting children sitting in the rear.

The regular Tiguan came 10th out of the 18 models included in the Family SUV category of our 2020 What Car? Reliability Survey, outperforming Volkswagen as a brand – it finished in 20th out of 31 manufacturers. Volkswagen's standard warranty runs for three years or 60,000 miles.