Recently, news emerged of a VW Allspace replacement, known as the Tayron.
Now Volkswagen has released further details about its seven-seat Tiguan model. This will come with a range of engine options, including a mild hybrid and regular petrol, a diesel and a 100km-plus plug-in hybrid. It will also be more practical than before and sport extra technology. Atop all that it has a different body and subtly different styling compared with Tiguan.
Tayron is 23cm longer (4770mm) than Tiguan and the seven-seater has an extra 198 litres of boot space. All up, there’s 885 litres in the five-seat model, and 850 litres for the seven-seater with the third-row seating folded away. In full seven-seat mode, the boot space is still rated at 345 litres. In each case these measurements exceed those of in-house rival Skoda Kodiaq.
The second row seats are on sliders, and there’s a one-touch sliding function for access to the two seats in the third row. Isofix child points are found on the outer two middle-row seats.
Being based on the updated MQB-EVO platform, Tayron supports optional dual-valve adaptive dampers, plus the next generation of VW’s progressive steering and XDS virtual limited-slip differential tech.
The line-up kicks off with the FWD 110kW 1.5T mild hybrid. It’s followed by a FWD 157kW 2.0T or a 200kW AWD model. The 2.0 turbodiesel makes 110kW in FWD format or 142kW as an all-paw machine. All of these use a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
The apex model is the PHEV, combining a 2.0 turbopetrol with a single electric motor and a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. The system sends either 150kW or or 200kW through the front wheels. VW reckons on an electric range of over 100km for both models.
Only neither of the PHEVs is a seven seater on account of the 19.7kWh battery pack having to go somewhere. In this case it’s under the boot floor. It also has 18 litres less boot capacity compared with a regular five-seat Tayron which offers 885L.
The centrepiece inside is a 12.9in infotainment touchscreen alongside a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel. Some models come with a 15.0-inch head-up display. There’s a knob on the centre console that you can customise to control volume, interior lighting and drive mode, for instance. Wireless smartphone hookup is standard, while ChatGPT integrates with the voice command functions.
There will be R-Line and more upmarket Elegance body options overseas. Both of these have wheels sizes of around 20 inches.
Deliveries in Europe start in Q1 next year so it should be here before the end of 2025.
