Car Detail

 

It is one of the closest rivals to the Land Rover Freelander, with VW reliability and durability being among its greatest assets plus Volkswagen’s legendary rock-solid build quality and four wheel drive expertise as a bonus.

 

Classically elegant in appearance, it avoids the brashness of some of its rivals and comes with an accomplished range of petrol and diesel engines at reasonable prices considering its quality, size, abilities and equipment.

The remarkably high residual values of the VW Tiguan make it an especially sound long-term investment and this is helped by the generous levels of equipment as standard on all models. It includes air conditioning, alloy wheels, remote central locking, four electric windows, CD sound system with MP3 connection plus split-fold rear seats. The diesel models come with the option of automatic transmission for £1,265, which will make them worth more on the second-hand market, plus optional metallic paint, cruise control, satellite navigation, leather upholstery and parking sensors.

As one of the most modern models in its sector it is no surprise that the VW Tiguan goes straight to the top of the safety class with a five-star EuroNCAP rating for adult occupant protection and a four-star rating for child protection. All models have anti-lock brakes, traction control and ESP electronic stability programme. There are front, side and curtain air bags plus three-point seat belts all round and ISOFIX child seat mountings. The 1.4 TSI petrol engine has a CO2 figure of 199g/km whilst the two-litre diesel gets a rating of 189g/km.

The VW Tiguan is a mid-range 4x4 sport utility vehicle that uses Volkswagen’s acclaimed 4MOTION system to send power to all four wheels when needed. This is one of the most efficient systems of its type, which together with high-efficiency engines, results in economy of 33.6mpg for the 1.4-litre petrol and 39.2mpg for the two-litre turbodiesel models. Despite its compactness and relatively low cubic capacity, the 1.4-litre unit develops 150bhp, which endows the vehicle with acceleration to 60mph in 10.1 seconds with a top speed of 121mph. The 2.0 TDI has a power output of 138bhp and a torque figure of 236lb/ft, which makes it ideally suited to pulling trailers or horse boxes up to 2,500kg. The 2.0 TDI has a 0-60mph acceleration time of 10.5 seconds and a top speed of 115mph. Two further engines were added soon after the vehicle’s initial launch, a 2.0 TSI petrol engine with 200bhp and a 2.0TDI generating 170bhp.

 

The VW Tiguan has a sophisticated hill descent system that uses engine power to enable the vehicle to go down even steep hills at a steady pace without driver intervention.

VW Tiguan SUV 4wd motoring starts at £21,250 for the 1.4 TSI 150 S, with the SE model raising the price to £22,595. The 2.0 TDI 140 S costs £22,305, rising to £23,310 for the SE, and £24,910 for the Sport 2.0 TDI . The new R Line 4MOTION starts from £26,845 in 2.0 litre petrol and from £26,305 in 2.0 TDI.