VW positions Tiguan as 'GTI' of small SUVs

[MEIN_VW]

Quote »

Diana T. Kurylko Automotive News May 19, 2008 - 12:01 am ET BOULDER, Colo. — A crippling dollar-euro exchange rate coupled with heavy demand elsewhere in the world has forced Volkswagen to price its new compact SUV at the top of the segment. The 2009 Tiguan SUV that goes on sale this month starts at $23,840, including shipping, for a front-wheel-drive model with a manual transmission. The all-wheel-drive version has a base price of $29,515, including shipping — nearly $1,700 more than a similar version of the segment-leading Honda CR-V. VW expects about 60 percent of Tiguans sold to be awd. And the CR-V doesn't have many of the features that the Tiguan has as standard equipment, such as electronic stability control. The high price means the Tiguan will be a niche product for VW in the United States with annual sales of 20,000 to 25,000, said Toscan Bennett, vice president of product and marketing strategy. That's out of the projected annual production of 110,000 units VW plans for the Tiguan worldwide. Tiguan has been on sale in Europe since late last year, and there are waiting lists of several months in many markets. "Clearly, for us to achieve big-volume production, we need to be in a non-European cost base," Bennett said here at a press event introducing the vehicle. "Tiguan will allow us to establish a foothold in the segment." Because of the volume and pricing, VW is positioning the Tiguan as the GTI of compact SUVs — on par with its sporty GTI hatchback. Tiguan has the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 200 hp as the GTI.

[J-Tim]

Me < VW marketing terms.

[gonzo08452]

does that mean its better?

[chewym]

Perfect explanation for Cricketchirp. Of course, he will say that VW should have built the Tiguan in it's plant in South Africa to save big monies.

[cricketchirp]

Quote, originally posted by chewym »

Perfect explanation for Cricketchirp. Of course, he will say that VW should have built the Tiguan in it's plant in South Africa to save big monies.

Chewym....

VWoA admitted that they have not achieved the correct cost base for the vehicle.... Which is what I was saying all along. It is interesting because it almost sounds like VWoA is talking directly to the Vortex. I wonder are they?

Well my suggestion is to put a 2.5L and a manual in the car and shave a couple of grand off it.... After all if they want to christen it "the GTI of SUVs then is certainly should have a manual tranny option. Right?

And yes they should find a way to build the Tiguan in some other lower cost site ASAP.

[Spa_driver]

Quote, originally posted by cricketchirp »

Chewym.... VWoA admitted that they have not achieved the correct cost base for the vehicle.... Which is what I was saying all along. It is interesting because it almost sounds like VWoA is talking directly to the Vortex. I wonder are they? Well my suggestion is to put a 2.5L and a manual in the car and shave a couple of grand off it.... After all if they want to christen it "the GTI of SUVs then is certainly should have a manual tranny option. Right? And yes they should find a way to build the Tiguan in some other lower cost site ASAP.

Uhh, it says in the article that you can get it with a manual....

[cricketchirp]

Quote, originally posted by Spa_driver »

Uhh, it says in the article that you can get it with a manual....

We'll see..I have a sneaking suspicion that a manual will be HARD or nearly impossible to find..can you say "delayed availability"?

And of course you CAN'T get a base engine on it. They should have make the 2.5 an option because my guess is with that combinaion they could have dropped the price by about 1500 $...

[CosmicTDI]

Again pulling these numbers out of your ass. Enough already. Your speculation isn't based on anything...

The 2.0T is a base engine, just like it's the base engine in the Passat.

[cricketchirp]

Quote, originally posted by CosmicTDI »

Again pulling these numbers out of your ass. Enough already. Your speculation isn't based on anything... The 2.0T is a base engine, just like it's the base engine in the Passat.

Everytime one of "you" mention "speculation" I just snicker....because using that as a distraction to the car having TOO HIGH A PRICE POINT isn't going to change the real base issue.

And sure the Passat is a luxury model so of course it should have a more sophisiticated engine that is MORE COSTLY. The 2T is NOT a base engine. At least not on this model is should'nt be.

The Tiguan buyer is not a Passat buyer. He or she is not "there yet".

SOous all a favor and stop pulling idiotic distractions out of yer ass, ok?


Modified by cricketchirp at 2:44 AM 5-19-2008

[squint_91]

Quote, originally posted by cricketchirp »

Everytime one of "you" mention "speculation" I just snicker....because using that as a distraction to the car having TOO HIGH A PRICE POINT isn't going to change the real base issue. And sure the Passat is a luxury model so of course it should have a more sophisiticated engine that is MORE COSTLY. The 2T is NOT a base engine. At least not on this model is should'nt be. The Tiguan buyer is not a Passat buyer. He or she is not "there yet". SOous all a favor and stop pulling idiotic distractions out of yer ass, ok? Modified by cricketchirp at 2:44 AM 5-19-2008

If they made the base model a 2.5 with a manual, youd be bitching about its poor performance and mileage.

