Volkswagen Taigun concept SUV unveiled in Brazil

No, it’s not a misspelling of Tiguan, but it may one day join that and the Touareg in Volkswagen’s SUV range, depending on public reaction. Shown at the ongoing Sao Paulo motor show in Brazil, the Taigun hints at the look of a possible small SUV based on the front-wheel drive New Small Family platform, which also underpins the up! city car.

The engine’s a turbocharged direct-injected 1.0 litre three-cylinder (based on the EA211 series) that produces 110 PS and 175 Nm of torque, while the gearbox is a six-speed manual. The 985 kg car can be pushed to 100 km/h from a standstill in just over nine seconds, and max speed stands at 186 km/h.

How small? The concept car is 3.86 metres long and 1.73 metres wide, while wheelbase is 2.47 metres. Overhangs are pretty short too, with 708 mm at the front and 681 mm at the back. Track width is just shy of 1.5 metres, and the car sits on 17-inch alloys encased in 205/50 series rubber.

Sharing design elements with its bigger brothers in the existing SUV range, the Taigun concept features rugged side panels, underbody protection and practical roof rails with LED spotlights that beef up its image. A split tailgate opens to reveal 280 litres of load space, leaping to 987 litres with the back seats folded.

Inside, headroom is quoted at a generous 1,036 mm in front and 980 mm at the back. Knobs that sit within the front air nozzles individually control blower speed and temperature. There’s a central infotainment system with smartphone connectivity and mounted auxiliary gauges that display oil pressure, coolant temperature and turbo charge pressure. As far as concepts go then, this one’s quite thorough and complete.

VW says this is very much a vehicle for the urban environment, citing the high driving position that improves forward view and claiming a combined fuel consumption of 4.7 litres per 100 km.

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