|
Review - VW Tiguan Set to Shake up the Compact SUV Market
|
|
|
| WHAT ARE WE TESTING? May 28 2007 |
|
We drove the VW Tiguan 2.0L Diesel in 6-speed Tiptronic Automatic transmission. The Tiguan is a 5 seat AWD (4MOTION) SUV with a RRP of $38,290 plus on-road costs for the 6-speed Tiptronic Automatic version. With the options on the test vehicle the price was approximately $57,000 plus on-road costs
|
| WHAT IS IT'S PURPOSE? |
|
It' s a stylish Euro AWD SUV for the urban jungle .
|
| WHAT IS IT LIKE? |
|
VW has launched the all-new Tiguan into the compact SUV market. It is a completely new development from the ground up which combines stylish design, a premium level of comfort and agility, dynamic chassis properties and high levels of both active and passive safety, and having a five star Euro NCAP safety rating.
Launched initially with only the 2.0L diesel engine, there are two petrol engine varieties to follow. There is only one model that has been released and other than choosing between a six speed manual and a six speed Tiptronic there is a wide choice of options available, some are reasonable, some are very expensive, but some are very worth while. Volkswagen has really picked a niche in a crowded market with a first class product mated to a 2.0 L diesel motor, which is very economical. |
|
|
|
|
| DRIVE NOTES - Rob Fraser Reports |
|
|
First impressions of the Tiguan are that it has a striking resemblance to the Touareg. The front end has an aggressive contour and a distinctive look with the headlights being integrated with the grille and bumper. Although the front end has been significantly reworked you can still see distinct Volkswagen family characteristics. The Tiguan has strong flowing lines that carry its style from the nose through to the rear, with a clean, uncluttered side profile and a window line that flows upwards towards the rear. From the rear it is difficult to pick the difference between the Tiguan and the Touareg. The family line is obvious with almost identical taillights to the Touareg, Eos and Passat wagon.
Visual appeal is obviously a personal thing however to me the Tiguan styling has character and pizzazz and brings Euro flair to the segment. The designers have done an excellent job with almost everyone who has seen the car commenting on its look and style.
It oozes class and sophistication, which is a theme that carries through the internal look of the vehicle as well. Once inside the Tiguan it is typically Volkswagen.
The Tiguan comes standard packed with safety features including driver and front passenger air bags, side airbags, curtain airbags for front and rear, traction control, ASR, EDL, ESP, EBC, 4MOTION AWD, ABS, BAS, EBD, electro mechanical parking brake with auto hold function and a number of other features.
Internal comfort is well catered for with power windows all around, with one touch up and down control, 6 cup holders as well as 1L bottle holders in the front door pockets, adjustable centre armrest with storage box, rear seat centre armrest, semi automatic air-conditioning, security coded radio, MP3 compatible CD player, auxiliary input, audio functions on steering wheel. In addition to this there is an abundance of storage areas and six tie down hooks in the luggage compartment, which is protected by a removable hard cover.
The particular model that we are testing here is a wild cherry red model with the beige Vienna leather interior. In addition to the comprehensively equipped standard vehicle there are number of options that have been added.
These include 18 inch alloy wheels, six speed automatic Tiptronic transmission with dynamic selection program, antitheft alarm system with anti-tow function, Dynaudio 300 W premium audio system with six disc CD in dash changer and a six and a half inch touch screen display with SD card slot, comfort package, front fog lights, panoramic glass sunroof, park assist (awesome), satellite navigation system (RNS510), leather sports seats which are individually heated, parking distance sensors.
With all of these options added to the Tiguan we are testing, the recommended retail price would be close to $57,000 plus on road costs. This takes the Tiguan into the expensive end of the compact SUV market however it is exceptionally comfortable here and will compete easily.
Okay, what's it like inside you ask. Well, the optional leather sports seats, electronically adjustable for the driver, provide the basis for a firm and comfortable driving position. With generous fore and aft adjustment, seat height and tilt adjustment and an electronic lumbar support even the fussiest of drivers can make themselves comfortable. Combined with the thick rimmed leather clad multifunction steering wheel that has both height and reach adjustment it is impossible not to find the perfect driving position.
