Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace regains diesel power choice for 2021

Volkswagen Australia announced this morning that a diesel engine choice will shortly return for buyers of the brand’s sole seven-seat option locally – the Tiguan Allspace.

Jason Bradshaw, director of customer experience and marketing at Volkswagen Australia, reaffirmed the brand’s commitment to diesel. Mr Bradshaw called diesel “an essential part of our model mix” and “a necessity for many of our customers.”

Extended delays associated with complying with Australia’s emissions testing regime – which are now a generation behind Europe’s – will come to an end in October 2020, with the 140TDI two-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel returning as the range-topping Allspace engine.

Producing 140kW of power and 400Nm of torque, the single-turbo diesel will only be available with the top-shelf Highline trim of the Tiguan Allspace – though this trim is also popularly known as the R-Line, given the high proportion of Highline buyers that tick the R-Line package at the time of purchase.

The 140TDI diesel will be priced at $54,690 – a modest $200 increase since diesel power was last offered on the Allspace at the vehicle’s launch in 2018. That price continues to sit $1,500 higher than the Highline petrol option, which continues. Dubbed 162TSI, the two-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder makes 162kW of power and 350Nm of torque and is priced at $53,190.

When diesel was last offered on the Allspace, there was also a less expensive 110TDI option making 110kW of power and 340Nm of torque from its detuned two-litre engine. That car was priced at $46,990. The 110TDI does not return at this time.

The Tiguan Allspace 140TDI continues to be generously specified for 2021 in Highline guise. Standard equipment includes 19-inch wheels with adaptive dampers, fully keyless access to the front doors and boot, push button start, LED headlights, Vienna leather upholstery with heating for the first and second (outboard) rows, electrically adjustable front seats with memory, a power tailgate with kick to open and close, a 9.2-inch touchscreen, and satellite navigation.

Standard safety features on the 140TDI take in autonomous emergency braking that operates in Drive and Reverse, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, lane keep assist, and driver fatigue detection.

The popular R-Line option package will continue to be offered, at a cost of $3,000. This package adds more athletic exterior and interior styling, the fetching 20-inch Suzuka wheel design, tinted windows, and a variable steering ratio.

Also available is a Sound and Vision package, similarly priced at $3,000. This pack brings a digital driver display, a 360-degree parking camera and a Dynaudio stereo.

Standalone options include a panoramic sunroof priced at $2,000, and metallic paints costing $800.