Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace to lure new buyers

Volkswagen is expecting its first seven-seat SUV, the Tiguan Allspace, to attract new buyers from other brands rather than from within its own showrooms.

The five-model Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace range is now on sale in Australia, joining the short-wheelbase second-generation Tiguan five-seater that launched here in 2017.

But that vehicle will go through substantial culling in October when the range is slashed from seven to two full-time models, in part because of a backlog in WLTP real-world emissions testing in Europe.

Despite all that Volkswagen Group Australia managing director Michael Bartsch told motoring.com.au he expected overall sales to grow and cannibalisation to be minimal.

“At this stage we think it is going to be pretty much a 50:50 [sales split], although we are not sure how that is going to materialise.

“We have never had a seven-seater in the range so we are expecting we will get a lot of considerers we haven’t had before.

“So I don’t think it will be substitution … I think people who haven’t considered a Tiguan before will come into it.”

Volkswagen has nominated the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento as key Allspace rivals. Other seven-seaters on the list include the Toyota Kluger and Mazda CX-8 and CX-9.

Amusingly, the Skoda Kodiaq, which shares the same core mechanicals as the Allspace, is not listed as a rival in any official Volkswagen material issued at this week’s launch.

Bartsch said planning volume for the total Tiguan range was at 1100-1200 units per month, although he suggested that 1500 sales was possible.

Even the 1500 figure is conservative considering the Tiguan found 1100 customers in June and is averaging 930 per month throughout 2018.

“In Tiguan we don’t know what the [sales] potential is,” Bartsch admitted. “The Tiguan has been selling as that classic one or two cars short of demand. We haven’t had the pipeline we would ideally want.”

The Tiguan SWB is built in Germany and the Allspace in Mexico.

“We are expecting Mexico to be a better supply line. It’s not been impacted as much by the WLTP issues and the supply priority has always been northern hemisphere when it [Tiguan] is coming from Germany, so we are expecting to be a little better provided for by Mexico,” Bartsch added.

The Allspace is the next step in a gradual expansion of Volkswagen’s SUV presence here. Next comes the third-generation Touareg in early 2019, the T-Cross mini-SUV in late 2019 and, potentially, the larger Golf-based T-Roc in 2020.

Further out are the possibilities such as the US-built Atlas seven-seater and its Cross Sport spin-off concep, and a mooted seven-seat off-road SUV based on the next-gen Amarok.

VW’s local embrace of electric vehicles will also eventually include at least one battery-powered SUV.

“To us SUV is the biggest area of opportunity,” said Bartsch. “At the moment Volkswagen only has a market coverage of 62-63 per cent and where we are losing it is in the SUV segment.

“Allspace will close some of that gap but it won’t close all of it.”

Designed alongside the Tiguan, the Allspace has a 109mm longer wheelbase and 215mm overall length stretch.

There are three turbo-petrol and two turbo-diesel four-cylinder variations split across two trim levels, Comfortline and Highline.

The entry-level $40,490 110TSI Comfortline 1.4-litre turbo-petrol Tiguan Allspace is front-wheel drive with a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic. The rest are 4MOTION (Haldex on-demand) all-wheel drives mated to seven-speed DSG autos.

Comfortline is also offered in $45,490 132TSI turbo-petrol and $46,990 110TDI turbo-diesel 2.0-litre forms.

The two Highlines include the $52,990 162TSI turbo-petrol and $54,490 140TDI Highline turbo-diesel 2.0-litre fours, the latter with the best braked towing capacity in the range at 2500kg.

The 110TSI makes 110kW/250Nm, accelerates to 100km/h in 9.5sec and is claimed to consume 6.6L/100km. The 132TSI’s figures are 132kW/320Nm, 8.2sec and 7.9L/100km. The 110TDI offers 110kW/340Nm, 9.9sec and 6.1L/100km.

The 162TSI with its Golf GTI-sourced EA2888 engine makes 162kW/350Nm, accelerates to 100km/h in 6.8sec and averages 8.3L/100km. The 140TDI’s figures are 140kW/400Nm, 8.6sec and 6.0L/100km.

We’ve previously gone into the equipment offered at both levels, along with the extensive options packages here. We’ve also driven the Allspace overseas and had a brief local drive.

But just to reprise on the key standard equipment: There are seven airbags including curtains that stretch to row three, there’s low-speed and high-speed autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian monitoring; lane assist, park assist and multi-collision brake, a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors and low-speed manoeuvre braking.

Comfort equipment includes three-zone climate control, an 8.0-inch media screen with navigation, Apple and Android compatibility, three USB ports, keyless access and start, a power tailgate, dynamic LED headlights and 18-inch alloys.

The Highline swaps to 19-inch alloys and a 9.2-inch media screen, adds adaptive cruise control, adaptive chassis control, side assist with rear traffic alert, emergency assist and traffic jam assist, auto high beam, power adjustable front seats with memory, heated outboard seats in row one and two, leather upholstery and ambient interior lighting.

Both spec levels include a rechargeable torch in the boot, along with a recess to tuck away the security blind when row three is in action. All 4MOTION models also get some form of drive profile selection, including an off-road mode. There is a spare tyre but it’s a space saver.