Seduced by the new Tiguan

SEXY SUV HAS A GREAT ROAD PRESENCE AND A FANTASTIC INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE Moon roof creates a superb natural light ambience.

The name tag isn’t there to confuse you. It is the actual meaning of Tiguan, a combination of tiger and iguana (leguan in German). Quite cool, if you ask me, that a manufacturer took this naming route similar to the mythical Greek Centaur. So what does this mean for the car?

Well, I don’t know and I didn’t look for the Tiger responses built into the car either. What I can tell you is that of the SUVs available on the market, the R-Line is one damn sexy SUV. My wife alerted me to this new “R-Line” some months ago and I never really paid attention to it until I was given the opportunity to drive one for a week.

I own a 2014 Jetta with a DSG gearbox and the R-Line that I drove was a 2.0 TDI, 4Motion DSG. That twin-clutch DSG gearbox is one of my favourite features in my VW. The smooth change and seamless power surge is something you get used to in a vehicle. I couldn’t see myself driving a manual car after going DSG.

My wife’s favourite features in the R-Line were the height clearance – given that she is short, she had no issues getting into and out of the car. She also enjoyed the electronic memory seats which she used a lot after I had driven the car and the fact that it had built-in navigation – again a feature which is so underrated.

My loves were the moon roof which, when fully opened, creates an ambience with natural light that didn’t make me feel claustrophobic. The ease of parking this SUV, assisted with park sensors, was child’s play, given that the car is a lot bigger than my VW Polo – which I drive on a daily basis.

The head-up display, although I loved the convenience, reminded me that it was just another mechanical extra that could easily break. I’m about two metres in height, and when getting into the car didn’t have to bend down too low which for me was a great benefit. It made a change from my Jetta, which is a bit harder to get in and I often hit the top sunglasses holder, which is painful.

The Tiguan has a great road presence and the R-Line spec just catapults its sexiness through the roof. A colleague of mine even had the audacity to call it a great mommy’s car, to which I said “that’s if hubby even lets you ride it”.

The infotainment system has a nifty sensor feature that senses your hand over it, which then lights up the cluster, keeping the lighting simple and only on a need-to basis, with active Info Display creating an interactive user experience.

Now, for the best reviews – from my kids.

My daughter, who loves riding up front when she can, fell in love with the back seats of the Tiguan. She is almost my height and had ample leg-room and really took to the “aeroplane” style drop down tables from the front seat which could hold a drink and allow her to keep stuff on it – like her book or bag of Lune bands.

My son, being a lover of all things cars at five years of age, is a Hot Wheels collector; his favourite car from the lot is his “VrrrrrPaaah” VW Golf GTI. which he has in white, silver and blue. So when I took the Tiguan home, the new buzzword for him was “R-Line” and he went to school telling his friends his dad has an R-Line. His favourite feature, though, was the moon roof and the fact that he basically didn’t have a roof when it was fully opened.

In essence, the Tiguan served every purpose I would look for if I could afford it. But if I had to choose, it would be the R-line or nothing, personally. It is a well-balanced and family-orientated SUV but handles like a car.

The fuel consumption from the quiet diesel engine makes you ask yourself why you own a petrol car in the first place. The boot space is generous but not as much as my Jetta. The Tiguan has had one long-term effect, though: it’s got me looking at the SUV market for my next ride.