Over the December period I got to spend it with the new Volkswagen Tiguan. The third generation of the popular mid-sized family SUV was launched in the country last September but since then not many were to be seen on the roads, well at least here in Durban which has a strong VW presence. I couldn't help wonder why, given its good looks, modern interior, technology packed and great list of safety features, what could have been deterring prospective buyers from buying this car? The previous generation was a firm favourite in the segment, so much so they even brought the performance version Tiguan R which was in high demand. Now many of you must be already saying, "it's because of the price", but Volkswagen SA have done extremely well with the pricing, keeping it relatively equal to the outgoing model, so it definitely couldn't have been that. I was hoping that by spending a month with it, I could nail down the reason, so here's my thoughts that and more importantly, the car itself.
From the day it rolled into my driveway, I was grinning like a child, the Tiguan is a gorgeous looking car but the one that was handed to me, came in the R-Line package in Persimmon Red Metallic paint. It was a looker, with its curvaceous body, sporty lines, mesmerize lights and menacing stance it made sure to get attention wherever I went. The styling, especially on the R Line really gives the overall body a great look, the main focus being the large front grille which almost looks like a mouth open sucking in all the air as you drive. The solid panel grille above that which spans around the front joining the headlamps with the VW emblem in the center. The comments I got about the looks during my time with it were all positive, while it was a modern design its core still remained true to the VW design language. There was nothing extreme to deviate it away from the classic SUV look, unlike what we're seeing coming out of China and that is what the loyal VW customers expect from their brand, something that fits the mold of a family SUV but with that added German robustness.
While the outside drew a lot of attention, its the inside where I spent my time and let me tell you, it was quite a place to be. A fresh new take on an interior from VW with elements borrowed from other newer models like the Golf 8.5 and the Touareg. The first thing that gets your attention is the large infotainment screen, measuring in at 12.9-inch its the main focal point of the cabin. It feels like its floating on the dash and this illusion gets better at night with the ambient lighting which has 30-colours to choose from with a bi-colour display, so the combinations you can play around with really can make your imagination go wild. The instrument cluster is a 10-inch digital cockpit that has the usual VW displays which can be configured and changed from the multi-function steering wheel. I'm really please VW has gone back to conventional buttons here, and not the haptic type that we all loathed on the Golf 8 GTI..... however, they could have designed new buttons and not just lift them up from the previous Tiguan. The steering wheel is nice, being leather wrapped give its that premium feel with perforations where your palms should sit when holding it. While VW have gone back to conventional buttons for the steering wheel, they still chose to keep some haptic sensitive buttons for the volume, climate control and sunroof. The volume can be controlled from the steering wheel so no issues from me thee, however, adjusting the climate control proved to be an annoying task while driving, you require some level of attention to what you're doing which distracts you from the road, same goes for the sunroof wen wanting it in the tilt position, sliding gestures to open and close are fine but trying to get your finger hit dead center to tilt seemed like mission impossible at times.
Other cool tech that came in the Tiguan was the wireless mobile phone connectivity, which is pretty much the norm in any new Volkswagen, the cabin is very minimalist, so there isn't much to play around with apart from the infotainment screen however, VW have added a jog shuttle control which serves a dual purpose, in normal setting its a volume knob, yes, that makes it three ways to control the volume and much better than that haptic sensor thing below the screen and when you push it in, it allows you to select the various driving modes offered. The Tiguan has 4 USB C charging ports, 2 up front that is covered by a flip tray which has the wireless charging mat below and 2 additional USB C ports for the rear passengers. The interior as mentioned is simple but well laid out, my one gripe would be the extensive use of plastics, I realise this might be a mixture of cost cutting and weight saving but especially with the long solid pieces, they tend to creek when driving in hot weather. What I did love is how the ambient lighting is integrated into the dash panels with a matrix like pattern that lights up at night and really adds another element to the interior experience. This model also came with a large panoramic glass sunroof which during summer to have open will give you a nice roast, so I tend to only have the curtain open at night.
