The Volkswagen ID.4 Is Getting A Facelift And A New Name: ID. Tiguan

• ID.4 becomes ID. Tiguan: VW is giving its electric SUV the familiar Tiguan name for 2027.
• The facelift adds redesigned lights, more traditional controls, and a larger driver's display.
• To be revealed in early October, the Tiguan launches first in Europe early next year, but it will come to the United States later.

Volkswagen is giving the ID.4 more than just a facelift. The electric SUV is getting a new name, with the company confirming that the model will be renamed ID. Tiguan when the updated version arrives next year in Europe and the United States. Yes, the ID.4 is effectively getting a Tiguan nameplate, even though the EV has practically nothing in common with what is currently the VW Group's best-selling product.

A portmanteau of the German words Tiger ("tiger") and Leguan ("iguana"), Tiguan has racked up more than 8.3 million sales since it hit the market nearly 20 years ago. Now, it’s getting ready for the electric treatment but without replacing the conventionally powered model. It’ll sit alongside the ICE version, much like the new ID. Polo peacefully coexists with the regular Polo.

That doesn't mean the ID.4 is an electric version of the existing Tiguan. The two models remain technically distinct, with the ID. Tiguan riding on the MEB dedicated electric architecture rather than the MQB-based platform used by the gasoline, diesel, and plug-in hybrid Tiguan. One day, the two models might merge into a single EV, but given uneven electric adoption worldwide, that's unlikely for many years.

2027 VW ID. Tiguan camouflaged prototype

Photo by: Volkswagen

Redesigned Front And Rear

Name change aside, the facelift will bring other notable modifications. Although the shape and size are unlikely to change, these covered prototypes do suggest that both the front and rear ends will be significantly modified. VW has redesigned headlights and taillights to give the illusion of a boxier-looking ID.4 (sorry, ID. Tiguan), even though the profile retains the bulbous shape that hasn’t been universally appreciated.

Predictably, the new lights are like what we’ve seen on new or updated VW models such as the ID. Polo and the ID.3 Neo. The similarities continue inside, where although the dashboard remains heavily cloaked, we can spot key (pun intended) changes. There’s now a row of physical buttons beneath the central touchscreen, and the touch slider has been removed.

2027 VW ID. Tiguan camouflaged interior

Photo by: Volkswagen

ID. Tiguan: More Buttons, Bigger Screens

The ID. Tiguan also gets a far larger digital instrument cluster, proper steering-wheel buttons, and separate window switches for each door. We can't see it just yet, but there should also be a volume knob between the seats.

Essentially, VW has made about the same tweaks the ID.3 Neo got during its mid-cycle facelift earlier this year. The company has pledged to bring back (some) physical controls, and with every new product, it lives up to that promise.

Debuting early next month, the ID. Tiguan goes on sale in Europe at the beginning of next year. The electric crossover is also coming to the United States at a later date to fill the void left after the ID.4’s demise:

'The ID. Tiguan is planned to succeed the ID.4 in the North American market. Following its European launch in early 2027, Volkswagen will share North American timing and additional market-specific details in due course.'

As for the ID.5, we've learned the coupe-styled derivative will be retired.

2027 Volkswagen ID. Tiguan camouflaged prototype

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Source: Volkswagen

Motor1's Take: The name change makes sense as it fits with VW’s broader strategy of bringing traditional model names into the electric era. Tiguan certainly feels more familiar than ID.4, making the lineup easier to understand, even if there are now two Tiguan models in the portfolio.

The styling revisions should make the electric crossover look less fat and more athletic, even though most body panels will be carried over. Perhaps the biggest upgrade will be inside, where the ID. Tiguan will be easier to live with than its ID.4 predecessor. Physical buttons for often-used functions make sense, and I’m pretty sure few will miss the capacitive-touch keys that have proven frustrating to use.

With presumably better specs, the ID. Tiguan should bring all-around improvements over the ID.4 it replaces.

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