This is the new Volkswagen Tiguan (almost)

On the eve of a new Tiguan arriving, VW is really bigging up the success of its compact SUV. Its Golf-beating credentials are in fact a little misleading because last year was the Golf’s changeover year; in a regular year closer to a million Golfs are made.

Despite that the Tiguan still boasts a remarkable record since it first burst on to the soft-roader market in 2007. It is today the best-selling SUV in Europe and third most popular SUV worldwide. A new Tiguan is made every 35 seconds from plants in Germany, Russia, China and Mexico.

Now it is almost time for the new, third-generation Tiguan, its new look previewed here for the first time in this sketch ahead of its unveiling later in the year. The smooth new front end and LED light signature echoes that of the new Golf Mk8. The latest MQB building blocks and digital cabin from the Golf will likewise distinguish the new SUV. There will also be a new plug-in hybrid version for Europe, alongside regular petrol and diesel models.

We can expect as well a long-wheelbase Tiguan Allspace seven-seat version; in recent years more than half of all Tiguans have been the long-wheelbase version and it is the only version of the Tiguan sold in the US.

The Tiguan’s success since 2007 mirrors the remarkable rise of the SUV in that time, and the new one will be out to build on its popularity despite it now facing 10 times as many rivals as it did 13 years ago. Who knows, it may even continue to outsell the Golf – but with a total of six million Tiguans now made – against 35 million Golfs – it has a way to go yet to catch up with its hatchback brother.