2021 Volkswagen Tiguan price and specs: Mid-size SUV hit with price rises for new look, more tech

• 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan price and specs detailed
• Updated styling and technology for the brand’s mid-size SUV
• Three grades with four petrol and diesel engines
• Priced from $39,690 plus on-roads, with price rises up to $4700

Pricing and specification for the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan has been announced, ahead of its staggered showroom arrival commencing in mid-March.

Volkswagen’s popular mid-size SUV has undergone its mid-life facelift for 2021, with new exterior styling, updated interior technologies, a revised engine line-up for Australia and upgraded levels of standard equipment, with LED headlights, a digital instrument cluster and a full suite of ‘IQ.Drive’ active safety technologies – all accompanied by price rises by up to $4700.

Three variants will be offered locally – Life, Elegance and R-Line – with four engine options, comprising three petrol options and one diesel variant.

Opening the range is the Tiguan Life, priced from $39,690 plus on-road costs in 110TSI guise – up $4700 over the outgoing entry-level model, the Tiguan 110TSI Trendline – or $43,690 plus on-roads in 132TSI form.

Above: UK-spec Volkswagen Tiguan Life, fitted with different wheels to Australia’s model, and the local Elegance’s matrix LED headlights and chrome trim. Top of story: Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line.

Standard equipment includes automatic LED headlights with automatic high beams, LED fog lights and tail-lights, an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with satellite navigation, gesture control, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10.25-inch configurable ‘Digital Cockpit Pro’ digital instrument cluster, 18-inch ‘Nizza’ alloy wheels and a space-saver spare wheel.

There’s also tri-zone climate control (with touch-based controls), automatic wipers, power-folding heated door mirrors, a hands-free electric tailgate and a reversing camera.

A full suite of active safety technologies (branded under the IQ.Drive moniker) are standard-fit, including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, lane-keep assist, lane-following assist (which combines with the adaptive cruise system for semi-autonomous driving on motorways), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention monitoring, automatic parking, and front and rear parking sensors.

Above: UK-spec Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line interior, with the smaller 8.0-inch screen.

They’re joined a 360-degree ‘proactive protection’ system which uses sensors around the car to tighten the seatbelts and shut the windows when an “increased risk of a crash” is detected.

Two engines are available on the Life, led on price by the ‘110TSI’, powered by a 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine sending drive to the front wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The same engine features in the new-generation, ‘Mk8’ Volkswagen Golf, though the smaller hatchback features an eight-speed torque-converter auto in place of the Tiguan’s DSG.

A higher-grade ‘132TSI’ mill can be had for additional cost, featuring a 2.0-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder routing 132kW and 320Nm to all wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and a 4Motion reactive all-wheel-drive system.

Buyers can step up to the mid-spec Tiguan Elegance, priced from $50,790 plus on-road costs in 162TSI petrol guise, or $52,290 plus on-roads in 147TDI diesel form – the latter the first diesel engine to be offered in the non-Allspace Tiguan since August 2018.

Above and next two images below: Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line.

Additional features over the Life include a 9.2-inch infotainment screen with smartphone mirroring, navigation and gesture control, 19-inch ‘Auckland’ alloy wheels, IQ.Light matrix LED headlights, ‘premium’ LED tail-lights with scrolling indicators, Vienna leather trim, electrically-adjustable heated front seats with electric lumbar support, ‘easy entry’ and memory and a heated steering wheel.

It also adds adaptive dampers, rear privacy glass, 30-colour ambient LED cabin lighting and additional chrome and silver trim elements.

Elegance buyers can opt for one of two engines: a 162kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo petrol (known as the ‘162TSI’), or a 147kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo diesel (badged ‘147TDI’). Both are mated to seven-speed dual-clutch automatics and 4Motion all-wheel-drive.

Sitting atop the range is the Tiguan R-Line, priced from $53,790 or $55,290 plus on-road costs in 162TSI or 147TSI guises respectively – with the 162TSI petrol up $2100 over the outgoing 162TSI Highline flagship, sans R-Line pack.

For the additional $3000 spend over the Elegance, the sport-themed R-Line picks up an R-Line exterior styling package with unique bumpers, skirts, rear spoiler and badging, 20-inch ‘Misano’ alloy wheels, R-Line Vienna leather trim, an R-Line steering wheel with capacitive touch-based buttons (replacing lower grades’ physical units), stainless steel pedals, black headlining and variable sports steering.

However, the R-Line’s electric tailgate loses the Life and Elegance’s hands-free functionality.

A range of options can be had across various trim grades.

Life buyers can opt for a $5000 Luxury Package, comprising Vienna leather trim, a heated steering wheel, an electrically-adjustable heated driver’s seat with memory functionality, and a power-operated panoramic electric sunroof.

Meanwhile, Elegance and R-Line buyers can specify a $2500 Sound and Vision Package, which adds a 360-degree camera, head-up display and Harman/Kardon premium sound system.

Also available on Elegance and R-Line variants is a $2000 panoramic glass sunroof, while all variants offer a selection of metallic/pearlescent exterior paint finishes, each commanding an $800 premium.

All models benefit as standard from a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, along with capped-price servicing a 12-month intervals, with the option to select a $1200 three-year or $2400 five-year ‘Care Plan’ for servicing.

The 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan will go on sale first in 110TSI Life form in mid-March, with 162TSI and 147TDI variants to arrive in late May, followed by the 132TSI Life in June.

2021 Volkswagen Tiguan Australian pricing

• Tiguan 110TSI Life – $39,690 (up $4700 over 110TSI Trendline)
• Tiguan 132TSI Life – $43,690 (new)
• Tiguan 162TSI Elegance – $50,790 (new)
• Tiguan 147TDI Elegance – $52,290 (new)
• Tiguan 162TSI R-Line – $53,790 (up $2100 over 162TSI Highline)
• Tiguan 147TDI R-Line – $55,290 (new)

Note: All prices exclude on-road costs.

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