VW Tiguan R-line deserves the limelight
In the vast expanse of the exceptionally crowded compact crossover segment, it is inevitable that otherwise worthy alternatives will fall through the cracks. Yes, while the likes of the Ford Escape and Toyota RAV4 sport new sheet metal and are snatched up no slower than chocolate cupcakes at a dessert table, certain models tend to be completely overlooked.
The Volkswagen Tiguan finds itself in this rather unfortunate predicament, much like the red-velvet cupcake. It, too, plays second fiddle to chocolate at the dessert table, but take a bite and one is instantly drawn in by its delectably sweet core and layer of frosting.
Like the car on which it’s based, the Golf, it has been around for a while. It boasts neither the sexiest sheet metal, the most powerful engine nor the most cutting-edge technological wizardry. Rather, it does many things well, despite its rather high price.
Take the styling, for example. It eschews the rounded-off styling so common with many other crossovers, embracing a more traditional two-box design.
From the front, it doesn’t look half bad, with its split two-bar chrome grille, finished off by a set of Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights. Look closer and there is a badge on the grille denoting what makes our particular tester special — the R-Line package.
New for 2013, it is available exclusively on the fully loaded $37,440 Highline trim level. The package adds a handful of goodies to the Tiguan, including the aforementioned headlights as well as tinted tail lights and a spoiler on the hatch. It rides on a set of 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped around 255/40 series rubber, surprisingly wide for a car in its class.
Powering the Tiguan is Volkswagen’s ubiquitous 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. As with many other VW products beating with this heart, it does not take an engineering professor to figure it produces identical numbers to the GTI: 200 horsepower at 5,100 r.p.m. and 207 pound-feet of torque at 1,700 r.p.m. Like the GTI, the Tiguan feels it produces much more, thanks to minimal turbo lag and a fairly linear powerband. If you keep the radio off and the go-fast pedal pressed far enough, you can even hear the turbo spool up, something more than welcome considering its sporting genealogy.
Where it differs from the GTI is how it puts the power to the ground.
it does many things well. The Tiguan is equipped with VW’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. Whether or not it has the chops to compete with Subaru and Audi’s systems is yet to be determined, but it certainly inspires confidence knowing all four wheels get horses and torque, regardless of weather conditions.
My only nitpick with the car lies with the transmission. Though the six-speed automatic is respectably smooth and responsive, it is not Volkswagen’s magical-elf-and-pixie-dust-powered dual-clutch automatic. Rather, it is a standard, runof-the-mill tiptronic slushbox.
Slotted into manual mode, it does not detract from the sporty drive, but I do miss the lightning-quick upshifts and downshifts.
Another wonky transmission fact: Volkswagen offers a six-speed manual. Lest you hang me from the gallows for making such a heinous statement, the stick is only offered on lower-trimmed Tiguan models and only when front-wheel drive is selected.
The changes as part of the RLine package continue inside. It nets you goodies that include a black headliner, metal pedals and most importantly, the delightfully thick flat-bottom steering wheel lifted from the GTI and Golf R. This addition alone makes the package worth it. The rest of the interior is finished in Volkswagen’s typical Teutonic way, with solid materials throughout and an logical, all-business, no-gimmicks layout.
Another reason the Tiguan falls through the cracks is its price. Our tester, also equipped with the Technology Package, rings in at $42,490. That is a tough pill to swallow, considering it treks into the niche dominated by pseudo-luxury crossovers such as the Audi Q3, BMW X3 and Mercedes GLK. Nevertheless, delete some options or start at a lesser trim level and Volkswagen’s red-velvet cupcake known as the Tiguan quickly establishes itself as the superior choice to the chocolate (and vanilla) compact CUVs on the dessert table.