VW unveils R-rated Tiguan

Hot on the heels of the Volkswagen Tiguan's international media launch, the German carmaker has revealed a tarted-up variant at the Essen Motor Show.

Dubbed the Tiguan R-Line, the 'design study' is billed as "a subtly aggressive styling exercise demonstrating the potential for a range-topping Tiguan."

Read between the lines and what VW is saying is that the R-Line will, indeed, be the eventual Tiguan range-topper, and its suffix reflects the 'S-Line' nomenclature that sister brand Audi uses for its body-kitted variants.

The Tiguan R-Line is the handiwork of 'Individual' -- an engineering department wholly owned by Volkswagen and responsible for special projects including the Golf R32 and the BlueMotion range of vehicles.

The Individual skunkworks was established in 2003 and is also based in Wolfsburg.

Individual's influence on the Tiguan R-Line extends to a set of 19-inch multi-spoke wheels, a bespoke set of front and rear bumpers, subtle wheel arch extensions and colour-coded sills.

The grille section is also new and features a pair of split chrome bars.

Inside, the R-Line gains a funkier ambience thanks to sports seats (with an 'R' logo emblazoned on the headrests) and a flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel -- in the same vein as the Golf GTI.

The Tiguan range launches in Oz late next year, and burgeoning sales in the compact SUV segment suggest it'll substantially fatten up Volkswagen Group Australia's annual volumes.

VW Australia insiders have revealed they're hoping for over 600 Tiguan sales a month, and this seems feasible given that the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 have been averaging more than 1000 monthly sales so far this year.

The Tiguan will be offered here with a range of petrol and diesel engines, but exact local spec levels are yet to be announced.

Pricing, too, is yet to be announced, but expect an entry point in the low to mid $30,000s.