MacGuffin
Forum Addict
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2008
- Messages
- 8,329
- Location
- Wilhelmshaven, Germany
- Car(s)
- '17 Ford Mustang GT Fastback
It's been a while since I reviewed a car. Not that I didn't have my fun with rentals, only I always got cars I already had before.
Now for some time I finally have gotten something new: A Volkswagen Tiguan.
After the Volvo XC60, which I didn't like much to be honest, this is the second of the so-called "small" MPV's I have the opportunity to test out.
The good thing about owning a VW, is that you will immediately be able to use all switches and levers in any other VW, because they are always where you expect them to be.
I received the Tiguan yesterday, when it was already dark and I had absolutely no problem at all to find my way around in it. Unlike with the Volvo I mentioned above, I didn't have to go back to the rental and ask for help in finding switches or turn to the user manual to get something working.
Also (and that is an important point) I could easily find a fine sitting position and didn't have to leave the car to adjust the seat -- even without electrical seat adjustment (just a small hint towards the Volvo defenders
)
The obviously basic Tiguan seats aren't what I would call state-of-the-art as well. But in contrast to the Volvo's, which only consist of foam from army bunk mattresses, the ones in the VW at least offer some side support and have a grippier surface, so you don't slide around and cling to the steering wheel with your life, when you turn quickly around a corner.
Also the footwell offers enough room for my legs and my left foot to rest and I do not hit my knees or other body parts at hard plastic edges or door handles, while driving. Again Volvo loses here in this comparison.
So my first impression was: Yes, I feel at home in this one.
My second one was: Oh dear, what's that clattering noise next to my left ear everytime the road gets rough?
Well, it's the seat belt retainer, which seems to have rather loose insides and clatters and squeaks right into your left ear. Very irritating and not exactly good build quality. The rest of the car, however, is solid as a rock. The interior makes a good quality impression, there is lots of space even on the back seats for persons like me and also lots of boot space. The tailgate is a bit heavy, though, and it needs some muscle power to shut it. So if you see a woman struggling with closing the tailgate on a Tiguan, don't laugh.
The Tiguan I had, came with the 2.0 liter Diesel engine with 140 HP and the 6-speed manual gearbox, which I already know from the Scirocco. However, while in the Scirocco it clearly is a complete mess, both engine and gearbox fit to the character of the Tiguan. Not only that but also the gears can all be used effectively.
However, shifting gears needs conentration from your side, because the gears are not very well defined and I more than once ended up in 6th, when I wanted the 4th. The clutch has a hefty bite and works binary (on or off), which is okay once you get used to it. The first times I shifted down, though, I nearly went through the front window, because it kicks in sudden and hard. Not the ideal car for driving schools...
The 140 HP of the engine prevent you from being quick: The car weighs a lot and has a lot of air drag, so the top speed is around 190 km/h -- with a veeeery long run-up to that. And it gets loud inside then, too. The engine is clearly a bit dated by now. Still not nearly as loud and shaky, as the 4-pot in the BMW 120d I had earlier this year, or -- heaven forbid -- the catastrophically bad Mercedes 4-cyliner diesel I once had in the B-Class.
However, if you keep the engine in the torque zone from about 1500 to 3000 rpm, you will move around town and country just fine.
Stay above 1400 rpm, though, because at 60 km/h in 5th gear (which is about 1200-1300 rpm) there is a deep frequency drone, which is enormously annoying. Same happens at 70 km/h in 6th gear. So driving at low revs with this car is only recommendable, if you think living inside a sub woofer is a great thing.
The turbo kicks in very sudden after a rather big turbo lag. The power is enough to overtake for example a big truck or two camper vans in an acceptable time. Don't expect any acceleration wonders on the Autobahn, though.
One of the biggest weaknesses of the Tiguan is the fact, that no matter where you look, your field of vision encounters large amounts of bodywork: The A-pillar is particularly fat, which makes it difficult to look into a corner. You are constantly moving around your upper body in order to see out and without the use of panned down side mirrors and the parking sensors you will inevitably have some dents and scratches in no time.
So far my review of the VW Tiguan contains light and shadow.
But The Tiguan has a big ace up its sleeve: Sublime road behaviour.
Normally when I have a comfy SUV or MPV, it's a blancmange when it comes to handling. The Mercedes ML-Class for example always gives you the feeling, that the momentum will carry you out of the corner.
The Volvo XC60, which is more like a direct competitor to the Tiguan, was also very comfy but frankly had very lousy road behaviour. You always needed to correct the steering and on narrow roads, you were actually afraid of either heading into the opposite traffic or into the ditch.
The Tiguan is very comfy, too. And I mean comfy. It almost glides like a hovercraft over bumped and bruised roads, which you can tell by my videos, because the camera hardly ever rattles. Only very hard joints in the road or big potholes come through and you hear them more, than you can feel them.
But in contrast to the Volvo, the Tiguan also offers excellent handling and great stability, even on wavy and bumpy backroads. Unlike in the Volvo you won't break into sweat, everytime another car comes towards you from the opposite direction on a narrow road.
The compromise VW found between comfort and roadability, is a masterpiece.
The Tiguan likes corners, feels nimble and planted in every situation you can encounter. It actually reminds me of the BMW X5, which has similar road behaviour but is not quite as comfortable.
Of course my Tiguan was equipped with the 4Motion AWD. You can also order it with FWD but nobody in their right mind should even consider that. In the current weather for example -- wet streets with lots of leaves on the road -- you cannot value AWD high enough.
