Volkswagen Australia is champing at the bit for the successor to its top-selling R performance model, the Tiguan R.
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With the all-new Volkswagen Tiguan range arriving in Australian dealerships last month, the wait for a successor to the high-performance Tiguan R continues.
However, Volkswagen Australia has told Drive it would be “first with [its] hands” up if and when the new performance Tiguan variant is confirmed by head office in Germany.
Reports of a new second-generation Tiguan R surfaced as early 2023, and while confirmation has not come in the intervening two years, it seems likely the successor to the original Tiguan R will join the broader range at some point in the future.
“There’s nothing confirmed at the moment from the factory,” Volkswagen Australia’s Head of Product Arjun Nidigallu told Drive.
“Once they announce it in Europe, we’d be very interested, more than very interested, in that model.
“If there’s an R available in Germany or any other market, we’d be the first one to put our hands up.”
First seen in Australia in 2022, the original Tiguan R utilised Golf R underpinnings to become the brand’s best-selling performance car locally, outselling every other GTI and R model.
In its two full years on sale in Australia – 2023 and 2024 – Volkswagen sold a total of 3814 of the high-performance mid-size SUV, second only to Tiguan 162TSI variants.
The original Tiguan R was powered by a 235kW/400Nm version of Volkswagen’s 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine offering a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.1 seconds.
"It is planned to run the latest version of VW's turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine from the outgoing model, developing 235kW and 400Nm.”
The newest Golf R has stepped up to outputs of 245kW and 420Nm.
The broader Volkswagen Tiguan range launched in Australia last month with five variants across two engine choices – in three states of tune – and three trim levels: Life, Elegance and R-Line.
Sitting atop the current range, the 195TSI R-Line boasts 195kW/400Nm and all-wheel drive from its 2.0-litre turbo-four, all priced from $70,490 before on-road costs.
A new-generation Tiguan R would need to supplant the 195TSI at the top of the range and would, in all likelihood, exceed the $73,790 (plus on-roads) the previous generation asked for when last on sale in Australia in 2024.
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Rob Margeit is an award-winning Australian motoring journalist and editor who has been writing about cars and motorsport for over 25 years. A former editor of Australian Auto Action, Rob’s work has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Wheels, Motor Magazine, Street Machine and Top Gear Australia. Rob’s current rides include a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a 2000 Honda HR-V Sport.
