If there's one certainty in the car realm, it's that US customers always want more power regardless if we're talking about hatchbacks, SUVs, or any other body style for that matter. For this reason, VW of America is planning to inject more pizzazz into the Tiguan and Atlas for the next-generation models. The disclosure was made by Hein Schafer, Senior Vice President of Product & Strategy at VW Group of America in a recent interview with CarBuzz.
Starting with the smaller of the two crossovers, Schafer says the Tiguan will have a successor in the US with a stronger engine: "Whether it will be a full-blown R, maybe not – but I can tell you that there will be a derivative in the Tiguan lineup that will have a little bit more oomph and a little more giddy-up.”
VoA actually tried to make this happen with the current-gen Tiguan by bringing the R version stateside. However, the high-performance crossover sold in Europe is based on the standard two-row model whereas the US market only gets the longer variant. Schafer didn't go into any specifics about how much extra power the compact SUV will get, but reiterated it'll be more potent:
"Whether that will be like an R that's 100-150 horsepower more than the standard derivative remains to be seen, but we are working on something with a bit more oomph in the Tiguan."
2021 Volkswagen Atlas
More power is also inbound for the bigger Atlas, but don't hold your breath for an R version. Schafer says VoA wants to install an engine that will "put out a little bit more" but not enough to qualify for the full-fat R treatment. "A little more horsepower" is what the company is committing to for the time being, with no exact figures about the power gain.
As to when can we expect the next-generation models, not in the foreseeable future. The Tiguan was facelifted in the United States for the 2022 model year, so its successor is unlikely to arrive sooner than the 2025MY. The larger Atlas was refreshed for 2021, meaning a replacement could arrive in a couple of years or so.
As a final note, Schafer ruled out a beefier Taos, saying it's "highly unlikely" the small crossover will spawn a more athletic sibling.
