The lovable little
VW Tiguan we know and largely ignore (in the small CUV/SUV class its
2015 sales only beat out the Mitsubishi Outlander) is in for a dramatic
upgrade. The second-gen version unveiled last fall at the Frankfurt show
is dramatically longer, wider, taller (by 2.4, 3.6, and 2.4 inches
respectively), and sleeker with a drag coefficient of just 0.31. At that
launch, the company teased a GTE plug-in hybrid concept and that
variant is taking center stage in Detroit.
Power
comes from a 148-hp/184-lb-ft 2.0-liter gasoline engine assisted by two
electric motors that contribute 54 hp up front, 114 in back. A
12.4-kW-hr lithium-ion battery pack provides up to 20 miles of electric
driving range, after which the 16.9-gallon gas tank extends the range to
an impressive 580 miles. The GT in GTE stands for grand touring, and
toward that end, the rear electric motor propels the vehicle off from a
stop and handles most of the all-electric driving, unless 4Motion
traction or more than 114 horses are needed to provide the requested
acceleration. Top speed for electric-only driving is 70 mph.
When
the battery is depleted, or the driver selects the sporty GTE mode, the
engine switches on and powers the front wheels via a special six-speed
twin-clutch transaxle that incorporates the front electric motor within
the housing. When the engine is driving the front wheels, this motor can
serve as a generator to supply electricity to the rear wheels. In this
most sporting mode, the full system output of 221 hp can whisk the
Tiguan to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds on its way to a 120-mph top speed.
The
GTE and all-electric E modes each get their own switches. If neither is
depressed, the vehicle is in its default hybrid mode. But of course,
that’s nowhere near enough modes to fill a press release, so this
concept also offers a 4Motion Active Control rotary push knob that can
dial up another six more driving programs with five sub-programs: On
road (Comfort or Eco); Offroad (Rocks, Sludge & Sand, or Gravel);
Sport; Snow; Charge (battery is charged while driving); and Battery Hold
(maintains a constant battery charge). Those last two are really
tailored toward travelers who are heading toward places where electric
operation is mandatory.
In
hybrid mode operation, the vehicle can choose between a few more modes,
like coasting (the engine and motors all switch off when the battery is
sufficiently full), mild regenerative braking when the driver lifts off
the throttle (if the battery needs charging), and driving with the gas
engine alone (in which case obviously only the front wheels are driven).
To give
some credence to those myriad off-road modes, relative to the current
wussy Tiguan, this new parkour champ’s axle-to-ground clearance improves
from 7.1 to 8.9 inches, the approach and departure angles improve by
0.5 and 5.2 degrees respectively (to 26.1 and 29.9 degrees), and the
ramp break-over angle is up 4.7 to 24.7 degrees. There’s even a pair of
roof-mounted LED spotlights. Hoo-wah, which way to the Rubicon?
You may not know it,
but a secret accord was signed by all auto-show-concept-unveiling car
companies guaranteeing that each will claim to have a roster of
CES-worthy features led by a jumbo gesture- and touch-controllable HD
screen (minimum 9.2 inches with 1,280 x 640-pixel resolution, please)
capable of playing at least four registered and/or trademarked apps
(like Car-Net® App-Connect, Mirror Link™, Android Auto™, and Apple
CarPlay®). Tiguan GTE is in full compliance. It’s also vital to equip
concept cars with features that ensure the safety of auto-show “product
expert” models, so Tiguan boasts front assist with autonomous emergency
braking and pedestrian monitoring, an active hood for pedestrian
protection, lane assist, and automatic post-collision braking.
Whatever
the production prospects for a plug-in Tiguan were when construction of
this concept began, they got a big boost with that diesel brouhaha last
September. Watch this space for further developments, and let’s all
pray they prune the roster of driving modes.
| Volkswagen Tiguan GTE Concept | |
| BASE PRICE | $50,000 (est) |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV |
| ENGINE | 2.0L/148-hp/184-lb-ft DOHC 16-valve I-4 plus 54-hp front and 114-hp rear electric motors; 221 hp comb |
| TRANSMISSION | 6-speed twin-clutch auto |
| CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 4,200 lb (mfr) |
| WHEELBASE | 105.6 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 176.9 x 74.8 x 69.5 in |
| 0-60 MPH | 6.4 sec (mfr est) |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON | not yet rated |
| ON SALE IN U.S | To be announced |
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