Volkswagen Tiguan 132TSI Comfortline 2016 Review

Eight years after the launch of its first-generation Tiguan SUV, Volkswagen has offered up the more affordable and all-new version with all the modern technology and safety that Europe can muster. Along with new engines and sharp looks, the new Tiguan also offers more space – especially in the boot. But is it enough in this overheated market segment? We find out.

No matter how hard you try, going into a road test without any preconceived notions is difficult – especially if you’ve been bombarded with marketing hype and advertising as I had before settling into my week behind the wheel of the new Volkswagen Tiguan.

The push seems to be to promote the Tiguan as a ‘family car’. OK, that’s fine. The marketers at VW Australia feel that to get the maximum number of sales under their belts is to cash in on the SUV-as-a-second-car-for-mum market – hence the ad with the kiddie in the back and the stereotypical good-looking middle-class mum and dad up front discussing art and literature – or something like that…

Along comes me expecting a small, soft, mushy made-for-families SUV with all the power of a new-born puppy, and handling to match.

First impressions
But wait. I slide aboard and first notice that this is a pretty roomy vehicle. It being based on the Golf, I was expecting it to be a bit more compact – not squeezy, but at least more like an CX-3 than an CX-5, if you will.

The Tiguan is spacious – comfortably spacious – and airy with a feeling of, well, freedom. It’s no doubt due to the full-length glass roof and sliding sunroof, low-ish waistline and big windscreen.

Next I noticed the seats with the very-German feel of firm yet comfortable. The driver’s seat is multi-adjustable as is the steering column and I very easily found a suitable driving position. It’s an upright position, as you’d expect from an SUV but it’s a comfortable one and one which gives a good view of the road and good vision all around, for that matter.

There’s comprehensive instrumentation, and heaps of tech including infotainment which is in the form of an 8.0-inch high-resolution infotainment system complete with clever App-Connect technology where your phone connects via a USB interface, putting favourite apps on your Apple or Android smartphone right there in front of you. Combined in this is the GPS navigation system.

The level of specification in the Tiguan Comfortline is high. Such niceties as auto headlights and wipers, park assist, reversing camera, lane assist, low tyre pressure indicator, LED tail-lights, cruise control and a leather multi-function steering wheel are all de rigeur. The Comfortline spec also gets three-zone climate control, foglights, bigger roof console and more.

There is a ‘Luxury Package’ for the Comfortline, too, which our test vehicle was equipped with and this includes: leather-appointed upholstery, the electronically adjustable driver’s seat with three- position memory, heated front seats, power folding door mirrors, electronically-operated tailgate and a panoramic electric glass sunroof. This adds $5000 to the price of $36,990.

Back seat business
Over the back, there’s plenty of room in the rear seats and they actually slide fore and aft for a bit more legroom if you’re not carrying anything in the luggage compartment. On that note, there is a useful 615 litres of room back there and it’s accessed by the remote tailgate. That might sound a bit tizzy, but I certainly found it handy down at the supermarket. The rear seats fold, of course, to give a total load volume of 1655 litres – an increase of 145 litres over the old model, we’re told.

Punch the ignition button the console and the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine fires up smoothly and quietly. The engine puts out a claimed 132kW/320Nm which seems almost excessive for small SUV… after all it’s designed to take the kids to the pool, isn’t it?

Transmission is through a seven-speed dual-clutch then to Volkswagen’s 4MOTION all-wheel drive system. The system includes a four-mode selector so you can dial up the terrain or conditions that best suit the driving conditions you’re in. We didn’t see any snow or alpine terrain so we didn’t get to give it a go, but if it’s snowing when you’re taking Little Johnny to the soccer or if he needs a lift to the top of the mountain bike trail, it’ll come in handy.

Although the 4MOTION system is considered to be a permanent four-wheel drive system, when you’re driving around town, the Tiguan is feeding power to the front wheels. If the system detects there is slip, or likely to be slip, in the front then power will be fed proportionally to the rear via a tricky multi-plate clutch setup. This works on-road as well as off-road, so if you’re powering around a corner and the system detects that slip is imminent, power will be fed to the rear to control the spinning, because the control unit regulates the torque distribution based on dynamic axle loads... or so we’re told.

On the road
The transmission changes smoothly as you’d expect and the power delivery was evident without being violent, but that said, it was more than I expected. The Tiguan can be driven in a spirited manner with satisfying results. It’s no sportscar but it is enjoyable enough around town.

But punch up the Sport mode, have a play with the gear-change paddles and, as I found on one of my favourite test routes away from the city bustle, it’s damn good fun!

The steering is direct and nicely weighted, the suspension is firmish (a bit too firm for one of our fellow testers) however, I found it great for a bit of spirited driving. The Tiguan didn’t wallow in corners like many SUV-type vehicles are prone to do and it held on tight and tracked straight.

In all, I found it a nice ride/handling compromise for a wagon of this style.

In terms of economy, it’s nice to see a vehicle that actually reflects the kind of figures that the manufacturer claims. In city driving for my 100km commute to work and back over a week I got near as dammit to the claimed 7.5L/100km claimed by Volkswagen. On my spirited blat in the country I got 8.6, but that was in hilly country pushing the throttle somewhat harder.

The final word
Overall, I found that the Tiguan was a vehicle I could easily live with. It’s easy on the eye, is a very good size with plenty of cargo space, has all the modern technology we’re coming to expect, it is packed with safety and driver aids, it’s powerful and has an appealing ride and handling package.

Volkswagen also claims that the Tiguan can tow up to 2500kg with the 4MOTION set-up.

Add to that the fact that it starts at under $32K and it’s cheap to run and the Tiguan should be on the shopping list of anyone looking for a small to medium-sized SUV.

2016 Volkswagen Tiguan 132TSI Comfortline pricing and specifications:
Price: $41,490 plus on-road costs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 132kW/320Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 7.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 173g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP

Also consider:
>> Mazda CX-5 (from $27,190)
>> Nissan X-TRAIL (from $27,990)
>> Toyota RAV4 (from $27,990)