By Rebaneilwe Semakane
The Tiguan is not Volkswagen’s best seller for nothing. It looks the part, has ample space and caters to a lot of families for a decent price. Now, with this TDI variant, I think their winning streak is set to continue.
On the exterior it looks phenomenal. The R-Line kit and the Night Shade Blue metallic finish makes it stand out and forces a passerby to give it a second glance. It sits on large 20-inch Suzuka alloys, and it’s boxy profile gives it loads of presence. The inside feels very typical of Volkswagen, with top notch build quality and premium materials in an interior more or less devoid of physical buttons. Almost everything is touch-operated, which is a disaster for me. The tech on the touchpads, especially on the helm takes a while to respond – even the climate controls are a little laggy. Nonetheless, the R badging on the steering wheel and seats were a nice touch, plus the Harman Kardon sound system added to a good experience of the car.
The Tiguan diesel is powered by a 2.0l 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine that produces 130kW and 380Nm and my word, it is punchy! Acceleration is amazing, it does not sound like a cumbersome diesel powerplant, and the fuel economy returns are stunning. The gear changes are satisfying, changes quite rapid and its noteworthy how well this car performs especially at highway driving. What was also notable for me was how easy it is to maneuver this car. By looking at it- it is quite big, you’d never guess that parking and pulling out of tight spots was an actual breeze. Volkswagen claims 6.6l/100km and I managed to stay around 7.0l/100km, so happily in the ballpark. And good for a 850km range. This Tiguan uses a 7 speed DSG which is obviously a fan favorite, and power is sent to all 4 wheels.
Now, the elephant in the room. This car comes at a hefty price tag of R829,200, which I think is somewhat ridiculous. Let us look at some of the extras you can tick off, the 20-inch wheels fitted here are an extra R14,100, Harman Kardon is R12,600, heads up display is another R11,550 and the panoramic sunroof is a whopping R17,500. Properly specced with these nifty niceties, you are looking at over R900k for the Tiguan. The main selling point here will have to be the comfort and responsiveness of the drive, but if you are looking to spend less, I would highly recommend a Kia Sportage in the diesel variant. Volkswagen knows they have a stellar vehicle on their hands, and it speaks for itself, but the price might deter many, myself included.