Volkswagen has begun testing its full-size SUV. Essentially, a production version of the CrossBlue SUV concept was shown at the 2013 Detroit Motor Show.
Test mules of the new SUV were seen in the US. Volkswagen has cleverly disguised the identity of the new model as the test mules were spotted wearing abnormal front grilles and unknown logos.
The new SUV will be primarily aimed at the US market where it will rival the likes of the Toyota Highlander, Ford Explorer and the Honda Pilot SUVs. The car will also serve as a replacement for the Volkswagen Routan, which is a badge-engineered version of the Chrysler and Dodge minivans. It will fit between the Tiguan and the Touraeg SUVs in the Volkswagen’s US line-up.
The vehicle will be 4,987mm long, 2,015mm wide and 1,733mm tall and will use VW’s MQB architecture. It will be built in the US alongside the US-market Passat sedan, which is different from the one sold in Europe. It will also get a Skoda derivative which was recently previewed at the Geneva Motor Show 2016 as the Skoda VisionS SUV. A production version of this SUV is likely to come to India in the near future.