Volkswagen Tiguan R 2022: hot SUV confirmed for Australia

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The 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan R SUV has been confirmed as an addition to the brand’s Australian crossover lineup as part of a three-pronged performance assault on the local market.

Describing 2022 as the “year of the R”, Volkswagen Australia executives have confirmed that the Tiguan R and T-Roc R SUVs are certainties for the local market, joining the fresh-faced Mk 8 Golf R hot hatch next year.

The Tiguan R was unveiled as a new addition for the midsize SUV range when the “Mk 2.5” Tiguan facelift was unveiled globally last year.

However, the question of whether the Tiguan R would come to Australia was initially in doubt due to concerns about homologating the SUV’s high-performance drivetrain for Australia’s NEDC-based emissions standards, which diverged from Europe’s new WLTP standard around two years ago.

With Tiguan R deliveries having commenced in Europe earlier in 2021, those fears have been allayed, with Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg head office ticking the ‘yes’ box on an Australian-specification Tiguan R for a 2022 arrival.

“We’re having a big R push next year,” Paul Pottinger, Volkswagen Australia general manager of corporate communications, told Chasing Cars. “We’ll certainly have the hatch, certainly the Tiguan R, certainly the T-Roc R, and almost certainly the [Golf] R wagon.”

Final Australian specifications and pricing are not yet known, but it is certain that the 2022 Tiguan R will utilise the same two-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine as the Mk 8 Golf R. Overseas, the Tiguan R produces 235kW of power and 420Nm of torque.

A wet-clutch DSG dual-clutch automatic will be standard fit, sending drive to all four wheels via Volkswagen’s 4MATIC AWD system.

The two-litre “EA888” donk will also be fitted to the smaller T-Roc R SUV that is also slated for a 2022 arrival.

Within the Australian Tiguan lineup, the hot R will sit above the popular 162TSI grade that has been the best-selling Tiguan locally since its introduction in 2017.

Since that point, the Tiguan 162TSI has filled the role of the performance Tiguan in Australia, utilising the same engine as the incoming Tiguan R but in a more modest 162kW/350Nm state of tune.

Next year will mark a significant expansion of Volkswagen Australia’s R lineup with the next-generation Mk 8 Golf, the Tiguan and the T-Roc all set to receive R grades, while the plug-in hybrid Touareg R is also under consideration for Australia. A follow-up to the Golf R station wagon is also expected to be confirmed for Australian deliveries shortly.

“Germany looks at [Australia] as a market that is right [for R],” said Kurt McGuiness, Volkswagen Australia PR and brand experience manager.

“Numerically, last year, we were the second biggest R market in the world … so you can imagine why we are saying next year is the year of R. There is so much potential there from a market perspective, but also because that is what our customers are asking us for.”

Pricing, final power outputs and extended specifications for the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan R are expected to be announced in late 2021.

Volkswagen Tiguan 2021: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• Tiguan 110TSI Life: $39,690
• Tiguan 162TSI Elegance: $50,790
• Tiguan 147TDI Elegance: $52,290
• Tiguan 162TSI R-Line: $53,790
• Tiguan 147TDI R-Line: $55,290