Volkswagen Tiguan 147 TSI 2009 Review

Volkswagen Tiguan 147 TSI

Road Test

Overall rating: 4.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 4.0/5.0
Safety: 3.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 4.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

About our ratings

A very belated entry into the compact SUV market, the Volkswagen Tiguan joins a crowd -- all the major Japanese and Koreans have staked their claims and there are sundry European and American rivals which also offer their take on the five-door, five-seat, all-wheel-drive softroader theme.

Indeed, according to VW Australia, there are at least 20 models available to would-be buyers of a compact SUV, with four (Honda's CR-V, Toyota's RAV4, Subaru's Forester and the Nissan X-Trail) accounting for over half of local sales in the segment.

Luckily, VW has had time to see what works and the Tiguan is a well-equipped, competent, well-built and thoughtfully designed vehicle. In addition, it benefits from the solid reputation earned by its big brother, the Touareg, with which it shares distinct visual similarities.

Don't be fooled by the 147 in the title -- this isn't an Alfa Romeo, but rather, it's the VW engine's kilowatt rating -- about 200 horsepower in the old money. This means the Tiguan 2.0 TSI 147 packs the clever high-performance 2.0-litre turbocharged transverse four-cylinder powerplant from the Golf GTI, making it the undisputed top dog in the Tiguan kennel.

It's available only with a six-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox, though there's a slightly less powerful model which gives the choice of six-speed manual or auto and delivers 125kW (but the same torque as its hero sibling: 280Nm) at a considerable $6500 price advantage.

Tiguan joins its wheels to its transmission with the latest iteration of 4Motion, which replaced VW's successful Syncro all-wheel-drive system over a decade ago. A new Haldex IV wet multi-plate clutch and electronic, rather than mechanical, sensors detect wheel slippage and shift torque to the wheels with traction.

It's not a 'real' 4x4 according to the purists, lacking low range, locking diffs and all the paraphernalia needed to tame the Simpson Desert. Rather, it's a competent softroader with impressive credentials and a remarkable dose of can-do -- thanks to a full suite of electronic driver and safety aids.

In this respect it's lineball with Honda's CR-V, Toyota's RAV-4 and Suzuki's SX4, but lags behind the Forester, Grand Vitara and X-Trail which offer sundry transmission locks and selectable low-range gearing.

What the Tiguan has over its rivals is an extremely well-populated features list, a reassuringly solid 'Made in Germany' feel and performance that will leave all but the potent turbo Forester variant and V6 Toyota breathlessly scrambling just to keep the little VW in sight.

As noted above, the 147 TSI has more power but is matched for torque by its cheaper 125kW sibling. Although the 147 delivers its 280Nm across a wider band -- peak torque is between 1700 and 5000rpm, whereas the 125 tails off at 4200 -- both are impressive. Both petrol engines are Euro IV emissions-compliant and the factory claims identical emissions (240g/km) and fuel consumption figures (10.1L/100km) for the automatic transmission versions.

When trickling through traffic or just going with the flow, the engine and six-speed auto gearbox are smooth, compliant, competent -- almost blandly so. But when there's a gap in the traffic, or a winding road beckons, a simple prod of the throttle swats the Tiguan's chunky 1660kg forward as if the car had shed half its bodyweight -- and all its social responsibility!

Then the six-speed auto becomes a willing, wilful accomplice and while it's possible to flick the gear-lever to one side and control up and downshifts manually, most drivers will concede that the Tiguan is perfectly competent when left to do the job itself.

Despite sharing the Golf 5 GTI's engine and the five-door DSG-transmission-equipped GTI's $42,990 pricetag, the Tiguan isn't just a jacked-up Golf -- it's 300kg heavier 50mm wider, 211mm longer, 217mm higher, has roughly an inch (26mm) more space between its front and rear axles and holds 9 litres more fuel -- 64 in total.

In addition to its high driveability, it's a useful lifestyle accessory too -- Tiguan can tow an unbraked 750kg or 2000kg when braked, but can withstand only 100kg vertical load on the towball. (For more specs, etc check out our local launch coverage of the Tiguan here).

