New Volkswagen ID. Tiguan will move a long, long way from its ID.4 roots

We’ve caught the facelifted Volkswagen ID.4 testing several times, and it appears that the new car is almost ready to shed its camouflage, judging by our latest spy pictures. 

Not only will the updated ID.4 get a new look, but we expect an array of technical tweaks to be brought over from the heavily revised ID.3 Neo, resulting in sufficiently extensive changes to warrant a new name – ID. Tiguan. 

To date, VW 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 indeed be renamed as the ID. Tiguan, which would mean sharing its nameplate with the brand’s most popular model globally. 

When pressed at last year’s 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 arrived recently as the ID. Polo – VW’s CEO Thomas Schäfer smiled, shrugged and said: “That hasn’t been confirmed – that would be speculation.”

However, 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.”

Our latest images give us our best look yet at VW’s all-important mid-size SUV, which will renew its battle against key rivals the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Skoda Enyaq, plus new-age Chinese contenders such as the BYD Sealion 7. 

What will the Volkswagen ID. Tiguan’s exterior look like? 

Although the fundamental proportions of the ID.4 have been kept in place for the new car, the prototype we’ve seen on public roads clearly shows a very different design language is in the works, featuring cleaner bodywork and sharper lines, with a closer tie to recent ID-branded VWs such as the ID.3 Neo and ID. Polo. 

One of the criticisms of the current ID.4 is its blobby design, which looks out of kilter with VW’s fundamental themes of solidity and stability. This certainly seems to have been addressed, 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-looking 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 illuminated right the way across, highlighted by a large glowing VW badge at its centre. 

At the rear, the ID. Tiguan has 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 rear badge illuminates, too. 

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 VW’s head of design Andy Mindt. 

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

Alongside extensive exterior changes, the ID. Tiguan will 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 the steering wheel and climate controls, moving away from touch-sensitive controls, and we can spot these on the latest test car.

It’s likely that updates to the cabin will extend to improving its quality, too. Mindt admitted that this 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 acknowledged that mistakes had been made with the most recent 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.”

The total number of changes implemented on the new ID.Tiguan 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 VW. 

Avarvarii

What battery and powertrain options will be offered?

The specifics remain under wraps for now, but as things stand the 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 expect the same battery options as offered on the newer ID.3 Neo however, which will see a new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) 58kWh pack introduced to go with the existing 77kWh unit. The LFP battery technology, 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. 

Don’t expect the small battery model to nudge over the 300-mile mark considering the lighter ID.3 Neo reaches up to 297 miles with that battery. 

For longer-range versions of the ID. Tiguan, we anticipate the revised bodywork might help push the current ID.4’s maximum 351-mile range a bit further. 

How much will the Volkswagen ID. Tiguan cost? 

The current ID.4 costs from £35,995 and rivals like the Ford Explorer, Skoda Enyaq and Renault Scenic all come in under £40,000. We expect the new ID. Tiguan will be priced similarly to the outgoing ID.4. 

While pricing for the ID. Tiguan is unlikely to be confirmed for a while yet, the current ID.4 is available with an average saving of over £4,000 when you go through the Auto Express Buy A Car service. 

Get the latest car news in your inbox, for FREE! Sign up to the Auto Express email newsletter...