Volkswagen Tiguan 2011 Review

Name: Volkswagen Tiguan 2011 Review
Brand: Volkswagen

New European front-drive softroader competes strongly on price

Volkswagen Tiguan

Local Launch
Byron Bay, NSW

What we liked
>> Sharp pricing on 2WD variant
>> Overall refinement
>> Fun to drive

Not so much
>> Small boot
>> Uninspired styling

OVERVIEW

>> Minor tweaks to successful formula?

Volkswagen got it pretty right first time around when it introduced its first compact SUV to the world in 2007 (and Australia in 2008).

Launched into a very competitive market segment dominated by well-established Japanese players including Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-TRAIL and Subaru Forester, the Golf-based Tiguan impressed from the word go with its polished blend of comfort, refinement, ergonomics, driveability and safety.

Since arriving here three years ago, it’s been little changed apart from the addition of a slick-shifting, seven-speed DSG auto transmission to replace the six-speed auto about 12 months ago.

Now the Tiguan has come in for a minor, mid-life update, with the biggest news the introduction of a new entry level, two-wheel drive variant. Making entry to the Tiguan owners’ club around $5000 cheaper, it keeps the Euro softroader in the race with the current crop of sub-$30,000 Japanese and Korean ‘faux wheel drives’, thus opening up the Tiguan’s delights to more buyers.

Other improvements keep the Tiguan up-to-date and in line with other members of the VW family, including the addition of fuel-saving Blue Motion technologies and tech upgrades including Bluetooth connectivity across the range.

The tweaks should be enough to keep the increasingly popular Tiguan’s sales ticking along on an upward path, as it’s done every year since launch. It’s currently the second-best selling Volkswagen (behind Golf) in Australia, with just over five per cent of the compact SUV market.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

>> Euro charms at Korean prices

The refreshed Tiguan range sees Volkswagen’s small soft-roader available for the first time under $30,000. Priced from $28,490, the front-drive 118TSI is fitted with a (new to Tiguan) 1.4-litre petrol engine and six-speed manual transmission.

The front-drive Tiguan will also be available with the seven-speed DSG auto sometime in 2012, for an additional $2500.

Next on the price scale is the 132TSI (formerly 125TSI), available with six-speed manual ($33,490) or seven-speed DSG ($35,990).

The only diesel in the range, the 103TDI, costs $35,990 with six-speed manual, or $38,490 with DSG.

Topping the range is the other 2.0-litre petrol Tiguan, the muscular 155TSI (formerly 147TSI), only available with seven-speed DSG for $42,990.

All existing variants in the range have come in for minor price decreases, except for the 155TSI. All Tiguans now get Bluetooth with phone and media streaming, as well as a Media Device Interface (MDI) fitted in the centre console and supplied with a USB connection cable.

With the exception at the 155TSI, 16-inch alloy wheels are standard across the range. All Tiguans get air conditioning, eight speaker CD/ radio with MP3 Aux input, auto hold, cruise control, and central locking, among a long list of standard features.

The Tiguan 155TSI adds 17-inch alloys, chrome exterior highlights, front fog lights, tinted rear glass, sports seats, dual zone automatic climate control, touchscreen audio system, sports suspension, auto rain sensing wipers and rear parking distance sensors.

A number of options are available across the range, including: satellite navigation ($3000 or $2500 on the 155TSI); Park Assist ($1400 or $900 on the 155TSI); and Bi-Xenon headlights with Dynamic Corning Lights ($2100). There are also leather-lined sports seats with electric adjustment on the driver’s side for an extra $4000 (or $3500 on 155TSI).

The $1000 Comfort package (not available on 155TSI), includes dual zone climate control and rain sensing wipers, amongst other things.

MECHANICAL?

>> More grunt matched to oh-so-smooth DSG?

Along with the addition of a new, entry-level petrol engine, the two existing 2.0-litre TSI engines have had slight power boosts. In contrast, the Tiguan’s sole turbodiesel option is unchanged.

All models (other than 118TSI) are fitted with Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system and come with either six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG automatic transmission.

