VW Taigun concept - a 'Tai'- ny SUV

Published Oct 23, 2012

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This is Volkswagen's Taigun concept, on display now at the São Paulo motor show in Brazil, an interesting look at where VW is thinking of going in the near future.

It's a (very) compact SUV based on the New Small Family platform, the foundation of the Up mini-hatch. Just like the Up, the Taigun is small on the outside - it's only 3.86m long and 1.73m wide - but big on the inside, thanks to a 2.47m wheelbase and short overhangs - 708mm in front and 681mm at the rear.

THREE-CYLINDER TURBOPETROL 

The four-seater concept is a runner, motivated by a new one-litre, three-cylinder, direct-injection turbopetrol engine, based on the latest EA211 series, producing 81kW at 5000rpm and pushing 175Nm through a six-speed manual gearbox.

VW says that's enough to take the prototype, which weighs less than a tonne to 100km/h in 9.2seconds and on to 186km/h at a cost of just 4.7 litres per 100km.

It's deliberately styled to echo its bigger siblings, the Tiguan and Touareg, with rugged side panels, underbody protection and roof rails with LED spotlights.

SIMPLE AND SURPRISINGLY SPACIOUS

The interior is simple and surprisingly spacious (headroom is 1,036 mm in front and 980 mm at the back), with a 280-litre loadspace that expands to 987 litres with the rear seats down. The tailgate is split, with the top two-thirds opening upwards and the bottom third folding down to make loading easier.

The controls are reduced to a minimum - the front air nozzles, for example, not only individually control the direction of the air flow, but also the blower speed and the temperature, which is displayed within the nozzle. The infotainment system can pair with the majority of smartphones, providing an intuitive interface.

VW says it will be monitoring public reaction before taking a decision on whether to put the Taigun into production.

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