• The Tiguan R is the latest addition to Volkswagen’s local lineup of R performance vehicles.
• It is also said to be the VW’s most powerful SUV, doing 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds.
• The Tiguan R was confirmed alongside the Golf 8 R Dynamic, but the latter only arrives next year.

Volkswagen has kicked off this week by announcing the arrival of two new additions to its R lineup of high performance vehicles – the Tiguan R and Golf 8 R Dynamic.

The latter vehicle is only arriving next year, with pricing still in the offing, but the Tiguan R is expected to go on sale at local VW dealerships this month.

The SUV is notable for a couple of reasons, with the first one being speed. Here VW says it is its most powerful SUV to date, with it yielding a 0-100km/h time of 5.1 seconds. This is thanks to a four-cylinder engine that has been tuned to generate 235kW of power and 400Nm of torque. The result sees the top speed hit 250km/h.

Other additions of note include a new all-wheel drive system, which is present in the aforementioned Golf 8 R as well.

“This power is distributed to the four wheels by the new all-wheel drive system: 4MOTION with R-Performance Torque Vectoring, which is also available in the new Golf 8 R. With the new all-wheel drive system, handling agility, particularly when cornering, has been improved. With this system the Tiguan R sets a new benchmark for SUV driving dynamics,” explained VW in a press release.

“Exterior features of the new Tiguan R include bumpers in ‘R’ design, exterior mirror covers in matt chrome, a high-gloss black rear diffuser, black wheel housing extensions, 20-inch Misano alloy wheels, Lights and Vision Package, panoramic sunroof and Park Distance Control (front and rear). The new Tiguan R also comes available with a choice of six exterior colours,” it adds.

In terms of recommended pricing, VW has advised that the Tiguan R 2.0 TSI 235kW DSG 4MOTION will carry a R999 900 price tag.

The company adds that the SUV comes standard with a three-year year/120 000km warranty, five-year year/ 100 000km EasyDrive Maintenance Plan and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty.