By Ian Strachan
Volkswagen’s Tiguan was the German company’s first offering in the compact sports utility vehicle sector, and as you’d expect, it quickly got a reputation as a very good vehicle indeed. And now it’s got bigger and better with the new Tiguan Allspace writes motoring editor Ian Strachan
With muscular and rugged good looks but still unmistakably a Volkswagen, the Tiguan is a genuine off-road performer, with the firm’s 4MOTION four wheel drive system.
The Tiguan Allspace adds to the vehicle’s already impressive load carrying capabilities and practicality. There’s more room for luggage and passengers with as much as 700 litres of load space, or 1775 litres with all seats folded flat apart from the front seats.
Plus you get seven seats as standard. But all this extra space hasn’t been achieved at the expense of the Tiguan’s attractive but rugged design. The rear doors have been lengthened and the front end raised, preserving the vehicle’s striking lines.
Despite its off-road abilities, the Tiguan behaves very well on-road, with no body roll and excellent cornering. Once inside you feel as if you’re in a car, not an off-roader.
The interior is an extremely comfortable and airy place to be, with excellent visibility all round and pleasant trim and seat materials. Clear, well-lit instruments and easily accessible controls help the overall feeling of well-being inside the cabin.
Specification on the SEL specification which I tested is good, with four driving modes, electronic air conditioning, all-round airbags, touch-screen navigation system with DAB radio plus CD/MP3 player with Bluetooth compatibility, Apple CarPlay, SMS messaging and USB port, and integrated aircraft style folding tables in the seat backs. You also get 19 inch alloy wheels, silver-anodised roof rails, all round electric windows and door mirrors, an electronic parking brake with auto hold and a panoramic sunroof with ambient lighting.
Extras on my test car included a rear view camera, park assist and trailer assist (£810) swivelling tow-bar with electrical connections (£730), leather upholstery (£1615), dynamic chassis control (£810), wireless smartphone charger (£335) and metallic paint (£570).
I test drove the 2.0 litre 190 horsepower common rail diesel version which gives a respectable 47.9 miles to the gallon in mixed driving, and is a smooth unit with adequate power across the range. At motorway speeds it feels comfortable and unfussed. Two litre 150 bhp and 190 bhp, and 2.0 litre bi-turbo 240 bhp diesel engines are also available. Volkswagen had previously done away with petrol options for the Tiguan, but with an uncertain market for diesels 1.4 and 2.0 petrol engines are available. My test car had a smooth seven-speed automatic gearbox
The Tiguan has made a very good impression on the market over the last few years and has improved with every iteration. The Allspace looks good, has a nice driving environment, added practicality and good performance. And if you want to take a short cut across the fields you can do so with confidence.
The Tiguan Allspace SEL 2.0 TDR SCR 4MOTION 190ps automatic which I tested comes in at £36,575 on the road, and holds its value well.
