Compact SUV covers basics well
2.0 TSI 4Motion Comfortline at home in the urban forest
A Teutonic-styled compact SUV with full-time AWD from the house of Audi/Porsche
Pros: Germanic exterior styling, panoramic sunroof, stylish interior
Cons: Conservative exterior, lacklustre horsepower that requires premium fuel, no numerical HVAC temperature display Value for money: Average
What I would change: Add softtouch surfaces to the interior, increase horsepower
Volkswagen’s player in the very competitive CUV (crossover utility vehicle) market is the Tiguan. We are all aware that Volkswagen has a penchant for creative advertising and branding, so I am often asked what that odd name means. The short answer is that it doesn’t mean anything, really, it’s made up.
The term Tiguan, pronounced TEE-gwan, is an amalgamation of the German words Tiger (tiger) and Leguan (iguana). This name won out in a contest held by German carmagazine publisher Autobild.
The simplistic grille and HID headlights carry the VW corporate look, and the character lines are crisp, defined and rather conservative. There is a touch screen display in the top centre of the dashboard for the RNS 510 navigation and optional Dynaudio 300-watt audio system with 30GB hard drive as part of the optional Technology Package. At 6.5-inches, the display is not one of the larger units available and I had to lean closer to look at the map.
The HVAC is controlled via a trio of rotary knobs for which I was grateful ... but please tell me why there was no digital readout for the temperature? The left-hand knob had a blue to red scale, but I could not find the degrees in numeric form on the dash or on the touchscreen display.
The panoramic sunroof is a wonderful feature, brightening up the all-black interior. Seating is rated for five, though four adults and a child would be more realistic.
There are three levels of Tiguans. In ascending order of cost and features, they are: Trendline, Comfortline and Highline. There are various packages that can be added, such as Convenience or Sport, plus the Sportline is available with the RLine Package in the 2014 model.
Tiguans come in two driveline flavours, FWD (front wheel drive) or 4Motion AWD (all-wheel drive). The test vehicle reviewed here is the Comfortline 4Motion, right smack in the middle of the lineup. It’s too bad all Tiguans are powered by the same engine no matter the trim level, so there is no horsepower gains to be had from ordering a Highline RLine Package.
Under the hood is a turbocharged and intercooled 2.0-litre, in-line four-cylinder engine with 16 valves which generates 200 horsepower between 5,100 and 6,000 rpm, a rather high engine speed. Thankfully, the 207 pound-feet of torque curve begins early, at 1,700 rpm and going to 5,000, so the 2.0 isn’t gutless at normal speeds. I did find there was some lag to the throttle, which was annoying in urban driving.
I liked the Tiguan after my week with it, but it didn’t inspire me to drive it more than necessary. The exterior appealed to my eye, but in a marketplace as crowded as the compact SUV niche, something extra is required, more than just an adequate engine and strong chin. With only 200 horses under the hood, it wasn’t pleasing to see that premium fuel was required when it came time to fuel up the Tig. Really? I would have expected some exciting driving for the extra cost. The 2014 Tiguan covers the basics well. It went about its business without drama, but, alas, I didn’t fall in love. Hopefully we can still be friends.