The New-Old 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Limited Gets Extra Gears

Volkswagen of America is launching an all-new, second-generation, 2018 Tiguan in the summer of 2017. That’s the new new Tiguan.

But there’s also an old new Tiguan. Volkswagen is calling it the Tiguan Limited. Despite the major advances underpinning the new new Tiguan — it’s an MQB platform crossover with way more length, a third row of seats, and a dramatically different interior — the old new Tiguan will benefit from a significant update for 2018, as well.

The 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Limited will send power to its front or all four wheels via a new eight-speed automatic, just like the new new Tiguan.

And with a new eight-speed automatic comes new fuel economy figures, something the old old Tiguan could have used years ago.

Launched in late 2008, the first-generation Volkswagen Tiguan offered more standard horsepower than its competitors thanks to the across-the-board use of the Golf GTI’s turbocharged 2.0-liter. But the Tiguan was undersized, overpriced, and inefficient.

With all-wheel drive, the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan was rated at 18 miles per gallon in the city, 24 mpg on the highway, and 20 combined. Throw in premium gasoline to exacerbate your pain.

The 2009 Honda CR-V had ratings of 20/26/22 on regular fuel. In fact, even the 269-horsepower 2009 Toyota RAV4 AWD (19/26/21) consumed less fuel than the 200-horsepower 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T 4Motion. A combined rating of 23 miles per gallon was as good as the Tiguan 4Motion ever got.

SEE ALSO: New 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Debuts With More Room for Junk in the Trunk

While fuel consumption, a lack of cargo volume, and high prices initially limited the Tiguan’s appeal, sales did actually rise over time. U.S. volume increased in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015 before reaching an all-time record high in 2016, the old old Tiguan’s final year.

We don’t yet know how the old new Tiguan Limited will be priced for 2018. We also don’t how much more efficient the new new Tiguan has become with a new 2.0-liter turbo — those figures are expected on June 19.

We do, however, know how much more efficient the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Limited has become, at least in front-wheel-drive guise. Rated at 20 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and 22 combined in 2017 with a six-speed automatic and premium gasoline, the front-wheel-drive 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Limited with an eight-speed automatic is rated at 22 mpg in the city, 27 on the highway, and 24 combined. The EPA pegs the annual fuel savings at $450.

We were suspicious of the changes we noticed on FuelEconomy.gov. So we reached out to Volkswagen of America and received confirmation that the 2018 Tiguan Limited does indeed receive a new eight-speed automatic transmission. 4Motion AWD will also be available on the 2018 Tiguan Limited, but for now, that configuration is simply not listed.

The old new Volkswagen Tiguan Limited certainly hasn’t become a fuel miser. FWD variants of the Nissan Rogue and Honda CR-V hit 29 and 30 mpg, respectively, on the EPA combined scale. But at least it’s a start for the old new Tiguan, albeit about a decade late.

A version of this story originally appeared on The Truth About Cars

Discuss this story on our Volkswagen Forum