First Drive: Volkswagen Tiguan

Review by Feann Torr - 29/May/2008

Gazing out across the Blue Mountains it's hard not to be entranced by the awe-inspiring landscape. Yet even in such stunning surrounds, attention is divided.

There's about a 15 or so Volkswagen Tiguans parked near a river slowly winding its way through the valley, and they're generating quite a bit of buzz.

Launched this week in Australia, the Tiguan is Volkswagen's first ever compact 4WD.

It shows off an all-new design with a number of world firsts: it's the first compact 4WD that can steer itself into a car park, it's the first compact 4WD to offer a panoramic sunroof and it's the first reasonably-priced compact 4WD built in Germany.

Forget for a moment that the Tiguan has already proven to be a rollicking success in Europe - some 60,000 customers are still on waiting lists - or that Australians are already pre-ordering the vehicle sight unseen. Because ultimately, the Tiguan is a latecomer.

While vehicles such as the Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4 have been on people's shopping lists for up to a decade, Volkswagen's Tiguan is the new kid on the block. But as the old saying goes, better late than never...

Priced from $33,990, the Volkswagen Tiguan is the only European compact 4WD available in Australia with an affordable price tag, and that alone should be enough to set the cat amongst the pigeons.

More than just an affordable compact 4WD though, the VW Tiguan brings a host of never-before-seen features to the table that make a big impression.

There are diesel and petrol engines (though the petrol models won't arrive until later in the year), manual and automatic 6-speed gearboxes, and impressive standard features such as six airbags covering front and rear passengers, ESP, AWD, roof racks, cruise control, an electronic park brake, multi-function steering wheels - the list goes on.

Out on the road the Tiguan is a smooth operator. It's blissfully easy to drive and though it is a 4WD, Volkswagen doesn't expect many users to take it beyond a gravel road.

The marketing pitch reflects this belief with a cheeky but honest catch-cry: "It's good to know you can".

Volkswagen's managing director, Jutta Dierks, said she expected the Tiguan to be its second-best selling model (after the Golf) when supply is increased towards the end of the year.

"If you want to be a serious player in Australia, you need to be in the compact SUV segment," says Dierks.

Though it's been insanely popular in Europe, the new Tiguan is coming to Australia ahead of schedule (in limited quantities to start with) and having just spent a couple of days in the drivers seat it's not hard to see why it's been such a smash in the Northern hemisphere.

It has the contemporary VW feel; easy to drive, refined powertrain, clever interior features. 

If you've driven a Volkswagen or an Audi before, most of the controls and switchgear will be familiar, and packed with gutsy turbo diesel engines and 6-speed manual or automatic gearboxes the 1650kg weight is easily shifted.

And the Tiguan name? Volkswagen explained it this way: the first part (Tig) relates to a tiger - speed, power and elegance. The second part of the name (iguan) relates to the iguana, which is meant to symbolise tough survival in the country.

The name was actually voted for by German readers of the Auto Bild magazine in Germany, selected from a short-list of five names. Sadly the VW Wombaroo was not one of them...

"It will open doors," says Jutta Dierks, who believes the Tiguan can bring new customers to the brand, and after driving it I'm inclined to agree.

On our way down from the Blue Mountains we got a chance to snake our way along some fast, sweeping corners and Tiguan proved to be a sporty little 4WD.

Here I was, expecting soft-suspension, woolly steering and vague acceleration, but what I found was a nicely balanced vehicle that has adapted to the rigours of modern motoring.

It uses the aluminium suspension system from the VW Passat - very much a driver's car - albeit with different shock absorbers, damping rates, and a higher ride height to deal with light-duty off-roading.

Even so, the vehicle rides relatively firmly on the road and has only low levels of body roll when cornering, which results in a satisfying experience when driven with determination. The steering offers a fair bit of feedback and the turbo diesel engine allows the car to accelerate strongly.

We also clocked up some freeway kilometres and for a diesel-powered vehicle it's fairly quiet at 100km/h and, naturally, very efficient. The cruise control works well, the indicators have a one-touch '3-flash' function which is good for changing lanes, and rearward vision is fairly good too.

