Volkswagen’s critical Tiguan facelift has been snapped undisguised ahead of its official reveal.
The mid-sized Tiguan usurped the Golf as the top-selling Volkswagen worldwide for the first time last year, as global demand for SUVs swells.
In Australia, the Tiguan goes head-to-head with the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, and Nissan X-Trail in one of the nation’s most popular segments.
With 1905 sales to the end of May, it’s Volkswagen Australia’s second-best-selling model behind the Golf.
Based on these spy photos, the updated model doesn’t deviate too far from the formula laid down by its predecessor.
There are new head and taillights in keeping with the Mk8 Golf, and the slimmer new Volkswagen badge has been applied front and rear.
The Tiguan name is now spelled out across the boot lid, once again in keeping with the new Golf. The car pictured appears to be a mis-mash of different trim levels, with small wheels and an R-Line front bumper.
With gaping air intakes and more aggressive detailing, it looks far angrier than the current R-Line Tiguan (pictured bottom).
The sharply-creased flanks appear to have been left largely alone in the facelift.
Inside, the basic cabin architecture remains the same. But the rotary dials and gloss black buttons from the existing climate control binnacle has been replaced with a touch-based setup more closely aligned with the new Golf.
In addition to these styling changes, Volkswagen has previously promised the revised Tiguan will sport “major technical” upgrades.
In Europe this likely means the addition of a plug-in hybrid drivetrain to the lineup, although it’s unlikely to make its way to Australia.
As is the case with the Golf, the updated Tiguan is likely to be offered with carryover engines when it arrives in Australia.
