IT’S A REAL TROOPER
New Volkswagen Tiguan Price: from £22,480 to £35,095
GOOD
THE smartly turned-out compact 4x4 sports utility vehicle looks good inside and out. It has sharp features, a bold front and sleek design that would not disgrace the smartest driveway.
A LIGHT, bright cockpit with plenty of visibility — especially if you opt for the optional panoramic sunroof.
KITTED out with VW’s latest off-road technology. It copes well over moderately challenging off-road conditions. You can set the Tiguan to the terrain you are on and control the speed of your descent on steep slopes. A bit hairy, but it does the business.
FOR families travelling long distances for a holiday, it’s a comfortable, practical choice. Easy to drive and handle. The satnav is useful and sharp.
THE new version is lower, wider and longer than its predecessor with a longer wheelbase that means extra legroom.
UK MODELS will be badged in trim levels S, SE, SE Navigation, SEL and R-Line, priced from £22,480 for the 1.4TSi 125 twowheel drive version up to £35,095 for the 2-litre TDI 4Motion R-Line.
PRACTICALITY extends to the sliding rear bench seat that allows you to adjust it by up to 18cm — 2cm more than in the previous model. Sliding the bench forward means if you’re doing the weekly shop, you can benefit from extra space stretching to an added 145 litres — taking the total cargo space to 615 litres. Push the rear seats down, and you can carry up to 1,655 litres.
IF YOU’RE into sporting activities on sea, lake or land, the Tiguan can haul up to 2,500kg of load — be it trailer, caravan or boat.
BUYERS in the UK will be able to choose from up to three new, improved and more powerful petrol engines, with horsepower ratings from 125 to 180, and four diesel engines from 115 to 240.
IT’S A pretty frugal SUV. CO2 emissions are 125 g/km for the 2.0 TDI 150 PS front-wheel drive with six-speed manual gearbox, and a claimed fuel economy of 58.9mpg. This rises to 170g/km with the 2.0 TSI 180 PS 4Motion with seven- speed dual clutch (DSG) gearbox with fuel economy stated at 38.2 mpg.
IT TICKLES along in a sprightly style. Acceleration is from rest to 62mph in 7.7seconds with the 2.0 TSI 180 PS model and 9.3 seconds with the 2.0 TDI 150 PS. Top speeds, where legal, range from 124 mph to 129 mph.
PLENTY of safety features. The Tiguan has VW’s first active bonnet that springs up to lessen the impact on pedestrians and cyclists who may hit it. In the event of a crash, the bonnet rises ½ cm within 22 milliseconds. ALSO on board is City Emergency Braking, pedestrian monitoring; lane assist, and seven airbags — including a knee airbag on the driver’s side. It also has an automatic ‘post-collision braking’ system which helps to avoid dangerous secondary collisions.
THE Tiguan is a ‘sleeper’. The outgoing version is VW’s third best seller in the UK, with 21,889 sold last year — beaten only by Golf and Polo. And the SUV sector is set to grow far beyond the 11 per cent of UK market share which VW is aggressively chasing. It’s already grown 195 per cent since 2008.
BAD
IT’S almost damning with faint praise to describe a car as ‘nice’. But this is a nice car. It won’t break any speed records, it’s not the fastest out of the blocks, nor will it scale Everest. But it does what it does very nicely. That may seem too bland for some buyers. IT’S not a Land Rover, so don’t expect to traverse the Andes in it. But the fourwheel drive version will get you out of a few scrapes where the average saloon would leave you wallowing or stranded. CONFUSINGLY, VW is launching the Tiguan in three ‘waves’ over the summer so you’ll have to get your head around exactly which model variants are arriving here and when. DARE one mention the VW emissions scandal? Until the EU’s mpg assessment rules are reformed to take more account of ‘real-world’ driving, we may have to take those fantastic fuel performance figures with a pinch of salt. NOT cheap. You’re paying a premium. So haggle hard.