Tougher Volkswagen Tiguan Offroad shown

For those in the market for an SUV that can actually venture off the beaten track, the Volkswagen Tiguan Offroad revealed late last night at the Moscow motor show might be just the ticket.

Set to go on sale in Europe but not yet confirmed for Australia, the Volkswagen Tiguan Offroad comes equipped with the 4MOTION all-wheel drive as standard but adds three new terrain response driving modes called Onroad, Offroad and Snow.

Volkswagen says each setting pre-arms the AWD and adjusts the ESC accordingly to boost traction if needed.

As well as the hardware changes, the tougher Offroad version of the second-generation Tiguan , which has now been joined by the long-wheelbase seven-seat Allspace version, also gets redesigned bumpers that give the mid-size Volkswagen SUV an improved ramp angle of 24 degrees compared to the regular version's 16 degree figure.

Other changes include new silver-coloured bash plates that hint at added underbody protection.

Highlighting its Offroad credentials, the Tiguan also gets a set of wheels, door mirrors and roof rails painted in gloss black.

Inside, the Tiguan Offroad looks almost identical to the model on which it's based, although there's now more aluminium trim, stainless steel pedals and a set of durable rubber mats.

In the German market where the Tiguan Offroad is expected to launch first before the end of the year, the Volkswagen SUV will be offered with both diesel and petrol engines, driving all four wheels via the car-maker's dual-clutch automatic transmission as standard.