There's ample thrust when you need to overtake: the turbo diesel engine outputs 103kW of power and a hefty 320Nm of torque. 

Though there is a touch of lag between flooring the throttle and when the engine starts to dance, this momentary delay in the power delivery is a trait common to most diesel engines, and the combined cycle fuel consumption is 7.9 litres per 100km is impressive for such a hefty 1650kg vehicle.

All told, three Tiguan models will be offered when a pair of turbocharged TSI petrol versions arrive here later in 2008. 

While the 2.0-litre turbo diesel is a very fine motor outputting 103 kilowatts of power, the 125kW and 147kW 2.0-litre TSI turbo petrol models should be even more fun to drive, and both output 280Nm of torque.

The 6-speed automatic gearboxes we tested responded adroitly to right-foot flexes, dropping gears rapidly and never having to 'hunt' for the correct gear - even when off-road. Interestingly the Tiguan also takes off from standstill in second gear unless the sports mode is active, saving petrol and increasing traction in slippery conditions.

While the twin-clutch DSG semi-automatic is not offered, this traditional 6-speed automatic gearbox is nevertheless a good performer and partners nicely with the 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine.

Another 'first' in the compact 4WD class, and a feature that was very handy during general driving, is the electronic park brake. 

It has an auto-hold feature so that when you come to a stop - whether at traffic lights or even half-way up a gravel slope - the park brake will initiate and hold the car in place. No more yanking the hand brake every time you stop.

So, the steering is precise, the brakes are good, and the diesel engine's broad swathe of torque give the Tiguan a muscular feel. Simply put, it drives like a car and I have no doubt that it will hold up well against its Japanese rivals.

Volkswagen is actively targetting the Japanese compact 4WDs as rivals, including the Nissan X-Trail, the Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V and so on, and hopes that current and prospective buyers of these hot-selling vehicles will give the new Volkswagen Tiguan a look in.

One of the main 'hooks' of any new car is its design, and at first the Tiguan's exterior style struck me as more of a match for the luxury BMW X3 than the Japanese compact AWDs that Volkswagen is gunning for.

The headlight clusters and front end treatment are quintessentially European, with upmarket xenon headlights available, a suitably Germanic front fascia design and a bold VW badge. All models get alloy wheels as well in 16- or 17-inch sizes.

The side profile subtly mimics its bigger brother, the Touareg, while the rear end of the Tiguan features a far more curvaceous brake light design than most compact AWDs, and it works well.

It still has a high riding position like its rivals, but the Tiguan possesses a dynamic edge to its design that combines angles and curves to good effect.

Volkswagen has crafted a handsome-looking compact AWD in the form of the Tiguan, with solid proportions and smooth styling and if it's the 'image' that will initially motivate people to take a closer look, it's a mission accomplished for Volkswagen.

We did get a chance to take the VW Tiguan off-road to test its 4WD capabilities during the national media launch, and though it was only light-duty stuff - dirt tracks and the odd creek crossing - it didn't bottom out or grind to a halt which is good.

The Tiguan uses a fourth generation Haldex coupling for the AWD '4Motion' system, which is more advanced and quicker to divert power between the front and rear axles than previous Haldex systems used by Volkswagen.

There's also an off-road pack that costs $290 which adds downhill descent control and multi-terrain ABS and ESP. But it doesn't change the ride height, remaining factory standard at 198mm, which is a bit of a shame.

The Tiguan can tow a 750kg trailer, or braked trailers weighing up to 2000kg, which improves its versatility greatly; while ski racks can be optioned and the rear seats can be folded down for extra cargo carrying capacity, the towing capabilities are the icing on the cake.

There's also six airbags, ESP, brake assist, and a reinforced safety cell using high density metals for increased crash protection. The result is a a 5-star safety rating from the Euro-NCAP on all models, and 4-star child safety.

While the Tiguan drives well, is super safe and looks good, one of the most impressive elements of this dynamic new entrant in the compact 4WD segment is the interior.

