VW Tiguan R testing?

That brilliant five-cylinder turbo from the TT RS? Looks like it's going in a VW SUV!

Given how well received the Golf R has been, it shouldn't come as a surprise that VW is hoping to expand the reach of its pinnacle performance brand. 'GTI' can be used for the dinky stuff, cars like the upcoming Polo and Up, while R deals with bigger models.

Sounds more interesting than it looks, honest

All very logical, though to see a Tiguan warbling (alright, mostly squealing) its way around the Nordschleife is quite a surprise. Surely the Tiguan R could have been an Ateca Cupra with a nicer dash and better residuals? Just take the EA888 2.0-litre, turbo to whatever power they want that day, add one standard DSG, an appropriately Sportlich styling upgrade and a competitive finance deal - job jobbed.

Looks - and sounds - like that's not going to happen though. In these Nordschleife test videos, there's definitely that unmistakeable five-cylinder sound coming from the exhaust pipes of this Tiguan. Which is kind of cool. Why not give that engine as many outings as possible?

Ah, you're thinking, but there's already a five-cylinder SUV in that empire - the Audi RS Q3. Only there isn't, because that particular Q3 has been off sale for a little while. So if you simply must have your compact SUV with five cylinders, it looks like VW might be coming to the rescue.

Just be careful at Brunnchen II chap...

Don't expect the Tiguan R to boast the full 400hp of the latest RS3 and TT RSbecause, well, that wouldn't do much for the prestige of an Audi built engine. Given the RS Q3 Performance was at 367hp, a figure around there seems likely. Interestingly that's exactly the power of a Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 as well...

Autocar is reporting a cleverly calculated price of £46,000, along with a global reveal at Geneva next year. Of course those are subject to confirmation, but don't sound unrealistic for now. And if the Tiguan R can drive like a Golf R but with a much more charismatic engine, VW could have an unexpected hit on its hands...

Watch the video here.