The Volkswagen Tiguan was left to go stagnant on the market for 10 years after its launch, with Volkswagen finally giving in to introduce the second-gen model for the 2017 model year. It was, in fact, significantly more attractive, more modern than ever, and even had all the right technology. Be that as it may, once successful Tiguan isn’t doing quite as well on the U.S. market as VW would really like. So, as part of the SOWO show in Georgia, Volkswagen has debuted four new concepts, one of which is the Tiguan R-Line Areo Concept. It’s the most aggressive, stylistic, and attractive Tiguan we’ve ever seen. And, it sits excessively low to the ground – something that intrigues the low-rider in us and makes the Tiguan look like an oddly overgrown Golf with a cool wrap.

What Makes the Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line Aero Concept Special?

Let me start off by saying that the Tiguan R-Line Aero Concept looks like a Volkswagen Golf having a weird allergic reaction. Be that as it may, it looks pretty damn cool anyway. Starting from the top, there’s a new Thule AeroBlade Edge roof rack that’s paired with a Thule Motion XT Alpine rooftop carrier. That carrier, by the way, is wrapped in that same cool camo wrap that’s on the body below it. The most active colors of the wrap are black and white in a pixelated layout, however, the front of the rooftop carrier has some brown at the nose, while the mirrors get some of that Fluorescent Yellow.

The front end fades mainly to black as the white pixelation disappears, with the front fascia being almost entirely black, save for some small patches of white. Fluorescent Yellow accents sit below the hood, above the headlights, on the VW emblem, and along the front splitter. The concept rolls on a set of Rotiform 20-inch Monoblock CCV wheels that are finished in a powder-coated matte black.

That extra-low appearance that gives it such an aggressive stance (and makes it look like a swollen golf) comes courtesy of an Air Lift Performance air suspension system with a 3P Air Management System – that’s right, this thing has real air-ride. To help handle such a low ride, VW also threw in Performance Series struts in the front and rear. All told, the Tiguan R-Line Aero Concept sits an astounding 4.8-inches lower than the standard model.

In case you didn’t notice, I made it a point in the list above to point out that this thing is all show and no go. Sure, it can hang with the low-riders and does have a real air suspension system, but under the hood, this thing is plain old Volkswagen. The lackluster drivetrain that we’re about to discuss is also probably part of the reason why the Tiguan is struggling in the U.S., but we’ll save that conversation for another time. With that said, there’s a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder under the hood. We all know that 2.0-liter four-cylinders can deliver some considerable power (just ask Mercedes,) but VW’s mill delivers just 184 horsepower and 4,400 rpm and 221 pound-feet of torque at 1,600 rpm. Power is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission and a 4Motion permanent all-wheel-drive system.

References

Read our full review on the 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan.

Read more Volkswagen news.