Coming to Grips With the BMW X3 and Honda CR-V in VW's All-Wheel-Drive Sport-Utility.18 months after first signaling its intent to enter the growing market for compact SUVs with its fanciful Concept A showcar, Volkswagen has pulled the wraps off the definitive production version of the new four-wheel-drive 2008 Volkswagen Tiguan.
Little brother to the Touareg, the new five-seater is aiming to lock horns with popular compact sport-utilities like the Acura RDX and Honda CR-V, while providing buyers with an affordable alternative to more prestigious entries such as the BMW X3 and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLK.
Set to make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show before going on sale across Europe in November, the Tiguan should appear in North American showrooms next June. It will be positioned slightly above the Japanese competition but well below its more luxuriously equipped German rivals, and our sources at VW's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, tell us it'll be priced at about $27,000.Let's Get Practical
Styled under the leadership of Murat Gunak, Volkswagen's former design boss, the Tiguan boasts a number of cues first established on the Concept A, including its bold chrome grille and swoopy headlamp treatment. But while the Concept A received a rather sporting, coupelike silhouette with a roof line that plunged to the rear, the production version of Volkswagen's new SUV is far more upright toward the rear in a move clearly aimed at providing it with greater practicality.