In front of the driver the dashboard has two large dials and two smaller dials for the temperature fuel etc. Above the two smaller dials is the Volkswagen multifunction display, which has a multitude of displays available including average speed, average and current fuel consumption, distance till empty, outside temperature, audio and convenience menus etc.
To the left of the driver in the centre console is the optional combination satellite navigation system and 300w Dynaudio premium audio system. This is a very sophisticated visual bonanza. Extremely intuitive to use, with high-resolution touch screen display, it has a 30 GB hard drive of which 10 GB is dedicated to the navigation system and 20 GB dedicated to the audio system. It also includes a distortion free rear view camera, with dynamic guidance lines, which provides superb visual assistance when reversing. Loading additional songs through either the auxiliary input or the SD card slot is extremely easy as is finding directions on the navigation system. The sound is awesome as you expect with 8-channel amplifier and 8 speakersWe loaded in an address in Brisbane and the system calculated the route in approximately 20 seconds. It also has a split screen facility so you are able to determine navigation points etc. as well as seeing where you are going. This system also doubles as a DVD player, with a 16:9 screen format and a 3-D map views.
One grumble however is that having paid almost $5,000 for this excellent system i would have expected the Bluetooth to come with it, but it is a dealer fitted accessory.
Below the touch screen is the optional automatic dual zone climate control air-conditioning controls. Having visual displays for the temperature and the ease of use of the controls means that it is simple to set and keep the internal temperature you desire. There are a number of air outlets, which unlike many other cars are aesthetically pleasing on the dashboard. Also included are the controls for the heated front seats. Having heated seats can be quite comfortable on those cold winter mornings.
Above your head is an enormous combination glass roof. It acts as a moonroof, or a tilt and slide sunroof, which has multiple stop points for opening. Having such a large expanse of glass in the roof proved to be quite amusing to my teenage daughters in all the recent rain we have had. They delighted in watching the rain hit the roof. The moonroof also comes with an electronic screen.
The rear passengers are well looked after as well. Despite the front seats having an unusually long seat travel the rear passengers still have adequate leg and knee room. In fact we put two 6-foot plus driver/passenger behind each other and both were comfortable. Volkswagen seem to be masters at extracting internal room as there seems to be more space for the passengers in the Tiguan than other similar sized SUV's.
The rear seats split in a 60/40 combination, have tilt adjustable backrests and are more comfortable for two rather than three people, however two adults and one child would again fit comfortably. The rear seats also slide forwards to give either more legroom or more luggage space. There is a ski port that falls down to give a center armrest and cup holder as well.
The cargo area is a neat and functional area with a level load area and a hard privacy cover on top. With five passengers on board the storage area is 395 litres. With the rear seats folded down the storage area is up to 1510 L with a 650 kg payload. There are some clever ideas with the ability to fold not only the rear seats flat but also the front passenger seat flat as well giving a loaded length all of about 2.5 m. Combine this with the fold over flaps that cover the gaps between the seats and you'd have a practical level load area. The luggage area also has Chrome plated tie down eyes and a 12 V plug.
Well what is the Tiguan like to drive you ask?
With a wheelbase of 2604 mm a track of 1570mm and an overall length of 4427 mm the Tiguan sits relatively flat on the road. The 2.0 L diesel motor with 103 kW at 4200 rpm and 320 Nm of torque between 1750 and 2500 rpm provides quite brisk acceleration and plenty of torque through the gears. Not only does it go well but also it stops well with superb brakes pulling the Tiguan up time and time without fade. The six-speed auto Tiptronic transmission is well mated to the torque characteristics of the motor, rarely finding itself in the wrong gear. This is reflected in its fuel economy. We were achieving figures of 9.1L/100K around town with some spirited driving. On one of the long stretches we drove we achieved a figure of 5.6L/100K on the freeway. These are excellent figures especially considering the weight of 1650kg.