The twincharged (super and turbocharged) 1.4-litre petrol engine produces 118kW at 5800rpm and 240Nm from 1500-4000rpm. Performance-wise, it can accelerate 0-100km/h in a claimed 8.9 seconds, while its combined fuel consumption figure is 6.9L/100km with CO2 emissions of 162 g/km.

The four-cylinder, turbocharged 2.0-litre TSI petrol engines now produce 132kW and 155kW (up by 7kW and 8kW respectively) while torque remains the same at 280Nm.

Developing 132kW at 4300rpm and 280Nm at 1700rpm, Tiguan 132TSI with DSG registers a 0-100km/h time in 7.9 seconds. It has a combined fuel consumption figure of 8.8L/100km with CO2 emissions of 205 g/km.

The top-performing 155TSI Tiguan is offered with a seven-speed DSG gearbox only. The Golf GTI-based turbo four engine produces 155kW at 5300rpm and 280Nm at 1700rpm, enough for a 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.3 seconds.

Official fuel consumption is pretty good at 8.8 L/100km. CO2 emissions are 205g/km.

The four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine in the 103TDI produces 103kW at 4200rpm and 320Nm from 1750-2500rpm. With the DSG transmission, it accelerates from 0-100km in a leisurely 10.2 seconds but makes up for it with a combined economy figure of 6.2L/100km and carbon dioxide emissions of 164g/km.

Tiguan also benefits from new fuel saving measures. Both the 118TSI and 103TDI are fitted with VW’s Blue Motion technology, including ab auto idle start/stop system, Brake Energy Recuperation and a Coasting Function (turbodiesel only).

Available for the first time in a Volkswagen, the Coasting Function works by “declutching” the engine when the driver's foot is taken off the accelerator. Like putting a manual into neutral, the engine keeps idling until the brake, accelerator pedal or the gear selector lever is operated, after which the clutch is re-engaged and engine braking takes effect.

A message in the multifunction display lets the driver know it’s been engaged, and it can be switched off if desired.

PACKAGING
?

>> Business as usual inside and out?

Taking styling cues from its recently revamped Touareg big brother, the latest Tiguan features a new grille with “dominant horizontal lines” as well as new “two-part light clusters” at the rear. Unless you’re a current Tiguan owner, though, you’ll be hard pressed to notice the difference.

It’s a similar story inside. Retaining the same top notch build quality, user-friendly layout, and Euro-cool (read mostly black) cabin, the Tiguan’s interior was in no real need for a restyle. VW has therefore just added new cloth upholstery (dark, stylish weave and durable looking) and the aforementioned Bluetooth and USB connection.

The Tiguan continues to look after its rear passengers almost as well as its front, with decent head and legroom in the back for a vehicle of this size. This is aided by sliding, 60:40 split fold rear seats. At 192cm tall, I had no problem seating myself behind the driver’s seat after a stint behind the wheel.

While there are good storage nooks throughout the cabin, bootspace remains the Tiguan’s Achilles heel. To get more than a few shopping bags in you need to slide the rear seat forward and/or fold the rear seats flat. This boosts the cargo space from a paltry 395 to 1510 litres.

The boot floor also sits up a little higher than it might otherwise, thanks to the space saver tyre mounted under it, cutting further into cubic capacity.

There are definitely softroaders in this class size that offer significantly better luggage space. If your regular load is going to include an awkwardly shaped object like a pram, it's best you try before you set your heart on the stylish little VW.

SAFETY
?

>> Still one of the safest?
Volkswagen has added daytime driving lights to an already impressive list of standard safety features in the Tiguan, which from launch has boasted a five-star EuroNCAP rating.

The Tiguan also comes with six airbags (front, front side
and curtain), safety optimised front head restraints,?and a good dose of active safety technologies from the VW cabinet, including anti-lock braking (ABS), auto hold function, Brake Assist and Electronic Brake-pressure Distribution (EBD).

