Volkswagen ID. Tiguan electric SUV: ID.4 to get new name and a new look

The Volkswagen ID.4 is set for a radical overhaul next year, so much so, the electric SUV will be reincarnated as the Volkswagen ID. Tiguan.

Despite the Volkswagen ID.4 having only been on sale for four years, we expect the Volkswagen ID. Tiguan to utilise an entirely new battery. Not only will the ID. Tiguan get the latest battery tech, it will also be getting a new look which is previewed by our exclusive images.

So, why is Volkswagen giving the ID.4 such a heavy update? CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Thomas Schäfer, told us at the Munich Motor Show that “ID.4 is our major-selling vehicle; it has to be in that space”. He went further saying ID.4 “has to be updated to [Volkswagen’s] new design language”, and described the next-generation SUV as “a fantastic car”.

Schäfer continued: “The ID.4 will get the MEB+ [platform], with the new battery, the cells; LFP technology and all that is coming in. It’s going to be a huge step up from today’s car.”

The switch to LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries will be a “major step forward in terms of cost for [VW]” according to Schäfer, which should hopefully help lower list prices on entry versions of future ID. cars. 

We don’t expect VW to announce prices for the new Volkswagen ID. Tiguan for a while yet, but a new VW ID.4 is available from around £35,000 through the Auto Express Buy A Car service. 

Volkswagen ID.4 or Volkswagen ID. Tiguan?

When pressed on whether or not these changes would see the ID.4 reborn as the ID. Tiguan – following in the footsteps of the ID.2all, which will reach production later in 2025 as the ID. Polo – Schäfer smiled, shrugged and said: “That hasn’t been confirmed – that would be speculation.”

Yet in a separate interview, chief designer Andreas Mindt said: “In my opinion, you have to have names. The original Beetle was the Volkswagen 1200; it’s not a name. But the audience immediately gave it a name. These names are so human; you can humanise them – this is what we want to chase; this human element on a Volkswagen. I love it.”

Assuming that the ID.4 will be rebadged ID. Tiguan, the name isn’t the only part of the car which will be getting updated.

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What will the Volkswagen ID. Tiguan look like?

A Volkswagen spokesperson previously commented that, in terms of design, “everything on the outside [of the VW ID. Tiguan] will be different; the swooping styling will be cleaner”. With this in mind, our exclusive images preview how the next-generation car could look.

We don’t expect the fundamental size and shape of the ID.4 to change, but Mindt and his team will look to draw greater parallels between the EV and the petrol and hybrid-powered Tiguan. 

That means a similar front end with a neat light bar and sharp daytime running-light signature – possibly with the addition of an illuminated VW badge. Subtle differences, such as a cleaner lower section, should help signify the EV from its combustion counterpart, which gets a gaping air intake that spans the entire width of the front bumper.

To avoid too many unnecessary changes to the side panels, we expect the ID. Tiguan to inherit the ID.4’s heavy black cladding along the sills and wheelarches – a feature that’ll most likely stretch round to the back of the car, which like before, will find its number plate mounted within the bumper rather than the bootlid.

Here, we can see the new ID. Tiguan badge visualised for the first time too. Giving the EV a more modern look, it’ll sit beneath a much more progressive lighting signature and (another) illuminated badge. 

All in, the ID. Tiguan retains much of what made the ID.4 so successful, but in a more modern package.

What will the interior of the Volkswagen ID. Tiguan look like? 

Alongside extensive exterior changes, we expect the new Volkswagen ID. Tiguan to take on a different look on the inside as well.

A VW insider told us “the interior will be completely different as well”, probably with more physical buttons for things like the steering wheel and climate controls. 

Indeed, Mindt admitted that mistakes had been made with the most recent Volkswagen Golf: “Our satisfaction rating dropped down with the Golf Mk8, big time. The swiping things, you know, the touch sliders – it dropped down big time. So it’s that easy to improve this rating with this little thing.”

It’s likely that updates to the cabin will extend to its quality, too. Mindt admitted it was a point of consideration going forward, referencing the time and effort his team is putting into the forthcoming ID. Cross, which will sit below the Tiguan in the firm’s electric-car line-up. 

He suggested VW can’t afford to lose ground when it comes to cabin quality: “I think the higher quality is what you can discover on the interior,” Mindt told us. “The interior is soft padded; a lot of elements we show in the showcase, you will have later.”

The total number of changes for the new ID.4 will apparently be “like the change from Mk5 to Mk6 Golf”. Those two models used the same underpinnings, but the later edition was referred to as a new generation by Volkswagen. 

What battery and powertrain options will be offered?

The Volkswagen ID.4 is currently offered with 52kWh and 77kWh batteries, and either a single-motor rear-wheel-drive layout or dual-motor all-wheel-drive set-up. 

For ID. Tiguan, VW are set to opt for LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery technology. While LFP isn’t as energy dense as existing Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries, VW will overcome this by cramming more cells into its cars using a new ‘cell-to-pack’ layout. 

The layout uses no battery frame, three rows of prismatic cells side by side, and a cooling plate on top of the pack. As a result, the use of LFP batteries should help reduce the cost of entry-level cars.

It’s probably unlikely that the new ID. Tiguan will feature the smallest 38kWh LFP battery available in the upcoming ID. Polo, but there’s nothing stopping the maker adding capacity to see the SUV hit 250 miles or more on a charge. 

For longer-range versions, it’s likely the maker will stick with NMC, allowing top-spec Tiguans a range of around 350 miles – possibly nudging 400 miles on select versions. An energy-saving heat pump will remain optional.

Schäfer confirmed that while the smaller ID.3 will also get an extensive range of updates, the styling upgrades will be less substantial, focusing mainly on the interior. The hatchback is therefore unlikely to inherit the ID. Golf name at this time, with Mindt admitting anything with a Golf badge on the boot brings “the highest pressure”. He stated: “We are not allowed to make any mistakes.”

How much will the new Volkswagen ID. Tiguan cost?

We don’t yet know how much the new Volkswagen ID. Tiguan will cost.

The current ID.4 costs from £36,995 and its main rivals like the Ford Explorer, Skoda Enyaq and Renault Scenic all come in under £40,000 - the new ID. Tiguan should be competitively priced. 

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