The handling is enhanced by the sophisticated 4MOTION all-wheel drive system that operates using a very quick reacting Haldex clutch. This all-wheel drive system has been continuously developed other the past decade by Volkswagen and is now at a level where it operates to provide high levels of driving dynamics and safety on the road while simultaneously aiming for optimal traction in the dirt.
The sophistication of this system is evidenced by the fact that is unobtrusive in normal day-to-day driving and yet if you jump straight from the Tiguan into a car that is either read or front wheel drive you can immediately notice the difference.
The Tiguan certainly has class leading handling dynamics with a well-sorted chassis and improved suspension to cater for its all-wheel drive capabilities. While not in the class all the golf GTI it certainly provides spirited handling while soaking most of the road irregularities, especially so on dirt tracks. It is rarely put off by bumps mid corner holding a true line. The steering has a lot of feeling leaving you connected to the road.
One outstanding feature that Volkswagen offers as an option is the park assist function. Amongst the numerous high-end technologies that the Tiguan offers is the first Park Steering Assistant in the world to be implemented on an SUV.
The park assist function enables automatic reversing into a parallel parking space while indicating to the driver whether the space is large enough to fit the Tiguan. When used the multifunction display converts to a picture of parking spaces. The system will tell you as you drive past the vehicle whether the space is large enough and if it is when the system is ready to park.
To operate, when the system is ready, the driver selects reverse gear and simply controls the accelerator, brake and clutch while the Tiguan steers into a pre-measured space under the sensor control. As soon as the driver manually intervenes in the steering process the park assist function is deactivated.
The system works on both the left and right hand sides so parallel parking in a 1 Way St on the right-hand side is now a breeze.
To offer such technology at the affordable price of approximately $1400 is unbelievable and is an option that I believe most if not all people who buy a Tiguan should include. When we demonstrated this system to other people they were amazed. Some simply didn't believe it.
Not only is the Tiguan technologically advanced but it also is a showcase for Volkswagen's environmental credentials. Volkswagen is the first auto manufacturer to receive certification for a newly developed vehicle from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Germany), which confirms an 85% recycling ratio and a 95% reusability ratio.
Well I guess in summary our view of the Tiguan is overwhelmingly positive. Unlike many new vehicles that are built from the ground up, Volkswagen has made a first class effort first time around. The Tiguan looks good, is exceptionally comfortable inside with adequate room, drives well, handles well, is a fuel miser, is loaded with safety and comfort features at the entry level, and can be optioned to your hearts content.
The Tiguan is set to shake up the compact SUV market, not only at the entry level, but also at the other end when optioned. It will compete quite well against the likes of the Land Rover Freelander HSE and the BMW X3. I believe the biggest problem that Volkswagen will have will be keeping customers happy who are on a waiting list for the vehicle as once people realize how good the Tiguan is demand will outstrip supply. This is one SUV we really didn't want to hand back!
|
|
| ANYAUTO RATINGS |
| |
|
|
Behind the Wheel
|
qqqqq
|
|
Comfort
|
qqqqq
|
|
Equipment
|
qqqqs
|
|
Performance
|
qqqqq |
|
Handling
|
qqqqs
|
|
Practicality
|
qqqqq |
|
Safety
|
qqqqq
|
|
Fit for Purpose
|
qqqqq |
|
Towing Ability
|
qqqqs
|
|
Off Road Ability
|
qqqs
|
|
Value for Money
|
qqqqs
|
|
Fuel Economy
|
qqqqq |
|
Build Quality
|
qqqqq
|
|
Overall Rating
|
qqqqs
|
|
Alternative
|
BMW X3 3.0D
|
|
Alternative
|
Land Rover Freelander HSE
|
|
Alternative
|
Hyundai Sante Fe Elite |
|
Warranty
|
3 yr, 100,000 km, with full roadside assistance |
|
More Technical Specifications
|
http://www.volkswagen.com.au |
|
| |
|
{%gallery_VW_Tiguan%}
|
|
AWD 4WD SUV - Small & Medium 