I swear you are just one of those people that is impossible to please and always has some genius idea that the manufacturer should have thought of. They know that a 2.0t tiguan is more expensive than a 2.5 tiguan and more expensive than the competitors in that segment. They are marketing it that way.

[PsyberVW]

This is going to be a TOUGH sell to the "average" American consumer. Each model year, we expect increases in volume and HP - its what the commercials promise us to coax us out of the garage and into the showroom to upgrade..

Being that a Toyota and Honda are both leading the segment and setting the "Standards", I find it's an uphill battle to convince anyone that they've been doing it wrong for 10 years. (again, VAG gets to the party a day late and a dollar short..)

That aside, they may still capture the market of people who haven't moved into an "suv.cuv.xav" yet, and catch a cross section of people who are attempting to up-size or down-size (the reason for having a "cute-ute" market; its like the gateway drug to either a larger SUV or a smaller compact..)

My faith in VWs dedication to a well engineered product isn't waivered here - it's my belief of the public fickleness and infidelity that casts shadows for me.

[feels_road]

To release this with one engine, only, and with no manual transmission in the AWD version (nor in conjunction with leather or sun roof) shows this is just a stop-gap measure by VW, scaled down in available variations and options like the recent Eos and Passat releases. The exchange rate and high Wolfsburg manufacturing costs don't allow them to sell these in any large quantity, or at a reasonable price, in the US. They are just waiting for things to change, either on the dollar value front, or, more realistically, in terms of US or low-wage country production.

If they were truly interested in having a big impact at this time, they would have ensured that there is a fuel-economic, i.e., Diesel version (first CUV with good performance and great highway mileage). Euro pricing and other VW products show that in reality, the Diesel, even with US emissions parts, is not any (or at least, not much) more expensive than the 2.0TFSI. It seems to be less than $2,000 different from the 2.5.

Again, it is the fact that they can sell every single TDI engine they manage to produce in Europe, currently, and at a large profit margin. We get the scraps, in what VW has long determined to be its core US product: the Jetta.

Modified by feels_road at 3:50 AM 5-19-2008

[SinisterMind]

VW should follow the Honda and Toyota philosophy. The base car has barely anything and offer a ton of options. It's nice that VW offers options standard, but the price is what gets people in the door. Especially at this time when people are more cost conscious.

[Mike Gordon]

Quote, originally posted by squint_91 »

If they made the base model a 2.5 with a manual, youd be bitching about its poor performance and mileage.

I agree. With the 2.5 the 0-60 would be piss poor and so would the mileage. The Tiguan with the 2.0T achieves 0-60 in the same time as the Rabbit. IMO it needs the 2.0T.


Modified by Mike Gordon at 5:36 AM 5-19-2008

[TheTimob]

Yeah, except the Acura RDX is better in most every way, has a larger engine at 2.3L with a turbo and 40 more horsepower. FORTY!! DAMN, VW!

>The tiguan gets better MPG though, 18/25 for tiguan, and 17/22 for RDX<

Plus, the Acura has two other things going for it:

Reliability, something that VW knows not much about, what with the Touareg being the most unreliable car on the road for a while.

Brand Image: Acura is a luxury/performance brand. No matter how VW tries, it's pretty hard to make something called "the people's car" into a luxury car for only the rich. Maybe VW should launch a new line of cars for the luxury/sport market. Call it Audi or something.

But if you though the Tiguan was cheaper than the RDX, take a look at what's actually on the dealer's lots:
http://www.tucsonvw.com/volksw...iguan
There are two models of RDX. One has the Technology package. The cheap one is $33k, the expensive one is $36k

[kwik!gti]

Real original. Just like the "Zoom Zoom" Maita/Tribute ads. VW sucks at pretty much anything/everything IMO.

[xenniferx]

I found a youtube video of vw hawking this comact suv the other day. There were mic problems, a really irritating host, and they stood so much in front of the vehicle, you couldn't even get a look at it.

I also thought it was strange that they'd boast putting the gti engine in it w it being so much heavier than the gti.

I'd buy it before a honda or acura, if I was looking for something bigger, but that's cause I'm a dubber and I'm a v small percentage of the population.

