All grown up and ready to take on the big dogs
After years of relative inaction, Volkswagen is moving full-speed ahead with a number of freshly minted products for the 2018 model year, including the second-generation Tiguan utility wagon.
It’s a potential big gainer for VW. The sheetmetal is more mainstreamoriented and could pass for any number of similar models from Asiaor North America-based automakers.
The previous generation “Tig” fell between the cracks in terms of size, even though the base price was in the same ballpark as the high-volume Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Nissan Rogue, to name just a few competitors.
For the new design, VW has addressed the diminutive dimensions issue, and then some. Overall length has been increased by 10.6 inches, width by about an inch and the distance between the front and rear wheels by nearly 6 inches. Those measurements make the Tiguan the largest wagon in its class; it even has enough interior space to add a thirdrow seat. It’s standard with all frontwheel-drive models, but a $500 option for all-wheel-drive models. Currently, the Nissan Rogue andMitsubishi Outlander are the only other vehicles in the compact-wagon class to offer a similar perch. In all cases, though, the back row is best left for kids and pets.
Stowage space with all three rows in use is greater than the Rogue’s, but despite the bigger size, the Tiguan’s maximum cargo volume aft of the front seats remains in the range of its chief competitors.
The previous Tiguan boasted bestin-class horsepower, but not anymore. The new turbocharged 2.0-liter fourcylinder makes 184 horses, down 16. On the plus side, peak torque is up 14 pound-feet to 221.
The engine is backed by an eightspeed automatic transmission that has two more gears than the previous Tiguan.
Fuel economy for front-wheel-drive models is rated at 22 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway, previously 21/26.
The optional fifth-generation 4Motion AWD system puts all available torque to the front wheels in normal driving, but when tire slip is detected it determines the necessary front-to-rear and side-to-side torque splits.
The 4Motion’s active control modes allow adjustment of the transmission, steering and adaptive cruise control settings, according to driver preference and road conditions.
Tiguan pricing starts at $26,250 for the S FWD model, including destination charges. Along with third-row seating, that fee gets you the basic necessities plus a 6.5-inch touch-screen, roof rails and a sliding, reclining and split-folding second-row bench.
The SE comes with an 8-inch touchscreen, pushbutton start, dual-zone climate control plus a number of dynamic safety technologies that either prevent or reduce the severity of collisions.
The SEL is topped up with a panoramic sunroof, navigation system, power liftgate and 18-inch wheels (17-inchers are standard).
Lastly, the SEL Premium 4Motion comes with 19-inch wheels, leather seat covers, adaptive headlights (that pivot as the vehicle turns), ninespeaker 480-watt Fender-brand audio package, parking assist and a 12.3inch display that allows the driver to customize the various gauges and info screens to his or her tastes.
Upper trims can be augmented with an R-Line grouping with sporty interior/exterior designs.
Although the latest Tiguan was not created specifically for the North American market, VWsays the design was influenced by our preference for greater passenger and cargo spaciousness. A smaller five-passenger version remains available in Europe.
As a final touch, the new wagon comes standard with an eyeballpopping six-year/72,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. Aside from inspiring confidence, it serves notice that this time around the Tiguan is playing for keeps.