Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid 2020 review

Volkswagen's best-selling SUV gains its first plug-in hybrid powertrain, offering a 31-mile electric-only range The 316bhp Tiguan R might be the most exciting addition to Volkswagen's newly facelifted and hugely successful family SUV line, but this here e-Hybrid model is arguably the most significant.The reasoning behind this is simple, really: it’s a plug-in hybrid. So it should offer the sorts of fleet manager-friendly CO2 ratings that make PHEVs a tempting business choice, while also affording private buyers who are able to regularly charge its 13kWh battery flexibility and lower running costs.That powertrain is the same as you will find in the likes of the Volkswagen Passat GTE and Skoda Superb iV. It’s based around a turbocharged 1.4-litre four-pot petrol engine, which is mated to an electric drive motor and a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Combined, these elements make for a system output of 242bhp and 295lb ft, all of which is deployed to the road via the front axle.Select E-Mode to run solely on electricity and, on a full charge, you will be good to travel about 31 miles or so. And once you run out, you can hook up to a 3.5kW wallbox to charge the battery again in just over three and a half hours.