><

[VeeDubDriver]

Quote »

And the CR-V doesn't have many of the features that the Tiguan has as standard equipment, such as electronic stability control.

Stability control is standard on all CR-Vs

[2VWatatime]

Quote, originally posted by timbo2132 »

Yeah, except the Acura RDX is better in most every way, has a larger engine at 2.3L with a turbo and 40 more horsepower. FORTY!! DAMN, VW! >The tiguan gets better MPG though, 18/25 for tiguan, and 17/22 for RDX< Plus, the Acura has two other things going for it: Reliability, something that VW knows not much about, what with the Touareg being the most unreliable car on the road for a while. Brand Image: Acura is a luxury/performance brand. No matter how VW tries, it's pretty hard to make something called "the people's car" into a luxury car for only the rich. Maybe VW should launch a new line of cars for the luxury/sport market. Call it Audi or something. But if you though the Tiguan was cheaper than the RDX, take a look at what's actually on the dealer's lots: http://www.tucsonvw.com/volksw...iguan There are two models of RDX. One has the Technology package. The cheap one is $33k, the expensive one is $36k

Ah, Timbo... and exactly how many "cheap" RDX's are out there?
Pohanka's inventory runs from just under $34K to $39K...
It seems to me that the Tiguan is the "lower cost" alternative to the RDX, as opposed to an "expensive" Honda CRV.
After having driven several "cute utes", the Tiguan's size strikes me as more "Escape sized"... and demonstrates good value for that size.

Now - is the Acura worth it's premium? Well, the dealer body/dealer experience is many levels above VW...

J

[TheTimob]

Quote, originally posted by 2VWatatime »

Ah, Timbo... and exactly how many "cheap" RDX's are out there? Pohanka's inventory runs from just under $34K to $39K... It seems to me that the Tiguan is the "lower cost" alternative to the RDX, as opposed to an "expensive" Honda CRV. After having driven several "cute utes", the Tiguan's size strikes me as more "Escape sized"... and demonstrates good value for that size. Now - is the Acura worth it's premium? Well, the dealer body/dealer experience is many levels above VW... J

I'm actually a closet Acura/Honda fanboy - and always have been since before I owned a VW.

Ok - so maybe the RDX vs the Tiguan is not really a fair comparison - I forgot about the Audi Q5 or whatever it'll be called will compete with the RDX. Cool.

[Turbio!]

I simply cannot imagine any reason why somebody would buy this over a Forester. I've gone over the small SUV market stem to stern, and the Forester wins pretty hard - best combination of value and available features and fuel economy. The Tiguan offers absolutely nothing that the Forester doesn't also offer, cheaper, with better company-wide reliability, better driving dynamics, more cargo room, and better offroad chops. (Yes, I've driven both.)

Unless the Tiguan is immediately made available with a diesel, it offers no compelling reason to buy. And the Forester comes in with a diesel - which according to my man at the Subaru dealership is happening in 2011 - fughettaboutit.

[Conejo GTI]

in the Tiguan's brouchure there is a picture of a Tiguan getting an engine swap from a GTI. very clever

[duke of chucchinchilla]

For those wondering, the base price of a Tiguan in Germany is 26.700,00 €.

German Tiguan website featuring that famous model and her singing bf (don't know celebrity names)
http://www.volkswagen.de/vwcms....html

[2VWatatime]

Quote, originally posted by timbo2132 »

I'm actually a closet Acura/Honda fanboy - and always have been since before I owned a VW. Ok - so maybe the RDX vs the Tiguan is not really a fair comparison - I forgot about the Audi Q5 or whatever it'll be called will compete with the RDX. Cool.

Now THAT will be an interesting comparo... it will be difficult to justify the VW group higher price, especially with the dealer experience factored in...

J

BTW - TD, exactly what's up with the Sube deal? When I use their online config. to equip an Forester as a Tiggy, the price diff is +/- one grand or less... and the Tiggy TDI starts production week 45 of this year (slightly ahead of 2011)...

[Turbio!]

Quote, originally posted by 2VWatatime »

BTW - TD, exactly what's up with the Sube deal? When I use their online config. to equip an Forester as a Tiggy, the price diff is +/- one grand or less... and the Tiggy TDI starts production week 45 of this year (slightly ahead of 2011)...

Really? I've done the same, and they ended up about two grand apart. Also, I'm considering the availability of a non-turbo engine option in the Forester.

Got a source on TDI availability? From what I've gathered, they're coming "sometime" around 2011, with no firm entry date. Is that not the case?

I'm strongly considering the purchase of a compact SUV and a diesel runabout sometime in the very near future, and if the Tiguan is available with a diesel soon, it might sway my decision. As it stands, I'm going with a Forester and a Jetta TDI Sportwagen.

