It’s raining Compact SUVs and how could the brand Volkswagen, with a whole range of companies and platforms under its belt, be left behind.
Renault started the trend with the blockbuster Duster and now all the others are following to cash in on people’s new found love for this relatively new breed of machines. Based on the UP! Platform, VW showcased their compact SUV Taigun at the Sau Paulo motor show in October 2012.
VW has not really revealed any plans of the UP!’s Indian entry despite its test mules getting caught in and around Pune, we can still hope that the UP! platform spawned Taigun could very well reach Indian shores. They denied the UP! Car, not the platform!
Volkswagen is considering Taigun for the Indian market is what we hear from Overdrive who have confirmed this in an interview with VW’s Ulrich Hackenberg, member of board of management. Taigun is a compact SUV measuring 3.86 meters, well under 4 meters and it qualifies for those tax benefits everybody has been gunning for. It will measure 1.86 meters in width but somehow VW has still managed to scoop out a wheelbase of 2.47 meters.
Taigun possesses the familiar VW looks and appears to be a cross of Tiguan and Touraeg. 17 inch 205/50 R17 tyres coupled with a high ground clearance make it a go-anywhere sort of a car and when it will make it to India, will slot above the CrossPolo.
It will have a boot space of 280 litres which will increase to 987 litres if the rear seats are folded down. Powering the Ecosport rival is a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that which will produce 110PS at 5,000rpm and 175Nm of torque mated to a a six-speed manual gearbox. If VW brings this engine to India, it would be one heck of a deal!
This engine is based on their much hyped EA211 series, and the use of direct fuel injection and turbocharging will make the CUV good for a 21kmpl. The low kerb weight of the car at 985 kgs, coupled with the turbocharged petrol will help it reach the 100 kmph mark in 9.2 seconds with a top speed of 185 kmph. These are fantastic specs by any standards for a car of this segment.
The interiors displayed in the concept were a bit futuristic and non-viable to make it to production so we will not talk about them much. What could really make on to the production version would be an infotainment system which would be compatible with most of the smartphones.
When it launches in 2014, it shall pose serious threat to Renault Duster and Ford Ecosport and if they can manage a diesel engine under the hood, who knows this pint sized rocket might just be as big a rage as the Duster! No matter what, the only beneficiary is going to be the urban Compact SUV buyer.
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Source: OverDrive
Richie Rich
