Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace R-line

The latest incarnation of the Tiguan – the Allspace – gains two more seats for a total of seven, or a truckload of space in addition to an impressive array of high tech goodies and gadgets. Sean Willmot suggests it’s well worth looking at if versatility,

While it may look the same as the five-seater Tiguan R-line, the new seven-seat Allspace shares the same bodykit for the most part, the only really noticeable difference is at the back. And not even really from the outside. No, where you really notice the difference is in the second row and the boot. With a 110mm longer wheelbase, the Tiguan Allspace is 215mm longer overall than the five-seater, meaning that 105mm extra hangs out behind the rear axle and means the Allspace has a thoroughly massive boot – 1,775 litres with the two rear rows of seats down, and 700 litres with the second row up. Inside, the Tiguan Allspace is high quality and well laid out, with lots of clever little touches (like the spring-loaded cup holders), some brilliantly comfortable hi-spec leather seats (heated in the front) and, of course, loads of new tech in general. This R-line version of the Allspace is remarkably well equipped vehicle, with 20inch alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, rear privacy glass, ambient interior lighting, a handsfree opening tailgate, leather upholstery, heated electrically adjustable front seats, LED headlights and daytime running lights, power adjustable, heated and folding exterior mirrors, parking sensors and a park assist system, a 360 degree camera, triple zone climate control, keyless entry and start, an 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with phone mirroring and satellite navigation, a tyre pressure monitoring system, driver fatigue monitoring, pedestrian monitoring, autonomous emergency city braking, lane assist, rear traffic alert and hill descent control. Under the bonnet, the Allspace R-line gets the same 162kw/350nm 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine as the five-seater version, and despite the Allspace being 50kg heavier, the power availability and delivery suggests the engine was made for the larger version. The seven-speed DSG transmission is slick under power, while VW’S 4motion AWD system is every bit as good here as it is in the five-seat Tiguan, allowing Allspace owners to go a little further afield without compromising comfort and luxury. On the road, the Allspace is confident, benign and extremely well composed through corners, with nicely accurate steering. It deftly handles anything you throw at it without drama. Equally at home in the city, despite its usefully stretched body, as it is on the open road, the Allspace provides a thoroughly relaxing and engaging drive experience, regardless of terrain. New Zealand’s coarse chip roads are not forgiving of vehicles with a tendency to exhibit road noise and happily, the Allspace doesn’t fall into this category. Quietly refined on the rough stuff and as silky as liquid chocolate on our smother surfaced asphalt. High quality, very well equipped, efficient and economical, the Tiguan Allspace R-line is a thoroughly convincing package, with the additional bonus of having the additional passenger or cargo carrying capacity of a genuine seven-seater.