Volkswagen will Make More Powerful Versions of the Atlas and Tiguan for North America

• These sporty models will arrive with the next generation of both models in 2024 or 2025

• Europe already has a Tiguan R but engineering differences made it impossible to sell here

• The more powerful version of the Atlas will not be a complete R version but a more powerful regular model instead

Volkswagen confirmed both the Tiguan and the Atlas will have a successor in North America and these successors will both have a sportier version

Since sporty crossovers are getting more and more popular, Volkswagen also wants to have its piece of this market.

When the current generation of the Tiguan received a facelift in 2020, Europe has been able to order a performance-oriented version called the Tiguan R.

With 316 horsepower coming from the same turbocharged 2.0L engine found in the new Golf R, this model is more than simply an appearance package, as many sporty SUVs are.

Due to the fact that the American and the European versions of the Tiguan are not the same (the one sold here is 215 millimetres longer than the one offered in Europe), this R variant was never offered here.

The automaker has not confirmed yet if the next generation of the Tiguan will feature a full R version in the US and Canada, but it will definitely offer a more powerful engine option than the current model.

In the case of the Atlas, however, the company did say it is not planning on an R version. This means that the next Atlas is expected to arrive with a more powerful engine option than the current 3.6L V6 that makes 276 horsepower, but it won’t be paired with a unique chassis and suspension setup like an R model would have.

Something else that was confirmed by Volkswagen is that the sub-compact Taos will not receive a sportier version in the foreseeable future, despite Hyundai having recently launched the Kona N with 276 horsepower and a firmer suspension.

Since both the Tiguan and Atlas have been reworked in the last two years, these more dynamic models are not expected until at least 2024 or 2025, when a completely new generation of both vehicles will be revealed.