Tiguan, a crossover SUV made by Volkswagen. The name itself derived from a combination of tiger and iguana. It has been existed since 2008 when VW Malaysia brought it in our shores to compete with other crossovers that cost more than RM 200,000. Undoubtedly, it was considered a "Golf GTI" off-roader by some people due to the same underpinning as the Mk5 Golf (VW Group A5 platform) and a 4-cylinder 2.0 EA888 turbocharged engine. I still remember the day when I tried the old 2009 Tiguan back in 2013 during and it was absolutely a fun crossover to drive compared to others. As time flies, I will tell the whole glimpse of the Volkswagen Tiguan in another dimension.
The all-new Tiguan was launched last month with two types of variants, notably known as the Comfortline as you see in this one, and the Highline, the most obsolete version with high-tech gadgets and gizmos all around.
The Comfortline is one of the most basic Tiguan of all, and you won't see anything flashy for outside and inside. If you want me to say more, it has smaller 17" Montana wheels in all four corners, manual levelling halogen headlights and normal DRLs, analog gauges, manually-adjusted cloth seats, manual climate controls, no power tailgate, no GPS with backup camera, and zero keyless entry system. As for its high-trim counterpart, its a direct opposite, with 18" Kingston wheels, 12 way electronically-adjustable driver seat with leather wrapped in all of them, LED headlights, Active Info Display LCD gauges, navigation system and a camera at the back, electronic climate controls, power tailgate and keyless entry.
To me, it doesn't matter which side I will choose from, either the base one or the top-of-the-line model. Both trims are really well-equipped, despite it's different from one another. Perhaps that I might considered as a weirdo if I pick the Comfortline, as I don't really care about serious gizmos in a Volkswagen. Most importantly, the Tiguan is now lower, longer, sleeker, and more masculine compared to the previous generation. Gone all the rounded edges and curves, and Golf-ish shape, and finally looks like a real legit SUV in my personal preferences. With the boxy and sharpy-straight lines all around, the Tiguan does attract a serious attention for potential SUV buyers out there.
Interior-wise is now more like a normal VW, compared to the enormous Beetle-esque dashboard with odd-looking center console. To make it cooler, it gets a better quality design all over the cabin.
Manual climate controls. Looks okay to me, at least it doesn't feel cheap like the base A-Class
Don't worry people. It's a wet-clutch DSG.
The best thing about the Tiguan is the fully-adjustable recline rear seats, with 40:20:40 split. Too bad the CX-5 don't have this at all. To adjust them, pull the strap below and adjust the seats the way you want. The strap can also make the rear seats fold down to gain cargo storage.
It still has fold-up trays like the previous generation.
Safety-wise, both comes with 6 airbags, with ABS, ESC, parking sensors with guidance on the screen, electronic E-brake with hill-hold assist and Active Bonnet Pedestrian Protection as standard.
Alright everyone, that's my personal overview of the Tiguan, and now for the most important thing, bringing it out on the road to feel the power and excitement.
The Drive
The old 1.4 Tiguan and 2.0 counterpart was one of the most decent VWs that I had driven. More or less, both felt like a Golf to me. As for the new one, the Tiguan is absolutely different than the old one. With a longer and lighter MQB platform, the Tiguan provides a magnanimous ride compared to the rest of the crossovers that I've already tested. Despite having a single turbo and the same suspension set-up like the old one, the new Tiguan feels more sporty, and powerful. As far as I can tell, the acceleration is way better, I mean, way better that what I've expected. Hitting the gas pedal gently, the turbo immediately kicks in to the front wheels and makes the G-force to push back in a short period. When it comes to handling, the Tiguan corners like a fast animal, with lower body roll and smoother cornering like a snake, making it to have a faster reaction when turning the steering wheel thanks to the electronically-assisted power steering. Well, at least the steering feedback feels more realistic than the typical soft and boring ones like the rest. You can even tell it a not-so-typical crossover with a sports car performance, although it is a base model car.
Final Verdict
All in all, the new Volkswagen Tiguan brings the real beat to cater the drivers and families. It is the only base model crossover SUV that I can recommend, as I usually love the high-end ones for the rest despite they are no longer have a 4Motion system. With all the appropriate equipment and downsized turbo-ed engine, this Tiguan makes it "valuable" to some people for this one, and better performance and fuel consumption, unless if you are not an aggressive driver like me. As for the price, the Tiguan Comfortline costs RM 148,990 while the Highline has a price tag of RM 168,990. And guess what? Both are cheaper than the previous generation, making them to be the most affordable VW SUVs to purchase.
Exclusively for the Tiguan Comfortline, buyers will get an advantage by paying for as low as RM 51 a day based on a 9-year installment for this upcoming Raya season!
For more additional details, you can click the link here to know more about the car in the Volkswagen's main page.
Special thanks to Wearnes Automotive, and Volkswagen of Sungai Besi, for letting me to do a review and test drive the all-new Volkswagen Tiguan.
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