Volkswagen ID. Tiguan spied with brand new body and interior
The transformation from ID.4 to ID. Tiguan will be big, as VW preps one its most important new cars of 2026
The next Volkswagen ID.4 has been spied flaunting a brand new look ahead of its reveal later this year. We broke the story last year of how VW plans on completely revamping its EV mid-size SUV, but now our spies have captured the real thing in winter testing for the very first time. In fact, the changes are due to be so big that it’ll feature a brand new name: the ID. Tiguan.
The ID. Tiguan will do battle against key electric rivals including the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Skoda Enyaq, plus new-age Chinese rivals such as the BYD Sealion 7, with prices sure to start at just under £40,000.
What will the Volkswagen ID. Tiguan look like?
This switch to a new name will coincide with a brand-new body, although the fundamental proportions of the ID.4 have been kept in place. This prototype clearly shows a very different design language is in the works, featuring cleaner bodywork and sharper lines.
One of the criticisms of the current ID.4 is its blobby design, which doesn’t chime with VW’s fundamental watchwords of solid and stable. This certainly looks to have been amended, because underneath the prototype’s camouflage, you can see that elements such as the door sills and lower bumpers are now flatter and squarer, giving the whole design a stronger and more stable base.
The nose is all-new, with headlights that sit within a distinct frame. Just as it is on the ID. Polo and ID. Cross, this element is expected to be illuminated right the way across, highlighted by a large glowing VW badge at its centre.
At the rear, the new appears to have adopted the same lighting signature as the new ID. Polo and ID. Cross and, as on those cars, it will sit within a grey enclosure. The odd fins either side of the rear number plate have been faked on this car’s camouflage, but won’t be found on this new model.
Most of these elements are consistent with our exclusive images, suggesting we were on the right track when we broke the story back in 2025 after speaking with Volkswagen’s head of design Andy Mindt.
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 previously confirmed by a VW insider.
Recent updates on other VW models have included the return of physical buttons for things like the steering wheel and climate controls, moving away from touch-sensitive controls.
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.
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.”
VW aims to work on increasing cabin quality and usability, as VW can’t afford to lose ground to its rivals.
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.
Volkswagen ID.4 or Volkswagen ID. Tiguan?
Volkswagen has remained tight-lipped on what name its mid-size electric SUV will officially take, but there are strong hints that the ID.4 will be renamed as the Volkswagen ID. Tiguan.
When pressed at the Munich Motor Show on whether we 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 – VW’s CEO Thomas 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.”
What battery and powertrain options will be offered?
Specifics on battery and motor tech remain under wraps for now, but as things stand 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.
We understand that for ID. Tiguan that VW is set to move to LFP (lithium iron phosphate) technology, which, according to Schäfer, will be a “major step forward in terms of cost for [VW]”, hopefully helping lower list prices on entry versions of future ID. cars.
While LFP isn’t as energy dense as existing Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries used, VW will overcome this by cramming more cells into its cars using a new ‘cell-to-pack’ layout.
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.
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 costs.
For longer-range versions of the ID. Tiguan, it’s likely the VW will stick with NMC, allowing top-spec cars a range of around 350 miles – possibly nudging 400 miles on select versions. An energy-saving heat pump will remain optional.
Why is such a big change coming for the new ID.4?
The Volkswagen ID.4 might have only been on sale for four years in its current guise, but earlier this year at the Munich Motor Show, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Thomas Schäfer, told us that as one of “our major-selling vehicles” ID.4“has to be updated to [Volkswagen’s] new design language”, and describing the next-generation SUV as “a fantastic car”.
We are waiting for official details to be announced, but what we do know is that the Volkswagen ID. Tiguan will adopt Volkswagen’s MEB+ platform, as well as lithium phosphate batteries (LFP) which should help lower list prices for entry-level cars.
We don’t expect VW to announce prices for the new Volkswagen ID. Tiguan for a while yet, but as the new VW ID.4 is available from around £35,000 through the Auto Express Buy A Car service, we expect the ID. Tiguan to be priced around the same level.
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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