Volkswagen Tiguan TSI Highline 4Motion 2016 new SUV review
Personalisation is something that the Tiguan does extremely well that its competitors don’t.
Personalisation is something that the Tiguan does extremely well that its competitors don’t.
Inside and out
You can customise over 100 settings in the car, including air conditioning temperature, the radio settings and seat position and store it in one of four profile slots. When you choose your profile everything goes back to just how you like it, great for control freaks, and the only thing it doesn’t adjust is the position of the rearview mirror.
The new Tiguan is slightly wider and longer than the previous one but feels a lot bigger. It’s a lot lighter. VW’s engineers have shaved over 50kg from the weight through smart application of strengthening materials leaving it at 1649kg unladen.
The extra size means extra space. Boot space has increased over 150 litres to 1655 litres when the rear seats are folded flat. The boot loading space is wide, and an automatic tailgate makes dealing with shopping slightly easier.
It is squarely aimed at families: tilted seat-back tables for the rear passenger seats hold a tablet or Winnie the Pooh book with ease, and legroom is excellent. The rear seats recline slightly for extra comfort, and the front seats have a lot of adjustments, including being able to move the headrest forwards and backwards.
On the Road
It’ll tow 2500kg on a braked trailer, which is good for the family paraphernalia, as the four-wheel drive system gives confidence to tow chunky items. While it’s primarily designed for on-road use, there is a selector for adjustable driving modes and hill descent options that changes the engine and gearbox characteristics to help you tackle different surfaces and gradients.
The handling is not SUV-like. It’s very similar to a conventional hatchback. The suspension is compliant enough to avoid crashing over minor imperfections but firm enough to avoid massive body roll in the corners.
You will need a good, long session with the owner’s manual before you get the hang of all the tricks the Tiguan has up its sleeve: automatic parallel parking, lane assist, rear traffic alert, fatigue detection, Apple Carplay, and the list goes on.
The two most useful features are the birds-eye-view camera, giving a full image of every side of the Tiguan as you manoeuvre while trying not to scuff the 19-inch alloys and the instrument cluster which is now a screen with multiple different layout options, including putting the satellite navigation map between the speedometer and rev counter.
The engine drives all four wheels through a seven-speed DSG gearbox with paddle shifters behind the steering wheel if you want more control. VW quotes the fuel economy as 7.4 litres per 100km. This is acceptable for a vehicle this size running a two-litre turbocharged petrol engine. It’s got enough pep for overtaking without compromising the economy.
If you do want more overtaking power there’s an R-Line version with 162kW and 350Nm, which is the same as a Golf GTI, or there are less powerful two-wheel drive models, too.
Overall
I enjoyed the Tiguan to drive. There are no major problems or concerns if you are prepared to pay the price premium for a Euro model. A Mazda CX-5, while getting a bit long in the tooth now, is still a very good competitor and is $3,000 less. However, the Tiguan has jumped slightly ahead with the sheer number of features plus the driving dynamics.
Note: this was reviewed as a new vehicle.
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