VW ID Tiguan revealed as overhauled ID 4 with 373-mile range

The Volkswagen ID Tiguan has been revealed as the replacement for the ID 4 and ID 5 siblings.

Although it is essentially an overhauled ID 4, the change of name reflects how substantially the car has been updated - and VW's decision to bring its EVs back into line with its heartland combustion-engined models.

Its new look, said Volkswagen, is intended to bring it closer to SUV convention rather than giving the appearance of a high-riding hatchback.

The ID Tiguan follows the same Pure Positive design language as the ID Polo and ID Cross, with front and rear light bars, but also reintroduces several of the brand's signature styling cues.

For example, the shoulder line now runs straight along the flanks of the car, rather than rising and falling with its arches. This will be a defining element on future Volkswagen models. Moreover, the ID Tiguan replaces the ID 4's electrically operated pop-out door handles with conventional mechanical items a change that, said VW, came "at our customers request"

The changes are similarly dramatic inside: physical buttons, including climate control switches, have been reinstated en masse, and the dashboard houses screens from pillar to pillar.

This array includes Volkswagen's first passenger infotainment display, which allows the use of apps such as YouTube. Amazon Prime Video and Spotify.

The instrument panel, meanwhile, recalls the Mk4 Golf's as standard, although it can be configured to mimic that of the Mk1 Golf, the Mk2 Golf Country, the Mk1 Tiguan, the Dakar Rally Race Touareg or the Beetle as the driver desires.

Boot space is reduced by nine litres compared with the ID 4 but, to compensate, the car has gained a small storage compartment under the bonnet, sized for stowing the charging cable.

Powertrain choices are unchanged from the ID 4: the standard model has a 188bhp rear-mounted motor and a 58kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery. Volkswagen expects this set-up to return a range of 280 miles, up from 265 miles previously.

The ID Tiguan can also be had with a 282bhp motor and 77kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery, boosting range to 373 miles, and with an additional front motor for four-wheel drive and 298bhp.

It remains to be seen whether the performance-focused GTX model will return However, it was recently rebranded GTI for the related ID 3 hatchback and VW has never previously applied that label to an SUV, suggesting it has been shelved.

Volkswagen has fitted the ID Tiguan with new bushings and valved dampers that are said to improve ride comfort, and its braked towing capacity is up from 1.2 to 2.0 tonnes.

The first examples of the ID Tiguan are due to arrive in UK showrooms early next year, priced from around £36,000 - assuming it will, like the ID 4, be eligible for the £1500 Electric Car Grant.