Volkswagen Tiguan Starts at $22,490

Volkswagen announced today that when the Tiguan arrives stateside next summer, it will start at $22,490. That puts the compact SUV smack dab in Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 territory. VW wouldn't elaborate on the price range or what specific options cost, but it appears from the Tiguan's introduction at the L.A. auto show that it will come standard with VW's turbocharged 2.0-liter engine and a six-speed manual transmission. That combination seems sure to make it a blast to drive — though we'll have to get some seat time before we declare it the "GTI of the crossover utility segment," as one VW executive suggested.

We'll admit we love to shift our own gears, especially with VW's excellent turbo four-cylinder. But will regular SUV drivers want to pay extra for an automatic? Both the $20,700 CR-V and $21,100 RAV4 come standard with autos. If the Tiguan's automatic costs as much as it does in other Volkswagens — it's a steep $1,075 in the Jetta — expect the effective starting price for most SUV buyers to be somewhere around $23,500.

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More Tiguan News

2007 Frankfurt Auto Show: 2008 Volkswagen Tiguan

• Competes with: Honda CR-V, Acura RDX
• Looks like: A mini-Touareg
• Drivetrain: Unknown turbocharged four-cylinder.
• Hits dealerships: Some time in 2008

We’ve already seen full production images of the upcoming compact SUV from Volkswagen, but the company released more information in Frankfurt yesterday, much of which applies to the versions coming to the States. The most interesting news is that there will be three subtle variations of the Tiguan, depending on a buyer’s off-road desires.

We don’t know how well it will sell, but if you need a larger entry angle you can buy the Tiguan Track & Field. The model has a 28 degree entry angle and a driver-selectable off-road mode. For those who just want the utility of the Tiguan for the daily commute and the weekend run to Ikea, there will be a Trend & Fun and Sport & Style trim. Of course, VW says even these street-friendly Tiguans can take less-extreme trails. 

There’s no final word on which engine will make it to the U.S., but we’ll bet on some variation of the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine that is found in many other VW models. There are also plans for a diesel version to come Stateside but don’t expect more news on that until the first major U.S. auto show in Los Angeles this November. For now, check out more photos below.

VW Tiguan SUV Officially Unveiled

It will debut to the public this September at the Frankfurt auto show, but American shoppers won’t be able to get their hands on Volkswagen’s new compact SUV until closer to 2008. It looks pretty complete in the photo above and those in the gallery below, but VW has a knack for making us wait for new models.

The Tiguan will have a number of diesel and gasoline engine choices available in Europe, but we’ll most likely get just the top-of-the-line 2-liter turbo engine — used in a variety of VW and Audi engines — that produces 200 hp at launch. However, VW owners do buy more diesels than the national average, and VW has said we will get a diesel option, we're just not sure which of the three European diesel engines we might get.

Specs and prices haven’t been released, but the Tiguan looks like a solid, if a bit conservative, competitor to the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. 

Volkswagen Tiguan Photo Gallery

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VW Tiguan Coming to Market in Fall 2007
2006 L.A. Auto Show: VW Tiguan Concept

VW Tiguan Coming to Market in Fall 2007

That was fast; we just saw the Tiguan concept in the flesh at last week’s L.A. Auto Show, and now word has it that the production model will go on sale in the U.S. next fall. The small SUV will be introduced with an undisclosed gasoline engine, followed by a diesel version in the winter of 2007.   

This is big news, and we expect to see a production model at an upcoming show — either Detroit, Chicago or New York.

[VW Will Sell Diesel-Powered Tiguan for U.S., AutoWeek]

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2006 L.A. Auto Show: VW Tiguan Concept