Lets talk about the power under the hood, at launch the Tiguan was only launched in the 1.4L TSI Petrol engine, now there is the 2.0L TSI Petrol and 2.0L TDI motors on offer, so my holiday wheels was the 1.4L TSI and while many did ask "Isn't it under powered?", truth be told, for 90% of my driving, it was just fine. On highways when you need that extra oomf it found itself searching for power but with the 7-speed DSG there to optimally change gears, the lack of power was there for just a few seconds. The great thing about the DSG is the way helps the motor get the best from each gear, not over straining the engine and this plays a major role in keeping that fuel economy down. Within the 30 days, I filled five full tanks of fuel, averaging about 52L every time, and I did just over 4000km with it, so giving me about 800km on every time I filled up. That's not bad from a 55L tank with a "small engine that can't cope".
My long distance trip with it to Johannesburg would be the ultimate test for the Tiguan , apart from seeing how the engine coped with the load, it was also a way to test the luggage capacity as it would be up against my mum! Many don't know this but people in Johannesburg don't get anything there, so my mother feels it is her duty to buy everything in Durban to take up for her sisters and my siblings, completely forgetting that we need to carry clothes as well. My plans of carrying my golf clubs with were dashed when I saw the 4 cooler boxes lined up in the passage to be loaded before we hit the road but with 3 luggage bags, an assortment of boxes and the cooler boxes packed in, the automatic tailgate closed without a fuss and it was time to hit the road. Seeing that it was just the three of us traveling, my mother felt that the unused seats in the back also deserved to be filled, so there was more things added to that. With a load, driving up country to higher altitude, the Tiguan felt at ease, with the construction and trucks in KZN, it was difficult to set the cruise control so I waited till we passed halfway to test it out. With all the functions on the steering wheel it was easy to set a speed and with the adaptive technology, also set a following distance to the car in front of you and I let it do the work. While it is a cool feature, it works well when the other drivers on the road know how to drive, I had loads of people cut in front of me which then kicks in the breaking since the minimum distance has been exceed so there were times the car would slow down right to 60kph to maintain that gap but that is no fault of the cars, it's just rather annoying to have that break in momentum.
The comfort of the drive was rather special, the ride quality was smooth with the shocks coping well with the various surfaces it traversed on. The climate control managed the temperature in the cabin but like I said, I had to close the curtain on the sun roof as the sun got quite strong over the Free State. After halfway I thought it would be the best time to test the massaging seats out, to stimulate the blood flow, with the various options of massages and the choice of intensity, this optional extra was becoming my favourite of the car. Applying just the right amount of pressure making your back and shoulders relaxed after a good few hours of driving. Not too relaxing as you don't want to be falling asleep at the wheel now, also it has a time limit so the most you can do is 30 minutes at a time. Overall the trip to and from Joburg with the Tiguan was a great success with all the passengers happy and all the goods delivered safely, on the journey up I averaged 7.2L per 100km and on the way down this dropped to 6.5L per 100km, so pretty efficient if you ask me.
While in Durban, I tend to get up to lots of things, from going to the beach for a run, to playing golf with mates and taking long drives for special lunches and dinners. For this, the Tiguan proved to be a worthy companion as well, rocking up to one of Durban's prestigious golf clubs in the striking looking SUV, it sure did turn some heads, what was even better is that I managed to fit the entire four ball in the car, all four bags and 4 players with ease, no dropping of the seats or anyone sitting cramped up. To say that is impressive is being unkind to the Tiguan, it had many other spectators at the golf club equally impressed. So, again, that luggage compartment of 652L cant pack a lot! With the torque derived from that TSI motor, the car can pull the load too.
Overall my 30 days with the Tiguan was faultless to say the least, while there were niggles that I picked up with the quality of certain materials and the slight lag of power on highway driving, I don't see that as major contributors to the low sales. I personally think it is the general consumer thinking that the 1.4L TSI engine is inadequate for their requirements so they were waiting for the 2.0L options to come out. While this may get more sales, the major issue VW and most of the other European brands are facing is competition from the East. The Chinese have infiltrated the market tenfolds with new brands coming in every week it seems, with each one offering more for less than the other. While these cars do offer a lot for a small price tag, it still is very early to tell if they will be worth it in the long run. With trusted names like VW, you still have peace of mind knowing you have a solid German vehilce, and the loyalist will agree but when push comes to shove, if you can be saving yourself an extra R6,000 a on a car installment, the answer is a no brainer for many. It's a pity though because Volkswagen have a great third generator of their much loved SUV, I doubt it will see the sales high as the previous generation but it should be able to take a stake in the market.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Engine | 1.4 TSI |
| 7-speed DSG Auto | |
0-100km | 9.2 seconds |
R781,600* base R Line |
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