Also helping it stay on the straight and narrow, is Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR), Electronic Differential Lock (EDL), Electronic Stabilisation Program (ESP) and Engine Braking Control (EBC).

The range-topping 155TSI also gains a new fatigue detection system, which monitors the driver’s normal driving behaviour and upon detecting any deviations from the norm, issues visual and aural warnings to prevent a possible accident.

COMPETITORS
?

>> Where do we start?
?

If you’re shopping in the compact SUV segment, there’s certainly no lack of choice – 27 at last count. Tiguan continues to faces stiff competition from Japanese front-runners including Nissan X-TRAIL, Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, and Mazda CX-7, as well as ever-improving Korean rivals like the Hyundai ix35, currently amongst the top five biggest-selling compact SUVs in Australia.

With just about every SUV manufacturer now sporting a cut-price two-wheel drive variant, at least Volkswagen can now compete head-on on all-important price against the sub-$30K ‘faux wheel drives’, particularly with a vehicle targeted directly at cost-conscious families.

Among the handful of compact European SUVs available in Australia, Tiguan is currently the most popular, but should face competition from the all-new Skoda Yeti with which it will share underpinnings.

With its Volkswagen Group credentials, up-spec Tiguans are also likely to score the odd ‘conquest sale’ among those buyers who can’t quite stretch to the more expensive and luxuriously appointed BMW X1.

ON THE ROAD

>> Two-wheel drive doesn’t let down the side?

While we didn’t expect too many surprises from the updated Tiguan, the 120km launch drive along highway and twisty backroads around Byron Bay did give us the chance to compare the new entry-level Tiguan with the range-topping 155TSI.

Despite its potent performance potential, the 155TSI remained remarkably subdued in all driving conditions, from idle right through the rev range, with a just a hint of rorty engine note at higher revs.

More oversized Golf GTI than suburban shopping trolley, the muscular engine made light work of propelling the 1660kg five-seater into the distance at a rapid rate.

The DSG transmission also endowed the car with plenty of sportiness, instantly picking the right gear if left to its own devices or letting it effortlessly rev deep into the red zone when selecting gears manually via the gearlever.

While lacking the top end excitement and urge of the 155TSI, the 118TSI was even quieter and more refined through the rev range. It required more downchanges to maintain momentum on inclines and out of corners, although a healthy spread of torque provided enough flexibility to keep things on the boil.

The combination of less grunt and subtle electronic safety aids also ensured front wheelspin was not an issue, at least in the dry conditions.

Both petrol variants drove like big hatches rather than top-heavy SUVs, with taut chassis and suspension tune that delivered a satisfying compromise between sharp handling and ride comfort.

The stiff body transmitted more minor bumps than some of its rivals over poorer surfaces though.

While the six-speed manual was more than up to the job, we suspect the DSG version of the 118TSI, not available until 2012, could be the pick of the petrol bunch on a value-for-money basis. It should appeal to those buyers who want the convenience of automatic shifting but don’t necessarily need all the bells and whistles (or all-wheel-drive) of up-spec variants.

We saw fuel figures on the trip computers of around 13L/100km for 155TSI and 11L/100km for the 118TSI.... Not surprising considering the push-on driving during the launch, but we’d expect fuel economy to be closer to the manufacturer’s figures during normal, everyday use.

We also got a brief drive of the mid-range 132TSI Tiguan, over a short offroad course that while not overly challenging, did demonstrate the Tiguan’s limited off-road abilities.

Solid all-wheel drive grip on some slippery dirt tracks was only compromised by some underbody scraping, due to the Tiguan’s insufficient (for off-road) road clearance and approach angle.

But it barely raised a sweat up a short, steep loose dirt incline, proving that the extra cost of the on-demand four-wheel drive system could be worth it if you plan to leave the bitumen on more than the odd occasion.

One of the main factors holding back the Tiguan from serious sales success in Australia has been its premium ‘European’ pricing. Now with an entry-level version that competes strongly on price, we'd cite compromised luggage capacity as the only reason not to put the Tiguan on your shortlist

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Volkswagen Tiguan 2011 Review

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