Volkswagen Tiguan SUV hits Indian roads for testing; launch in 2017

German carmaker Volkswagen has begun testing its upcoming Tiguan SUV on the Indian roads and the first spy shots of the model without any hint of camouflage have started doing the rounds on the internet.

The Tiguan, the SUV, which was showcased at the Auto Expo 2016 earlier this year, is speculated for its India launch in 2017. Based on the MQB platform, the Tiguan is a five-seater SUV, which is expected to go up against Audi Q3, Mercedes-Benz GLA and even the BMW X1 in India.

In India, the Tiguan is likely to be powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine, which can churn out 148bhp and 340Nm of torque and 2.0-litre TSI turbocharged four-cylinder petrol that is tuned to develop 177bhp and 320Nm of torque. The transmission in the Tiguan is expected to be taken care of by a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG gearbox and the SUV is likely to be offered in both 2-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options.

The new Tiguan, despite being 60mm longer and 30mm wider than the original, has lost more than 50kg and sits 33mm lower. The wheelbase has been stretched by 77mm to 2,681 mm and has a boot capacity of 615-litres. To be brought to India as CKD (completely Knocked Down) units, the upcoming Volkswagen SUV will be locally assembled at the company's Aurangabad plant.

The new design has been inspired by the Cross Coupe GTE that Volkswagen unveiled last year. The Tiguan is expected to get safety features such as Front Assist with City Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Monitoring, Lane Assist and the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System.