Since its nativity into the compact Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) market in 2007, the Volkswagen Tiguan has achieved global distinction and become a sales success story for the German marque.
Till date, nearly three million Tiguans have found homes across the world and is one of the key product pillars of the Volkswagen brand alongside the Golf, the Passat and the Polo. Oh, and if you arrange them neatly in order, the number of Tiguans sold would occupy the size of 3,000 football fields!
Quite obviously, the freshly launched second generation Tiguan inherits an ambitious legacy, and a strong reputation to uphold.
Just like its Golf and Passat siblings, the new 'Tig' is built on the VeeDub Group's Modularer Querbaukasten or modular transverse matrix (MQB) platform and according to the brand, is both more SUV and more than an SUV.
Would this new car be as comforting as a warm plate of Currywurst and as refreshing as a pint of Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier? To find out, we flew 9,910km to Berlin, Germany, and put the car through its paces, over asphalt, trail and cobblestone.Exterior
Compared to the bulbous outgoing model, the design of the new Tiguan speaks a sharpened and more dynamic language.
Resembling the Passat, the frontage of the new Tiguan is structured by an elongated radiator grille, distinct LED headlamps and a crisp new bumper including wider air intakes.
At the sides, the clean waist and character lines, as well as the eye-catching wheel arches attest to Volkswagen's simple ethos of 'less is more'.
Size wise, the Tiguan's forceful road presence is the result of a 33mm reduction in height to 1,632mm and a 30mm increase in width to 1,839mm. At 4,486mm in length, the new Tiguan is also 60mm longer than its predecessor. Wheelbase, too, is extended to 2,681mm - a gain of 77mm.
Despite looking more rapacious than before, thus and so highlighting the 'Sport' in Sport Utility Vehicles, the Tiguan's equivalently elegant aesthetics blend it handsomely in both fancy metropolises and dungy off-roads.
Interior
On the inside, cockpit construction, for one, is now aligned towards the driver for improved usability. Seating position is also elevated to complement ease of driving.
At the same time, buttons and switches on the centre console are tidily organised and easy to operate.
A feature that tickled our fancy is the Tiguan's 12.3-inch Active Info Display - the Volkswagen digital instrument cluster that is being offered in the compact class for the first time. You may remember this from the Passat Variant 2.0 TSI R-Line that we recently drove up North.
Plus, thanks to App-Connect, nearly any smartphone based on iOS, Android or MirrorLink can be networked with the new Tiguan.
However, function without form is incomplete, and the Tiguan excels in this aspect just as well. Fit and finish of the cabin feels expensive and bridges the narrowing quality gap between Volkswagen and its four-ringed brethren.
On the inside, cockpit construction, for one, is now aligned towards the driver for improved usability. Seating position is also elevated to complement ease of driving.
At the same time, buttons and switches on the centre console are tidily organised and easy to operate.
A feature that tickled our fancy is the Tiguan's 12.3-inch Active Info Display - the Volkswagen digital instrument cluster that is being offered in the compact class for the first time. You may remember this from the Passat Variant 2.0 TSI R-Line that we recently drove up North.
Plus, thanks to App-Connect, nearly any smartphone based on iOS, Android or MirrorLink can be networked with the new Tiguan.
However, function without form is incomplete, and the Tiguan excels in this aspect just as well. Fit and finish of the cabin feels expensive and bridges the narrowing quality gap between Volkswagen and its four-ringed brethren.
Impressively, occupants will enjoy the 26mm longer interior, which makes the Tiguan easily one of the most spacious cars in its class. At the rear, up to three passengers can now enjoy 29mm more knee room. And despite its lower overall height, the Tiguan's new ergonomic design now offers more headroom for all.
The car's sliding rear bench allows 180mm of adjustment - 20mm more than before. With the rear bench moved forwards, the boot offers 615 litres of space - a gain of 145 litres. For larger loads like bicycles and IKEA hoots, boot capacity swells up to 1,655 litres with the rear bench folded.
To put the Tiguan's occupant comfort levels into context, five of us spent a couple of hours in the car, with this drowsy writer sleeping soundly in the back, uninterrupted by the barely-audible wind and road noises, even as the Tiguan hit speeds of about 180km/h on the Autobahn.
The Drive
Refinement is key with the new Tiguan and its dynamics - both on and off-road are exemplary of this. The car we drove is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder TSI petrol engine, churning 180bhp and 320Nm of all-wheel twisting force.
Mated to that reasonably-punchy powerplant is Volkswagen's seven-speed DSG, which as before, provides creamy gear swops.
Whether you're crawling through congested city streets with vexing stop-start traffic or making haste on the speed-unlimited stretches of the Autobahn, the Tiguan's polished drivetrain remains unfazed. And despite its 53kg reduction in weight, the Tiguan remains surprisingly calm and composed, even whilst cruising at maxed out speeds.
On deserted stretches of Berlin's bewitching back-roads, the Tiguan flaunted its nimble corner-carving talents - the upshot of upgraded damping and improved torsional rigidity. While we wouldn't say that the Tiguan handles like a sports car, its taut chassis, sorted suspension and congenial dynamics definitely inspire you to drive harder.
Refinement is key with the new Tiguan and its dynamics - both on and off-road are exemplary of this. The car we drove is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder TSI petrol engine, churning 180bhp and 320Nm of all-wheel twisting force.
Mated to that reasonably-punchy powerplant is Volkswagen's seven-speed DSG, which as before, provides creamy gear swops.
Whether you're crawling through congested city streets with vexing stop-start traffic or making haste on the speed-unlimited stretches of the Autobahn, the Tiguan's polished drivetrain remains unfazed. And despite its 53kg reduction in weight, the Tiguan remains surprisingly calm and composed, even whilst cruising at maxed out speeds.
On deserted stretches of Berlin's bewitching back-roads, the Tiguan flaunted its nimble corner-carving talents - the upshot of upgraded damping and improved torsional rigidity. While we wouldn't say that the Tiguan handles like a sports car, its taut chassis, sorted suspension and congenial dynamics definitely inspire you to drive harder.
Part of the drive took us to a dirt driving track, where we climbed the Tiguan up arduous inclines and over ruthlessly uneven grounds. But even such punishing land conditions were no match for the Tiguan's capable 4MOTION Active Control, operated easily via a knob with rotary and push function, and Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
Above all, the Tiguan's slew of safety features such as Front Assist with City Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Monitoring, Lane Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) set class safety standards.
Conclusion
The new Volkswagen Tiguan isn't just a charming face in the crowd. Amidst the gridlocked segment it resides in, it stands out with a clean, spacious and user-friendly cabin, great dynamics, a capable off-road system and impressive safety suite.
Post-drive, little else was capable of living up to the Tiguan's freshly-set standards. All of a sudden, that warm plate of Currywurst and cold pint of Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier didn't feel nearly as satisfying.
If Volkswagen Singapore's estimations are correct, we can expect to welcome the new Tiguan on our shores by the end of this year.