The ergonomics are good: everything is where you would expect, and there's plenty of cup and bottle holders and even rear seat trays that fold out of the seat backs like airline seats (one Volkswagen staffer referred to them as the Qantas trays).

It's also a remarkably roomy vehicle; one of the first surprises after climbing into the Tiguan's cabin was the space. There's lots of headroom, plenty of legroom, and even when riding in the rear seats leg room for my 6'1" frame was decent.

The rear seats can also be slid fore and aft, which is a nice touch that grants either more passenger leg room or more boot space. Speaking of the boot, it's not massive at 395 litres, but expands to 1510 litres and can take a 650kg load when the rear seats are folded flat. Measuring 4.42 metres long and 1.8 metres wide, it's smaller than most mid-sized cars but feels very roomy inside.

As an option, you can add what VW calls the RNS510, a touch-screen system that incorporates satellite navigation and radio functions to the centre console.

It adds a high-tech element to the cockpit and it's up there with the best touch-screen infotainment systems on the market from Jaguar, Lexus et al - quite probably better. 

It's got a fast processor that allows it to calculate routes very rapidly and though it's a hefty $3,490 option, it's one of the most intuitive, attractive, and powerful sat-nav systems we've ever used. 

The display is second to none with high-resolution graphics, crystal clear 2D or 3D maps, sensible menu displays, and vibrant colours. Because it's a touch screen system, it's much faster to navigate through the menus too - no fibbly dials or buttons here.

It even acts as a DVD player when the car is stationary and because it has a 30Gb hard drive you can copy up to 20Gb of music onto the system via CD/DVD or SD card. The other 10Gb is for the satellite navigation maps.

If you like optional extras, the Tiguan will impress as there's dozens of them, including side steps, reversing cameras, tow bars and park assist ($1,390), which is detailed in the green break-out box to the right.

There's also the huge 1.36m x 0.87m panoramic electric glass sunroof ($1,990), xenon headlights with cornering feature ($1,990), a leather package ($3,990), 18-inch alloy wheels ($2,290), an upgraded 300W Dynaudio sound system ($1,790) and plenty more options besides.

It's been on sale since November 2007 in Europe, and with tens of thousands of customers waiting for their cars already it would be fair to call the Tiguan a success.

But will the feature-packed Tiguan elicit the same response from Australian buyers, who have until now been offered only Japanese models?

Volkswagen will build around 150,000 Tiguans per year and at the time of writing just 750 diesel-only models have been imported into Australia.

"Supply is tough with this model" said Jutta Dierks, but added that the supply issues that hampered the roll-out of the Golf GTI will not be repeated.

Launched this week in Australia, VW will be importing more of the German-made Tiguans into the country, but the petrol models won't arrive until later in 2008 (but can be ordered now) and as has been the case in Europe, demand could well outstrip supply in this country as well.

As well as boosting sales, the German automaker is confident the new model will boost Volkswagen's brand value in Australia.

"It opens the door to customers we've never talked to," says VW Australia's managing director, Jutta Dierks.

"We hope to generate more awareness for the brand," added Dierks, which won't be difficult with a car that parks itself!

Conclusion

Better late than never? Most definitely.

The Tiguan has gatecrashed the compact 4WD soirée that has until now been the reverse of Japanese compact AWDs.

After driving the vehicle, it's clear that no corners have been cut. The Tiguan can tow a trailer just as easily as it will take you to the snow fields or commute the kids to school. It's safe, stylish and fun to drive, and though I dislike to use the term, it's a game-changer.

When the usual automotive marketing slogans are bandied about, they're best taken with a pinch of salt. But when Volkswagen says it is redefining the expectations of an SUV, it's hard to argue otherwise.

The Tiguan is a refined German vehicle with a very versatile interior that innovates in almost every respect. We'll have an in-depth look at the vehicle when we get our hands on the Volkswagen Tiguan for a full road test, but even at this early stage it is clear that Volkswagen is on to a winner.