In the Volkswagen Group's sewn-up view of things, this was always going to happen. SEAT - via Cupra - has been allowed a head start when it comes to quick crossovers, but the profit margins are just too plump for it to remain the only mainstream option in a segment that Europe's largest manufacturer intends to dominate. Hence today's announcement: the Tiguan, the Ateca's slightly larger blood brother, is to get the same stripe of EA888 four-pot which was previously the preserve of the now defunct entry-level Golf GTI.
The logic, of course, is flawless. It means you can now buy a Tiguan with the 230hp petrol engine that makes it noticeably quick - 0-62mph in 6.3 seconds according to VW - and with the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system that differentiates it from the front-driven Golf. At £35k for the lower-priced SEL trim it's more expensive than the five-door hot hatch, which starts at around £31k, but cheaper than the more powerful (and better equipped) Cupra Ateca.
Denying the Tiguan the GTI badge is partly about preserving the hallowed position of the Golf (and to a lesser extent Up and Polo) in the Volkswagen range. But the other notable upside is that it means the manufacturer gets to spread the more powerful engine around the trim levels, which helps absorb any shortfall in sales of the almost as fast (but increasingly unpopular) 240hp 2.0-litre BiTDI model.
With slightly less power than the current 245hp Golf GTI Performance - and certainly no manual gearbox available - VW will hope to avoid treading on the toes of its famed hot hatch, while at the same time leaving plenty of space for a long mooted Tiguan R. And given the proposed range-topper's engines are rumoured to include everything from a newfangled 3.0-litre VR6 to Audi Sport's five-cylinder 2.5-litre motor, its maker is likely to ensure (should it happen) that it gets the power output consistent with a starting price which ought to leave it just shy of a entry-level Porsche Macan.
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