EXCLUSIVE: Spies catch the best photos of VW's X3 killer

What's bigger than a Rabbit and smaller than a Touareg? A Tiguan, of course!

And our photos are the very first images that anyone outside of Volkswagen will see.

Codenamed VW416, the Tiguan is riding on a PL/PQ48 platform a combination of the Golf/Rabbit and Passat platforms one which will eventually be shared with Audis A4, A5 and Q5. This small SUV will likely roll off the assembly line in Wolfsburg in the end of 2007, or possibly the first quarter of 2008, likely making it a 2009 model here in the States. As for the name That was chosen by readers of Germany's Auto Bild magazine. Only time will tell if that name is going to stick.

Brenda Priddy

chewy - 8/4/2006 2:14:08 AM

+1 Boost

Still can't see much, but here is how it will look:

http://media.autobild.de/bild/0/5814af89855b3ab228cb4e01722b37d0_1.jpg

Also, Tiguan's platform won't be used on the A4/A5/Q5.

rakamoo - 8/4/2006 2:18:23 AM

+1 Boost

VW,
Nice designs, but you really need to work on keeping your cars together. The lasw VW I had was a Golf, and if was a piece of #%$^! I guess that as long as the styling is good and the marketing is creative, you will continue to sell cars. As rising costs for all necessities rise (electricity, gasoline, etc), people will demand more reliability from their cars - I have gotten 10-15 yrs of service from every Japanese car I have owned - this is the benchmark, more important now than ever.

rnsaza - 8/4/2006 6:38:26 AM

+1 Boost

Nose is so long you could use it for crossing trenches in war or crossing the crevasses on glaciers or polarcaps!

atomicbri - 8/4/2006 12:37:55 PM

+1 Boost

KaiserSoze....I have owned both Audi and VW products and I have to be honest and say I have never had issues with any of them. I think on the GTi I had to take it in once... Maybe I have been lucky, I am not sure.
The Tiguan looks to be a smaller version of the Toureag... but I don't see any of that cool Concept A in this car however...I guess we were just teased...The Concept A could be a cool offering from the VeeDub Group....

M53R - 8/4/2006 12:53:12 PM

+1 Boost

Im with Cartrash, coz VW isnt supposed to b in the same league of BMW (price) but audi is. I think this will look cool. But after this launches the 2nd gen. X3 will b near too.

Dante - 8/4/2006 3:34:05 PM

+1 Boost

It's ok but the X3 is so mush better looking.

chewy - 8/4/2006 5:53:57 PM

+1 Boost

Dante

How can you comment, when you can only see doors?

mbrules - 8/4/2006 6:37:20 PM

+2 Boost

This is not VW Group's X3 killer, that will be the AUDI Q5, this will more compete with the Toyota RAV 4. You can see the BMW X3 killers, Audi Q5 and the Mercedes GLK in the story below "SPY SHOTS:Hot new SUV's and crossoverscoming soon"

crackityjones - 8/5/2006 3:36:06 AM

+1 Boost

Does any car worth driving have good reliability? Think BMW, Audi, Mini, Mercedes, heck, even Mazda and Subaru are less reliable than other Japanese brands.

If reliability is your main concern then why would you come onto Autospies? It goes with the territory that fun cars are hard to maintain. That's the trade-off. You accept it and hope for the best.

The reason I keep going back to VAG is the rich torquey goodness of their engines, their tight suspensions, and the relative value.

My GTI has its issues, but mainly it's the confederacy of dunces at the VW dealership that turns a simple thing into a multi-trip ordeal. Oh well!

Rupert - 8/5/2006 1:05:33 PM

+1 Boost

"rich torquey goodness"
you make it sound like a stew!
you must be in advertising.
twas very funny.

crackityjones - 8/5/2006 1:46:03 PM

+1 Boost

Rupert, you're right. I am. That's so funny.

JCF110 - 8/5/2006 1:56:43 PM

+1 Boost

I think this will be more of a RAV-4 killer! Considering the trunk space and the size, and the interior shots I have seen. I think the Audi Q5 should do the job of being an X3 killer. Remember Volkswagen discontinued the Phaeton because they wanted to reman as a PREMIUM brand!

ElSparquito - 8/5/2006 11:28:28 PM

+1 Boost

I'm a bit confused. Is the X3 the benchmark for all other small SUVs? I've never driven one - mostly because I have no interest in driving one. Looks too cheap to be a BMW.

This new thing by VW looks terribly out of proportion -too much overhang in the front & not enough in the back (cargo).

ElSparquito - 8/5/2006 11:28:32 PM

+1 Boost

I'm a bit confused. Is the X3 the benchmark for all other small SUVs? I've never driven one - mostly because I have no interest in driving one. Looks too cheap to be a BMW.

This new thing by VW looks terribly out of proportion -too much overhang in the front & not enough in the back (cargo).

Rupert - 8/6/2006 6:42:19 PM

+1 Boost

the x3 is the only premium compact suv. this is more of a freelander quasher, surely?