[Double-V]

Does cricketchirp post in any threads other than VW-related threads???

[Turbio!]

Follow-up...the latest news on the diesel Tiguan is that it's not coming for 2009 and that no release date has been announced, with some doubt cast on it coming at all.

[AKADriver]

Quote, originally posted by Double-V »

Does cricketchirp post in any threads other than VW-related threads???

He posts in GM or Ford related threads if they give him an opportunity to complain about not getting European models, or attribute the success of a US-designed model to its platform relationship to a European model.

[2VWatatime]

Quote, originally posted by Turbiodiesel! »

Follow-up...the latest news on the diesel Tiguan is that it's not coming for 2009 and that no release date has been announced, with some doubt cast on it coming at all.

Source?

J

[TightDub]

Quote, originally posted by xenniferx »

I found a youtube video of vw hawking this comact suv the other day. There were mic problems, a really irritating host, and they stood so much in front of the vehicle, you couldn't even get a look at it. I also thought it was strange that they'd boast putting the gti engine in it w it being so much heavier than the gti. I'd buy it before a honda or acura, if I was looking for something bigger, but that's cause I'm a dubber and I'm a v small percentage of the population. ><

Just quoted u to say "hey there..where u been?" Sent u IM b4 realizing u cant read em

Oh on topic...In my oppinion the Tiguan is nice...I like small


Modified by TightDub at 11:37 AM 5-19-2008

[Spa_driver]

Quote, originally posted by cricketchirp »

We'll see..I have a sneaking suspicion that a manual will be HARD or nearly impossible to find..can you say "delayed availability"? And of course you CAN'T get a base engine on it. They should have make the 2.5 an option because my guess is with that combinaion they could have dropped the price by about 1500 $...

You want worse power and gas mileage all to save a lousy $1,500 Doesn't sound like VW needs to worry about making an extra 5-speed Tiquan for you anyway....or any new VW for that matter.

[ROCK AND ROLL CHEVY]

Quote, originally posted by Turbiodiesel! »

Follow-up...the latest news on the diesel Tiguan is that it's not coming for 2009 and that no release date has been announced, with some doubt cast on it coming at all.

Considering the current ridiculous cost of diesel fuel, and the thousands of dollars that the cost of a diesel engine would add to the already overpriced Tiguan, I will be very surprised if that version ever makes it over here.

[Mazda 3s]

Quote, originally posted by 2VWatatime »

Source? J

http://news.windingroad.com/bo...layed/

[Turbio!]

Quote, originally posted by ROCK AND ROLL CHEVY »

Considering the current ridiculous cost of diesel fuel, and the thousands of dollars that the cost of a diesel engine would add to the already overpriced Tiguan, I will be very surprised if that version ever makes it over here.

Not really. Assuming, conservatively, that the Tiguan gets 40mpg, its per-mile fuel costs will be $0.11 assuming $4.40/gallon diesel. Assuming 3.70/gallon gasoline, and 24mpg for the 2.0T Tiguan, per-mile costs are $0.15. Assuming 5 years of ownership averaging 10,000 miles per year, the diesel pays for itself by the time the owner gets rid of it, assuming that the TDI will be a $2000 option. At 20,000 miles per year, not an unrealistic number, it pays for itself in 2.5 years. Clearly, a diesel is a sensible option for people with high-mileage driving patterns.

As an aside, the Jetta TDI sportwagen, assuming that 60mpg highway is achievable, drives that down to 7 cents per mile.

My analysis above assumes that the financial picture is only influenced by cost per gallon and miles driven. However, when you factor in that diesel vehicles typically have high resale values and lose value more slowly, that further offsets the higher purchase price. Also, consider that - whether you agree with them personally or not - carbon taxes and fees associated with carbon cap-trade schemes are likely to begin affecting fuel prices, and engines with lower per-mile carbon emissions are likely to be favored, the picture becomes even rosier.

Also, I think you're underestimating the number of people, like myself, who are interested in diesel for reasons of alternative fuel availability, reduced carbon emissions, and better torque.

It's never looked on with scorn and confusion when people choose, for various reasons, to upgrade to an engine that delivers more speed and power, so why do hybrids and diesels get singled out? It's merely an engine upgrade that emphasizes different types of performance and serves different needs.

[AKADriver]

The diesel resale factor is really just nuts. People are still asking $25k for '05-6 Jettas, and for older TDI models in my neck of the woods, there seems to be a standard $4-6000 markup.

As a $2500 option on a new car you can't lose.