The swirling camouflage wrap can serve to blur the outline of the body and the detail underneath, but it’s interesting all attention on public roads. Meanwhile, Volkswagen is testing its new third-generation Tiguan SUV with little view from the audience.
However, this prototype did not pass our spy photographer. VW has perfected the art of hiding in plain sight with a combination of black test vehicles sporting black bands and stickers that mimic the look of today’s models. That’s what happened with this Tiguan, especially on the front. The grille and headlights you see are very similar to the current model but are just masking tape. Zooming in reveals a distinct body line underneath, revealing slimmer headlights and a slimmer top grille that could resemble an electric ID.4.
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The next-generation Tiguan won’t be an EV, so it still needs air to help cool the engine. The lower grille will grow slightly in size, covering the entire lower part of the fascia. More faux stickers on the corners mimic the current Tiguan’s side vents, but we can see that it will be square and more upright. The entire front clip of the SUV will adopt a larger, more sculpted appearance.
There’s more gimmicks on the back with a sticker used to hide the slimmer taillights. The exhaust outlets on the bumper are also decal, again mimicking the design of the current Tiguan. It seems that the next-generation SUV will have a less dramatic exhaust system that just exits under the vehicle.
Of course, the fake sticker treatment only works if the overall shape is still familiar. On the outside, the new Tiguan retains its basic design but inside is a different story. We see a completely new greenhouse with a center touchscreen that is no longer integrated into the dashboard. It looks like the ventilation for climate control is located under the screen, and the digital gauge for the driver is very hidden. With the rest of the dashboard closed, looking for other details is impossible.
Volkswagen isn’t ready to go all-electric just yet. The Tiguan is expected to launch with combustion power, possibly a version of the current turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas plant with a diesel engine offered in Europe. Mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants are certainly possible at some point.
We expect fake stickers to come out sometime in 2023, with the Tiguan debuting as a model year 2024.