As well as its extremely competent drivetrain, the top-drawer Tiguan comes with a generous list of ticked boxes on the specification charts: auto-dipping interior mirror, dual-zone climate control, auto headlights and wipers, see-you-home light delay, parking sensors, folding rear-seat tray-tables and tyre-pressure sensors -- the list is pages long and goes some way to justify the hefty pricetag.

Extra-cost not-for-everyone options include stuff like a $2000 sunroof, a $4300 satnav/ audio system (plus another $850 for the CD stacker) $900 for park assist, $2000 for bi-xenon headlamps, $3700 for leather upholstery and $1500 for a set of 18-inch alloy wheels. And then there are the sidesteps, tow-bar, headlight protectors, mudflaps, bike, kayak and snowboard holders and the ski-pods -- it's not hard to add on another $20,000 in options.

Passive safety features include pretty-much standard fare with no surprises -- front and side airbags for the two front seats, with full-length curtain airbags, pre-tensioners and belt force limiters for the front seats, and belt force limiters for the two outside rear seats. As well as triggering belt tensioners and the airbags, the Tiguan's collision sensors also trigger the hazard warning lights, locked doors are unlocked, the interior lights switch on and the fuel pump is switched off.

The focus of active safety is also sophisticated -- antilock brakes and stability control are featured, but so too is trailer-stabilisation function.

Behind the Tiguan's chunky steering wheel, there's a comfortable familiarity about the control design and layout. That said in our opinion, Volkswagen has erred in their choice of plastic moulding for most of the dashboard -- it is coarsely profiled, with a stippled effect -- and experience suggests that this will be difficult to keep clean and dust-free in years to come.

The driver's stance offers good visibility and the black cloth sports seats of the test Tiggy were firm, supportive and comfortable. However, dark materials used on dash, carpets, seats and trim combine to be pretty austere -- and not at all user-friendly after the car's been parked in the summer sun for more than a few minutes. They also collect -- and show -- every speck of dry Australian dust.

On the plus side the cabin has a dazzling array of sensible storage options and convenience features throughout even if space in the rearmost luggage compartment isn't overly generous. Much of the available room has been gifted to back-seat passengers.

On the asphalt, the Tiguan is tall and reasonably firmly sprung, but with compliant suspension that absorbs, rather than transmits, most surface imperfections. It has surprisingly accurate steering and excellent feel -- despite the rack and pinion system being electro-mechanically assisted. Traditionally, electrically-assisted steering has been dull, wooden and lifeless, but VW has buried that irksome aspect entirely. The makers claim a 12m turning circle.

While the Tiguan isn't intended to tame any final frontiers, the quiet electronics provide a remarkable level of grip when venturing off the road -- ground clearance of 195mm, an approach angle of 18 degrees and a departure of 20 is hardly the stuff of off-road legend, but grip on dirt roads was good and with a delicate foot, the Tiguan could be coaxed up every steep loose surface we threw at it.

It probably won't take too kindly to windscreen-deep rivers or endless dunes, but as an everyday all-road vehicle and occasional trail-chaser, it's a good thing.

Some foreign markets get a 'Track & Field' model which offers 28 degrees of approach and the same departure angle plus more offroad oriented rubber and electronics (the latter including hill descent control, modulation of the ABS and electronic diff lock for loose surfaces, and a Pull-off assist function). No news on whether VW will add the 'serious' Tiguan to its local line-up at any stage.

The top-of-the-line Tiguan wears 17 x 7-inch alloy wheels with 235/55 R17 tyres, but 16, 18 and even 19-inch wheels are available as options. There's a space-saver 18-inch steel spare wheel.

The tank holds a useful 64 litres of... Well VW Australia asks for 98RON PULP, but the label in the filler cap just asks for 95RON.

Despite heading belatedly into a fiercely competitive market segment and being a clever design with sundry components drawn from the many and varied parts-bins of the entire Volkswagen Group, the Tiguan isn't a bargain-basement cheapie. For all its sparkling performance and quality feel, at $42,990 plus sundry fees and taxes it is going to be a hard sell.

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