Volkswagen Caught Testing A Hot, Audi RS-Powered Tiguan At The 'Ring

The Volkswagen Tiguan R has been spotted testing at the Nürburgring again, with an audible difference. This time it’s sporting a five-cylinder engine.

And what an engine it is. Lifted straight from the Audi RS3 and TT RS, the 2.5-litre, turbocharged TFSI can produce a monstrous 395hp. In the TT-RS, that’s good for 60mph in well under four seconds.

Sadly, it’s not likely to slot into the Tiguan unaltered. We reckon it’ll be turned down a bit so as not to totally eclipse the upcoming Seat Ateca Cupra, which sits on the same MQB platform and is pencilled in with a 300hp output. Still, it will overshadow the existing Tiguan range-topper, a 240hp twin-turbo diesel, and post some daft performance figures for an SUV.

This test car very much resembles a blend of the Tiguan’s top R-Line trim and the Golf R, with the TT RS’s massive oval tailpipes thrown in for good measure.

In this shakedown test you can see the Tiguan R doesn’t have a great deal in the way of body roll, with only a couple of inches between compression and expansion in the tricky Adenauer Forst chicane. This suggests quite a firm setup and probably more limited off-road ability as a result.

You can also hear - alongside that five-cylinder growl - a lot of complaining from the front tyres, probably due to less of a rear-bias to the four-wheel drive system.

The Tiguan R should be available next year, with a price in the region of £45,000.