Tiny engine with a big heart
The Tiguan 1.4-litre petrol model has Volkswagen’s 4Motion,but this does not make it a serious off-road vehicle.
The finish of the interior is excellent. The car that we tested was fitted with satellite navigation.
The Volkswagen Tiguan is a compact but not small SUV that can even perform a few 4x4 tricks. The question is, how will the 1.4-litre engine fare here in three-litre land?
Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI 4Motion Track & Field
The news that yet another “sport utility vehicle” is being released evokes little excitement, especially if you can’t really see the point of such a vehicle in the first place. (After all, many of them will never leave the city limits.)
Just about every manufacturer has jumped on the bandwagon; even Mini had a 4x4 at the recent Paris Motor Show. It looked a bit like an amorous bulldog with the hots for a dachshund. Imagine yourself in Kaokoland in a Mini. Come on, guys.
These family cars on stilts guzzle petrol, emit greenhouse gases like anything, are often not very nice to look at, and tend to come with a hell-driver at the wheel.
To say the least, I was rather sceptical about the new Tiguan – especially since Volkswagen already has the expensive Touareg on the market.
It’s a Volkswagen, though, and Volkswagen makes good cars. And although the Tiguan is hardly cheap, it is within reach of people who don’t have half-a-million stashed under the bed.
Besides, the Tiguan should be a welcome diversion after the drama over the Seat. Although cheaper in Europe than Volkswagens, VW SA sold the Seat at a higher price than its own products. By the time VW realised South African car buyers aren’t so easily led by the nose and adjusted the price, the damage was done.
Eventually, VW SA withdrew the Seat entirely, practically giving away the remaining stock and washing their hands of the loss of about R60 000 to each Seat owner.
Car magazines are still publishing letters of complaint about it.
“Not very nice,” as my dad would have said.
So, the Tiguan should help to perk up VW’s image a bit. It’s not just an attractive car, but also the first Volkswagen vehicle in South Africa to boast the revolutionary 1.4-litre engine with a turbo- and a supercharger.
Speaking of that engine…
Maybe we got this from the Yanks, but South Africans like a big engine in a big car; they only tolerate a 1400-chugalong in a Chico or a Tazz or the like.
I can just hear a Northern Cape farmer who is looking to buy a car to use in town and on holiday in Hermanus, saying “What!? That much money for a 1400?”
It will be interesting to see who actually buys this car.
How does it handle?
Like a big car, smooth and solid on the road (as you’d expect of a big car). And it can move. The engine may be small, but that team of boosters do their thing. Volkswagen claims it accelerates from 0-100km/h in 9,6 seconds, and tops out at 190km/h before it runs out of steam.
It’s no slouch on the hills either, and you should have no problem nipping past Aunty Annie from the farm while she crawls along at 30 km/h for 28 km approaching her turn-off.
However, I found it difficult to make this car run smoothly. From first to third gear, especially, you have to let the clutch out gingerly to stop it from bucking.
And inside?
Pretty, sturdy, good finishes, comfortable – what you would expect from a Volkswagen.
Boot space?
This is the big reason I could never come to terms with an SUV. Yes, the Tiguan can accommodate a family of four’s luggage in one gulp, but I’m convinced you could cram even more in the cavern at the back of a Jetta or a Passat. And you go a lot further on a tank.
Is it thirsty?
Well, it’s not a teetotaller, but it does quite well against competitors such as the Nissan Qashqai and Mitsubishi Outlander. That must be the price you pay for the power that the turbo- and supercharger whip out of the engine. I did 327 km in the test model (of which 230 km was on the open road, at 120 km/h) and the average consumption was 10,5 ℓ/100 km.
Safety features?
Well, I did say this was a Volkswagen. You get all the important safety goodies – anti-lock braking system, electronic brake distribution, an electronic stability system, brake assist and descent control. There are front and side air bags for passengers up front, as well as curtain air bags in front and at the back. And if your passenger does not put his seatbelt on, that alarm just keeps on bleeping.
We liked: The looks – the family resemblance is obvious around the eyes – and the finish. This is a car that should last for years, as long as you don’t climb too many mountains with it.
And if you are a bit sceptical about that engine, relax: Like other Volkswagen products, it is guaranteed for three years or 120 000 km, and has a five-year or 60 000 km service plan.
Any niggles? It’s rather expensive. The Track & Field model that we tried out costs R291 100, and the Trend & Fun (what a name!) will set you back R283 100.
And then we haven’t even added the extras yet: metallic paint (R1 820), fog lights (R1 640), leather seats (R10 300), cruise control (R2 630), reversing camera (R4 660, and it’s not great), multifunctional steering wheel (R2 080) and satellite navigation (R25 650).
With all that, you would not get much change from R340 000.
Go! says: We’ll have to see whether South Africans will go for this one. The 2.0-litre turbo-diesel model might be a better seller for Volkswagen SA.
(Note: Prices accurate in December 2008)
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