New Models
New Models

2021 Volkswagen Tiguan price and specs: Mid-size SUV hit with price rises for new look, more tech

Volkswagen's Toyota RAV4 rival scores a mid-life facelift with a revised exterior, new tech and different engines – all met with price rises.


  • 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan price and specs detailed
  • Updated styling and technology for the brand's mid-size SUV
  • Three grades with four petrol and diesel engines
  • Priced from $39,690 plus on-roads, with price rises up to $4700

Pricing and specification for the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan has been announced, ahead of its staggered showroom arrival commencing in mid-March.

Volkswagen's popular mid-size SUV has undergone its mid-life facelift for 2021, with new exterior styling, updated interior technologies, a revised engine line-up for Australia and upgraded levels of standard equipment, with LED headlights, a digital instrument cluster and a full suite of 'IQ.Drive' active safety technologies – all accompanied by price rises by up to $2100.

Three variants will be offered locally – Life, Elegance and R-Line – with four engine options, comprising three petrol options and one diesel variant.

Opening the range is the Tiguan Life, priced from $39,690 plus on-road costs in 110TSI guise or $43,690 plus on-roads in 132TSI form – up $4700 for the former over the outgoing base Tiguan, the 110TSI Trendline, but roughly on par on price to the previous Comfortline grade, which featured similar levels of standard equipment as the new Life.

Above: UK-spec Volkswagen Tiguan Life, fitted with different wheels to Australia's model, and the local Elegance's matrix LED headlights and chrome trim. Top of story: Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line.

Standard equipment includes automatic LED headlights with automatic high beams, LED fog lights and tail-lights, an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with satellite navigation, gesture control, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10.25-inch configurable 'Digital Cockpit Pro' digital instrument cluster, 18-inch 'Nizza' alloy wheels and a space-saver spare wheel.

There's also tri-zone climate control (with touch-based controls), automatic wipers, power-folding heated door mirrors, a hands-free electric tailgate and a reversing camera.

A full suite of active safety technologies (branded under the IQ.Drive moniker) are standard-fit, including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, lane-keep assist, lane-following assist (which combines with the adaptive cruise system for semi-autonomous driving on motorways), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention monitoring, automatic parking, and front and rear parking sensors.

Above: UK-spec Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line interior, with the smaller 8.0-inch screen.

They're joined a 360-degree 'proactive protection' system which uses sensors around the car to tighten the seatbelts and shut the windows when an "increased risk of a crash" is detected.

Two engines are available on the Life, led on price by the '110TSI', powered by a 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine sending drive to the front wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The same engine features in the new-generation, 'Mk8' Volkswagen Golf, though the smaller hatchback features an eight-speed torque-converter auto in place of the Tiguan's DSG.

A higher-grade '132TSI' mill can be had for additional cost, featuring a 2.0-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder routing 132kW and 320Nm to all wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and a 4Motion reactive all-wheel-drive system.

Buyers can step up to the mid-spec Tiguan Elegance, priced from $50,790 plus on-road costs in 162TSI petrol guise, or $52,290 plus on-roads in 147TDI diesel form – the latter the first diesel engine to be offered in the non-Allspace Tiguan since August 2018.

Above and next two images below: Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line.

Additional features over the Life include a 9.2-inch infotainment screen with smartphone mirroring, navigation and gesture control, 19-inch 'Auckland' alloy wheels, IQ.Light matrix LED headlights, 'premium' LED tail-lights with scrolling indicators, Vienna leather trim, electrically-adjustable heated front seats with electric lumbar support, 'easy entry' and memory and a heated steering wheel.

It also adds adaptive dampers, rear privacy glass, 30-colour ambient LED cabin lighting and additional chrome and silver trim elements.

Elegance buyers can opt for one of two engines: a 162kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo petrol (known as the '162TSI'), or a 147kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo diesel (badged '147TDI'). Both are mated to seven-speed dual-clutch automatics and 4Motion all-wheel-drive.

Sitting atop the range is the Tiguan R-Line, priced from $53,790 or $55,290 plus on-road costs in 162TSI or 147TDI guises respectively – with the 162TSI petrol up $2100 over the outgoing 162TSI Highline flagship, sans R-Line pack.

For the additional $3000 spend over the Elegance, the sport-themed R-Line picks up an R-Line exterior styling package with unique bumpers, skirts, rear spoiler and badging, 20-inch 'Misano' alloy wheels, R-Line Vienna leather trim, an R-Line steering wheel with capacitive touch-based buttons (replacing lower grades' physical units), stainless steel pedals, black headlining and variable sports steering.

However, the R-Line's electric tailgate loses the Life and Elegance's hands-free functionality.

A range of options can be had across various trim grades.

Life buyers can opt for a $5000 Luxury Package, comprising Vienna leather trim, a heated steering wheel, an electrically-adjustable heated driver's seat with memory functionality, and a power-operated panoramic electric sunroof.

Meanwhile, Elegance and R-Line buyers can specify a $2500 Sound and Vision Package, which adds a 360-degree camera, head-up display and Harman/Kardon premium sound system.

Also available on Elegance and R-Line variants is a $2000 panoramic glass sunroof, while all variants offer a selection of metallic/pearlescent exterior paint finishes, each commanding an $800 premium.

All models benefit as standard from a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, along with capped-price servicing a 12-month intervals, with the option to select a $1200 three-year or $2400 five-year 'Care Plan' for servicing.

The 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan will go on sale first in 110TSI Life form in mid-March, with 162TSI and 147TDI variants to arrive in late May, followed by the 132TSI Life in June.

2021 Volkswagen Tiguan Australian pricing

  • Tiguan 110TSI Life – $39,690 (up $200 over equivalently-specified 110TSI Comfortline)
  • Tiguan 132TSI Life – $43,690 (down $300 over equivalently-specified 132TSI Comfortline)
  • Tiguan 162TSI Elegance – $50,790 (new)
  • Tiguan 147TDI Elegance – $52,290 (new)
  • Tiguan 162TSI R-Line – $53,790 (up $2100 over 162TSI Highline)
  • Tiguan 147TDI R-Line – $55,290 (new)

Note: All prices exclude on-road costs.


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Alex Misoyannis

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.

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