Detroit show: VW locks in Tiguan Allspace

VOLKSWAGEN is set to unveil its seven-seat Tiguan Allspace crossover at the North America International Auto Show (NAIAS) next month, with an Australian release date earmarked for the first quarter of 2018.

Speaking to GoAuto, Volkswagen Group Australia general manager of corporate communications Paul Pottinger said to expect the Tiguan Allspace in local showrooms about a year after its reveal.

“Showing at Detroit, arriving here the following year,” he said. “About the first quarter we hope.

“We are actually calling it Allspace now too. That hadn’t been decided until as recently as last week, but that’s what we’re going to call it.”

Mr Pottinger also detailed some engines that will be available to Australian customers at launch, but indicated that the 110TSI 1.4-litre turbo-petrol in the entry-level Tiguan will not make its way into the Allspace.

“Seven-seat, all-wheel-drive, won’t use the smaller engine variants,” he said.

“Certainly 132 and certainly 140 (kilowatt).”

It is likely therefore, that the base Tiguan Allspace will make use of a 132kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, with the other, possibly higher-grade, variant powered by a 140kW/400Nm 2.0-litre diesel.

Volkswagen may also bring its petrol range-topping 162kW/350Nm turbo four – the same engine powering the universally praised Golf GTI hot hatch – to the Allspace after its planned debut in the Tiguan in January.

No front-wheel-drive or manual options are expected in the Australian Tiguan Allspace range and all engines will likely be mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

While no pricing was confirmed, the Tiguan Allspace will likely fetch a premium over the five-seat all-wheel-drive Tiguan range, which kicks off at $41,490 before on-roads for the 132TSI Comfortline and tops out at $49,990 for the 140TDI Highline.

Specific dimensions have yet to be revealed, but Volkswagen is divulging that the wheelbase has been stretched by 110mm compared to the five-seat Tiguan to accommodate the third-row seats.

For reference, the current Tiguan measures 4486mm in length, 1839mm in width and 1658mm in height with a 2681mm long wheelbase, meaning the Tiguan Allspace will measure 2791mm axle-to-axle.

It is possible the stretched dimensions will push the Tiguan Allspace from the Tiguan’s mid-size SUV segment, into the large SUV space, putting it in competition with other seven-seaters including the Mazda CX-9, Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota Kluger.

Hyundai’s seven-seat Santa Fe large SUV rides on a 2700mm wheelbase, whereas the Mazda CX-9 has a 2930mm wheelbase and Toyota’s Kluger sits atop a 2790mm wheelbase.

Although Volkswagen already has a large SUV in the Touareg, GoAuto understands the German car-maker will push the nameplate further upmarket into the high-end SUV space.

Mr Pottinger said there is space for both Tiguan Allspace and Touareg in the large SUV segment.

“The Toureg remains the halo car in the passenger vehicle line up, the next-generation one, which we get in 2018, will be a real tech tour de force,” he said.

Mr Pottinger also clarified that he believes having a Tiguan nameplate across the medium and large SUV markets would not confuse consumers.

“No I don’t think so, everyone else competes there now,” he said. “We’ve been so slow to the SUV game, comparatively, we’ve got a bit of catching up to do and there’s room in all those places.”

While Volkswagen is teasing the look of the Tiguan Allspace with a sketch image, the production version is said to retain the same styling cues as its five-seat Tiguan sibling, including a prominent horizontal front grille, chunky wheel arches and wraparound tail-lights.