CAR Critic

Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDI 4MOTION March 4, 2008

Models tested: Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDI 4MOTION manual and automatic, Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI 4MOTION manual
Price as tested: £20,670, £22,050, £23,050
Range price: £19, 370 – £24,215
Insurance group as tested: 9
Insurance group range: 9
Tested: January 2008, Luton, UK
Road tester: Vijay Pattni
On sale: NowFirst – some maths.

The compact SUV market is a £2.5 billion a year industry, accounting for approximately one in 20 cars sold in the UK.

And with so many small four-wheel-drive models on British roads, Volkswagen felt the time was right to throw its hat into the ring with this, the all-new Volkswagen Tiguan.

Vijay Pattni went to the launch to investigate.

First seen in concept form at the Los Angeles Motor Show in November 2006, the production-ready Tiguan was showcased at Frankfurt in September 2007, and is a completely new model from the “people’s-car” manufacturer.

Taking its design from its Touareg big brother, the new Tiguan is a handsome model, with sharp, muscular lines and good on-road presence.

And this feeling is echoed inside, with funky aluminium touches and a well-engineered finish to the dashboard and components – which it shares with the Golf Plus.

The driving position is near-perfect and all the controls are well-laid out and easy to find. The optional £795 panoramic sunroof gives the Tiguan’s cabin a genuine sense of space, while passengers in the rear will have little to complain about, thanks to acres of legroom and a raised seating bench, combined with fold-away tables mounted on the backs of the front seats on most models.

Computer blue

The Tiguan comes with permanent four-wheel-drive, dubbed 4MOTION in VW-speak, and can transfer a maximum of 50 per cent power to the rear wheels. In normal driving conditions however, the Tiguan sends 90 per cent of its power to the front – said to aid economy.

And it offers up a host of electronic driver aids as well, including hill descent assist (which applies the brake automatically when driving down steep hills) traction control and an electronic differential lock for tricky off-road conditions.

But the most impressive option in the new Tiguan – and a sure sign of its intended habitat – is the Park Assist function.

Press a button, and when the Tiguan recognises a parking space on the street large enough, it signals the driver to engage reverse. Then, the driver simply has to apply the throttle – the Tiguan steers itself perfectly into the gap. Costing just £450 extra, Park Assist ought to be a must for Tiguan buyers.

Diesel power

With petrol prices on the rise and emissions the hot agenda on every car manufacturer’s list, Volkswagen expects 85 per cent of Tiguan models will be sold with the 2-litre diesel engine.

The 2-litre TDI produces 140bhp and a healthy 236lb/ft of pulling power, which means the 0-62mph sprint is covered in 10.5 seconds, consuming 39.2mpg on the combined cycle and emitting 189g/km of carbon dioxide.

But translate those figures into real-world driving and the Tiguan offers up genuine oomph. The turbocharged 2-litre diesel spins up quickly and offers real overtaking power throughout the entire rev range.

The engine note gets a little thrashy at higher speeds, but overall we were impressed with the power, refinement and lack of ‘diesel-clatter’ of the 2-litre unit.

More surprising however, was the petrol variant.

Small is the new big

Global warming is heating up the car industry – manufacturers are bending over backwards to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and up performance, and one way of tackling the problem is to fit a smaller capacity engine.

But adding a small capacity ‘city-car’ engine to a four-wheel-drive off-roader sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

So we approached the 1.4-litre TSI-engined Volkswagen Tiguan with hesitation. Surely a 1.4 wouldn’t work?

In reality, it shouldn’t – but it does.

Volkswagen has supercharged and turbocharged the baby petrol engine to produce a very respectable 150bhp and 177lb/ft of pulling power – with the ability to return 33.6mpg on the combined cycle.

Add it all up and you get a 0-62mph time of 9.3 seconds and a top speed of 119mph.

The petrol engine was quick, refined and zingy – it lacked a little low-down pulling power but once you dial up the revs, the 1.4-litre TSI unit really starts to sing and hustles the 1.5 tonne Tiguan with real zest.

On the move

The Volkswagen Tiguan is a ‘soft-roader’ – a small 4×4 with off-road ability and on-road composure.

We took the Tiguan off the beaten track and found it a remarkable off-road performer. In S, SE, and Sport spec the Tiguan is capable of tackling most minor 4×4 terrains and comes with an 18-degree angle of approach.

This means if the Tiguan is driving down a steep hill, it can rejoin the flat road if the road is at an 18-degree angle or less.

The Escape model – which Volkswagen reckons will account for just five per cent of Tiguan sales – comes with a revised front bumper allowing a much larger 28 degree angle of approach – which makes for a greater wading depth – along with hill descent assist and a protective front radiator grille.

We took it over a range of rough terrain and found the Volkswagen Tiguan performed well under difficult conditions – it tracked through slippery muddy fields with confidence and tackled high-angled bumps and deep ruts without any drama.

But more surprising is the Tiguan’s ability on normal British roads.

The suspension absorbs imperfections in the road without translating them through the car, while body-roll through the twisty stuff is hardly noticeable for such a high-seated model. The car turns in keenly and holds on to your chosen line.

And although the steering felt overly-assisted and light when tracking straight ahead, it weights up nicely in the bends, giving enough feedback on what the wheels are doing underneath. Overall, there is a good level of grip and nimbleness to the handling, while for longer journeys the Tiguan is a capable mile-munching cruiser.

The all-new Volkswagen Tiguan is the company’s first attempt at a baby off-roader and, with handsome looks, a range of decent engines, good on and off-road ability and VW’s peerless build quality, should prove a decent alternative to the Land Rover Freelander.