Want a Volkswagen Tiguan R? Get in before June 2024 because it's being axed

With the third-generation Volkswagen Tiguan looming large, the current Tiguan R will bow out next year.

Australia may be Volkswagen's number one market for high-performance medium and small SUVs, but even that's not enough to keep the 235kW/400Nm Tiguan R in production.

"Unfortunately, though, we do need to say farewell to Tiguan as we transition into Tiguan [gen-three]", said head of product, passenger vehicles Michelle Rowney at Volkswagen's 2023 brand day media event.

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"But the good news is we will still be on sale with Tiguan R until around June next year", she added.

The five-seat SUV remains priced at $70,490 before on-road costs and is in stock in Australia. That said, with shrinking inventory, a dealer will be the best place for a delivery estimate.

Volkswagen has not confirmed whether it will produce a high-performance version of the third-generation Tiguan yet, and the cooking range won't arrive in Australia until 2025.

With the Touareg R adopting a plug-in hybrid powertrain, it's possible the smaller Tiguan could do the same in the future, given Europe's ever-tighter emissions regulations.

Our original story, below, continues unchanged.

March 9: Tiguan R back in stock

Stock levels of the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan R will improve this year, as Germany doubles down its focus on Australia as one of the R sub-brand’s biggest markets.

On an order pause since February, the Wolfsburg factory is quickly catching up with demand for the Tiguan R ($70,490 before on-road costs), and order books are now open again in Australia.

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“In the last couple of weeks, we've had confirmation the R division is sending us a lot more Tiguan Rs,” VW Australia product and PR manager Dan DeGasperi told Wheels.

“I spoke to our sales and delivery division a few days ago, and their words were ‘we’re smashing through Tiguan orders at a huge rate’, to the point where in about a month's time, we will have caught up with all existing Tiguan R orders.

“From about the second quarter you should start to see a real upswing in [Tiguan R] supply. To give you an idea of 2023 versus 2022 figures, we anticipate about 10 times more stock in 2023,” DeGasperi added.

As always, speak to your preferred dealer as they will be best placed to advise on specific stock levels and wait times for your area.

In addition to greater supply of full-fat Tiguan R variants, Volkswagen is bringing 300 examples of de-specified Grid trims to satiate appetites.

It's not all rosy for Tiguan, though. Due to stronger stock levels than cooking Tiguans, the T-Roc small SUV range is also tipped to displace the mid-sizer as the German brand’s most popular model in Australia.

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2023 Tiguan R pricing and features

The Tiguan R features a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder producing 235kW and 400Nm. It sends grunt to all four wheels via an on-demand AWD system featuring a trick twin-clutch rear differential, just like the Golf R.

It rivals the Skoda Kodiaq RS, but not a whole lot else in the mainstream scene. The Tiguan R could also be considered a taller alternative to a Skoda Octavia RS, or a cut-price Audi RSQ3.