Volkswagen Tiguan 2021 facelift arriving in Australia in Q2 next year

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The Volkswagen Tiguan SUV will receive its global mid-life facelift in Australia in the second quarter of 2021, the German brand has revealed.

The mid-life update to the Tiguan has given the medium-sized SUV a fresh new look with updated lights and bumpers front and rear, plus a new grille treatment that brings the crossover in line with the forthcoming Mk 8 Golf small car.

Volkswagen have added a slew of equipment upgrades to the Tiguan, including standard-fit wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring technologies, as well as higher-powered USB-C ports to charge your phone quicker than before.

Modern-looking Matrix LED headlights will also be offered along with a Harmon-Kardon premium sound system – replacing the Dynaudio system used in the outgoing Mk 2 Tiguan shape.

Whether or by how much the price of the Tiguan will change to factor in the cost of the new equipment is not yet known.

On the safety front, high-speed AEB remains standard, though crash avoidance is now possible at speeds of up to 150km/h for highway driving – well beyond the highest posted speed limits on Australian roads.

One of the biggest changes for the 2021 Tiguan range will be the renaming of the currently-familiar Trendline, Comfortline and Highline grades.

The facelifted car will usher out these long-running variant badges in favour of three new variants tagged the Tiguan Life, the Tiguan Elegance, and the Tiguan R-Line – with the sportily-styled R-Line becoming a dedicated model of its own, rather than an option pack on the previous Highline flagship.

The Tiguan Life 110TSI will act as the starting point of the range and is the only front-wheel-drive option, with customers able to select the 132TSI 4Motion if they need the extra traction and punchier engine.

The 110TSI motor is a carryover 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol unit from the current Tiguan and Golf, producing 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque.

Those opting for the higher-shelf Tiguan Elegance will gain the choice of either the Golf GTI-derived 162TSI engine – a two-litre turbo four producing 162kW/350Nm – or a new diesel option known as the 147TDI, which will produce 147kW of power and around 420Nm of torque.

Volkswagen has saved the best for last in the R-Line, which gains an aggressive appearance with flared side intakes and a rear roof spoiler, while retaining the same 162kW petrol or 147kW diesel options as the Tiguan Elegance.

The addition of the high-performance Tiguan R model has not yet been confirmed for Australia, though Chasing Cars understands the brand is fighting hard to add the sporty SUV to the local lineup.

In overseas markets, the Tiguan R uses a pumped-up version of the Golf R’s two-litre turbo petrol engine and an AWD system, and produces 235kW of power and 420Nm of torque – granting the hottest Tiguan a 0-100km/h time of under five seconds.