Golf swing
£36,705
FOR Practical, mostly plush interior, steers well
AGAINST Firm ride, dull looks, pricey options
Big news the Tiguan now outsells the Golf Over m have been shifted since making it fair to assume Tiguan MkIII isn’t going to rock the boat
The Tiguan arrives alongside an all new Passat atop a fresh platform dubbed MQB Evo that aims to blend everything we’ve always known and respected VW for with a host of new tech The range kicks off with a pair of mild hybrid petrols a litre TSI in two different tunes and bhp with a little motorised assistance to smooth out stop/start driving and cut the engine during deceleration and a pair of plug in hybrids which mate that
TSI unit to an electric motor for and bhp outputs and up to miles of fully electric range if you’ve topped up their
kWh battery It’s what most UK buyers will go for and presents an evolution of the old Tiguan eHybrid just with twice the e range and the ability to accept kW DC charging
Every powertrain is latched to a DSG transmission while any lingering concerns about a being too meek to haul a chunky SUV are dealt with by a handful of litre petrol or diesel ICEs
Auto only status sees the gear selector move to the right hand steering column stalk the newly free centre console boasting abundant smartphone charging options and a fresh rotary controller that acts as both volume knob and drive mode dial thanks to its display screen It’s all part of a much needed ergonomic cleanup though the humongous central touchscreen still vacuums up most controls aircon included ChatGPT enabled voice control intends to minimise distractions but feels a bit of a gimmick when AI is still in its relative infancy
Where most customers will choose a PHEV particularly those on company car schemes the simpler mild hybrid might suit private buyers nicely Not least because its kg lighter kerbweight has a less detrimental effect on the ride something which is rather punchy on all Tiguans particularly across the sort of low speed urban roads these cars most frequently travel Such criticisms aren’t the sole preserve of this SUV but the Passat extracts more comfort from the same platform
There’s tonnes of room plenty of quality materials and its new styling yields a much slipperier aero profile than its forebear benefitting both refinement and range which peaks at almost miles in the eHybrid Should go some way to compensate for its less chiselled looks