VW unveils its RAV4 fighter

Volkswagen has provided the first tangible evidence of how its rival to the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V will shape up.

Say hello to the Concept Tiguan, revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and due to go into production by the end of 2007.

It's no secret that VW was developing a compact SUV. The Wolfsburg manufacturer revealed the Concept A in Berlin earlier this year and in July it announced that the eventual showroom vehicle would be dubbed Tiguan.

The name was decided upon after polling more than 350,000 readers of magazines Germany's AutoBild group.

Volkswagen says the latest concept "hints strongly at how the final version could look", and that's an encouraging statement as the design study cuts a handsome figure.

Measuring 4.4 metres long, 1.85m wide and 1.69m high, the Tiguan is larger than the RAV4 in every direction, so it promises generous levels of interior space.

Klaus Bischoff, who was responsible for the exterior design of the car said: "It was very important for us to have the car appear powerful and muscular.  For us that was a higher priority than anything else."

The Tiguan is derived from the same platform that underpins the current Golf and Jetta and there are also some clear links in its exterior design language. It looks much like a Golf that's pumped itself full of steroids and spent six months in the gym.

A somewhat novel feature is the 'colour-coded' 19-inch tyres, which were specially developed by Continental. The orange stripes in the tyres aren't merely painted on -- they actually penetrate the rubber layer as a 'baked in' component of the tyres' casing. 

It's debatable whether the offbeat tyres will feature in the production vehicle, but VW says the anthracite-coloured alloy rims will survive the transition to the showroom variant.

Inside the Concept Tiguan, the black, silver and orange colour theme continues.  The vintage style black leather seats are trimmed with an orange pattern mirroring that of the tyre tread. 

A panoramic sunroof adds light to the interior, which can seat up to five occupants. Adding versatility, the rear bench seat can slide fore and aft and be folded down to increase luggage space. 

Under the bonnet, the concept car features a completely new type of diesel engine called 'BLUETEC'.  Developed in partnership with Audi and Mercedes-Benz and presented for the first time at the LA show, VW says "BLUETEC employs a modular concept of different systems to reduce emissions significantly".

One of these systems is the NOx storage catalytic converter, which cuts nitrogen oxides by up to 90 per cent over current diesel units.

The production Tiguan is likely to also be offered with the other engines available in the current Golf -- ranging from a 1.6-litre four-cylinder unit to the 147kW turbo four that powers the GTI.

Expect the production Tiguan to debut at the Geneva show next March, or at Frankfurt in September.

But you'll have to wait until 2008 before it appears in Australian VW showrooms.