Volkswagen wants to convey the message that its new Tiguan GTE variant isn’t called the “Active” for nothing, as its “extreme off-road” capabilities are showcased in this latest video; well, sort of…
The off-road ready Tiguan GTE Active is obviously an evolution of Volkswagen’s Tiguan GTE plug-in hybrid concept we saw in Frankfurt the previous year, or an “extreme off-road version” of the latter – as the German car manufacturer puts it.
Of course, compared to the sportier GTE plug-in hybrid, the Active model looks fairly capable of tackling harsh terrain – thanks to its bigger, chunkier wheels wrapped in even chunkier off-road tires, increased ground clearance, added body fairing, skid plates, auxiliary lightning on the roof (for some reason), and Volkswagen’s 4-Motion all-wheel-drive system – as we can see from the video; even though it’s all completely computer generated.
Powered by a 148hp and 184 lb-ft (249 Nm) of torque 1.4-litre engine, the GTE Active Concept is also aided by two electric motors (one for the front wheels and one for the rear), for a total output of 221hp. Still, it appears to be enough for the virtual world.