Yet more spy footage has emerged of Volkswagen testing what appears to be a Tiguan R at the Nürburgring. This time, however, the test mule seems to be powered by a certain five-cylinder engine from the Audi family (and even appears to feature dual-oval tailpipes, like certain Audi RS variants).
If you have a close listen to the clip below, you’ll hear what appears to be Ingolstadt’s familiar 2,5 TFSI five-pot playing its soulful tune. This is an interesting development, considering that earlier reports suggested the upcoming hot Tiguan would employ a version of the 2,0-litre four-cylinder powering the Golf R.
Still, as Autocar points out, if VW does indeed dip into the group parts pin and pull out the turbocharged five-cylinder mill for use in a production Tiguan, don’t expect it to make the full 294 kW offered in the manic new RS3 and TT RS. Instead, the British publication speculates, peak power should come in at about 225 kW.
Of course, whether the Tiguan R will actually make it to production with Audi’s aurally endearing five-cylinder under its bonnet remains to be seen. After all, as AutoEvolution suggests, this particular Tiguan could simply be a sneaky test mule for the upcoming Audi RS Q3…
