Volkswagen releases entry level Tiguan R-Line

The Australian Volkswagen Tiguan range has gained a new R-Line variant for its entry-level offering, the Tiguan 132TSI.

Priced from $46,990 before on-road costs, the Tiguan 132TSI R-Line Edition is based on the five-seat Comfortline and adds Volkswagen’s R-Line package as standard.

This means a sports bodykit, two-tone cloth seats, 19-inch Sebring alloy wheels and an updated Active Info Display digital instrument cluster for the brand’s most affordable five-door, five-seat Tiguan variant.

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Battling in a hotly-contested mid-size SUV space consisting of the Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape, the addition of the 132TSI R-Line Edition to the range will bring extra value to a lower price point, not to mention the sporty trim enhancements.

Already a popular package among Tiguan 162TSI customers, according to VW, the R-Line Edition will also bring the usually optional Driver Assistance package, adaptive cruise control, Side Assist, Rear Traffic Alert, Traffic Jam Assist and Emergency Assist as standard.

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Only two options are available on the new variant, with a sunroof costing $2000 and metallic/pearlescent paint for $700. Pure White is the standard offering, while Tungsten Silver Metallic, Indium Grey Metallic and Deep Black Pearl Effect are optional.

Only 1000 units of the Tiguan 132TSI R-Line Edition will be offered, according to the company.

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Volkswagen announced it would cull its Tiguan range at the end of last year, owing to WLTP emissions testing taking out the base model 110TSI petrol and 110TDI and 140TDI diesel versions.

Volkswagen insists the sub-$40k hole in the Tiguan range will eventually be filled, though, saying “the 110TSI version of both the Tiguan and the [seven-seat] Tiguan Allspace [will] re-enter showrooms late this year.”

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“The single best selling variant of the Tiguan, either in five or seven seat Allspace guise, remains the top-specification 162TSI,” said VW's director of customer experience and marketing, Jason Bradshaw.

And some 80 per cent of 162TSI customers choose the optional R-Line package, according to Bradshaw.

“Customers told us that they wanted this option for the 132TSI. We listened. Here it is.”