It has been six years since Volkswagen greeted us with the Volkswagen Tiguan, a compact SUV that immediately became popular among family customers. After a long wait, the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan is finally here and it has all the potential to be another instant hit.

Volkswagen showed the new SUV at the Frankfurt Motor Show and we must say, the compact SUV ticks almost all boxes.

Starting from the outside, the design of the new Tiguan is better, more stylish and judging by first looks, can sure survive the test of time. Even if Volkswagen decides to wait six more years for the third generation of the Tiguan, the 2016 version can surely withstand such a long wait.

What you notice first in the design is the front and rear changes, inspired by the new design of the Passat. It gives the Tiguan a sportier look. Thanks to the new and enlarged wheels, the Tiguan is bigger and chunkier, but also lighter. Using the new MQB platform, Volkswagen has managed to extend the length of the 2016 Tiguan by 60mm, while shedding 100 pounds of weight. The new platform debuted with the Golf and will be part of all future Volkswagen models, at least for the next few years.

The increased size of the Tiguan results with more room inside. We see immediate dividends, as there is 29mm leg room in the back, while the boot is increased by 145 liters. With all seats up, the Tiguan’s boot capacity is 615 liters and can go up to 1655 with if you choose to fold the seats flat.

Going deeper into the interior design, you can see many more similarities with the current Passat and Golf models.

Volkswagen also confirmed the rumors that there will be a 2016 Tiguan version with a longer wheelbase for markets such as China and the US.

Under the hood, the new Tiguan will be available with four different engines. The base model is the 1.6-liter diesel engine. The better diesel unit features 2.0-liter engine with three different powertrains, a single or twin turbo engine and power from 148hp to 217hp (with a 178hp engine sitting in the middle). Petrol units include 1.4-liter and 2.0-liter engine. The power of the gasoline engines is not known at the moment.

Volkswagen also confirmed that a plug-in hybrid version of the 2016 Tiguan is very plausible and should hit the markets by the end of next year. The hybrid model will use 1.4-liter gasoline engine with 154hp and an electric motor. Combined, the two engines will produce 215hp. The electric range of the plug-in hybrid 2016 Tiguan is rumored to yield 30 miles.