So my bottom line is: Great multi purpose vehicle, with faults in details, which definitely could use or even needs a much more powerful engine.
Now for the pictures:
The design tries hard to cover the fact, that it's just a big, boxy car, and succeeds at least partially with that.
Much space inside. I would even fit perfectly in the back behind the driver's seat, if I was the driver
See the knob to adjust the backrest of the seat? It can be reached without leaving the car. Are you listening, Volvo???
The tailgate is heavy and needs some effort to close it. You need to use the whole hand. I was holding a crate of Coke in my left hand and the house keys in my right hand and was struggling to throw it down with only two fingers to use.
That A-pillar is huge. It effectively blocks your view, when you want to turn left.
The interior can almost be called funky for Volkswagen standards
I will post the videos later. Much later probably, because my upload speed sucks and this car review of mine is the first one ever, where I made all the vids in HD.
But you will be in for a treat, if you wait. Because for the first time I made an audio commentary
So if you wanna hear a bloke sounding stupid with a hard German accent, while trying to think of the right words in English, when concentrating on driving a car, wait for it :lol:
Now for some time I finally have gotten something new: A Volkswagen Tiguan.
After the Volvo XC60, which I didn't like much to be honest, this is the second of the so-called "small" MPV's I have the opportunity to test out.
The good thing about owning a VW, is that you will immediately be able to use all switches and levers in any other VW, because they are always where you expect them to be.
I received the Tiguan yesterday, when it was already dark and I had absolutely no problem at all to find my way around in it. Unlike with the Volvo I mentioned above, I didn't have to go back to the rental and ask for help in finding switches or turn to the user manual to get something working.
Also (and that is an important point) I could easily find a fine sitting position and didn't have to leave the car to adjust the seat -- even without electrical seat adjustment (just a small hint towards the Volvo defenders
)The obviously basic Tiguan seats aren't what I would call state-of-the-art as well. But in contrast to the Volvo's, which only consist of foam from army bunk mattresses, the ones in the VW at least offer some side support and have a grippier surface, so you don't slide around and cling to the steering wheel with your life, when you turn quickly around a corner.
Also the footwell offers enough room for my legs and my left foot to rest and I do not hit my knees or other body parts at hard plastic edges or door handles, while driving. Again Volvo loses here in this comparison.
So my first impression was: Yes, I feel at home in this one.
My second one was: Oh dear, what's that clattering noise next to my left ear everytime the road gets rough?
Well, it's the seat belt retainer, which seems to have rather loose insides and clatters and squeaks right into your left ear. Very irritating and not exactly good build quality. The rest of the car, however, is solid as a rock. The interior makes a good quality impression, there is lots of space even on the back seats for persons like me and also lots of boot space. The tailgate is a bit heavy, though, and it needs some muscle power to shut it. So if you see a woman struggling with closing the tailgate on a Tiguan, don't laugh.
The Tiguan I had, came with the 2.0 liter Diesel engine with 140 HP and the 6-speed manual gearbox, which I already know from the Scirocco. However, while in the Scirocco it clearly is a complete mess, both engine and gearbox fit to the character of the Tiguan. Not only that but also the gears can all be used effectively.
However, shifting gears needs conentration from your side, because the gears are not very well defined and I more than once ended up in 6th, when I wanted the 4th. The clutch has a hefty bite and works binary (on or off), which is okay once you get used to it. The first times I shifted down, though, I nearly went through the front window, because it kicks in sudden and hard. Not the ideal car for driving schools...
The 140 HP of the engine prevent you from being quick: The car weighs a lot and has a lot of air drag, so the top speed is around 190 km/h -- with a veeeery long run-up to that. And it gets loud inside then, too. The engine is clearly a bit dated by now. Still not nearly as loud and shaky, as the 4-pot in the BMW 120d I had earlier this year, or -- heaven forbid -- the catastrophically bad Mercedes 4-cyliner diesel I once had in the B-Class.
However, if you keep the engine in the torque zone from about 1500 to 3000 rpm, you will move around town and country just fine.
Stay above 1400 rpm, though, because at 60 km/h in 5th gear (which is about 1200-1300 rpm) there is a deep frequency drone, which is enormously annoying. Same happens at 70 km/h in 6th gear. So driving at low revs with this car is only recommendable, if you think living inside a sub woofer is a great thing.
The turbo kicks in very sudden after a rather big turbo lag. The power is enough to overtake for example a big truck or two camper vans in an acceptable time. Don't expect any acceleration wonders on the Autobahn, though.
One of the biggest weaknesses of the Tiguan is the fact, that no matter where you look, your field of vision encounters large amounts of bodywork: The A-pillar is particularly fat, which makes it difficult to look into a corner. You are constantly moving around your upper body in order to see out and without the use of panned down side mirrors and the parking sensors you will inevitably have some dents and scratches in no time.
So far my review of the VW Tiguan contains light and shadow.
But The Tiguan has a big ace up its sleeve: Sublime road behaviour.
Normally when I have a comfy SUV or MPV, it's a blancmange when it comes to handling. The Mercedes ML-Class for example always gives you the feeling, that the momentum will carry you out of the corner.
The Volvo XC60, which is more like a direct competitor to the Tiguan, was also very comfy but frankly had very lousy road behaviour. You always needed to correct the steering and on narrow roads, you were actually afraid of either heading into the opposite traffic or into the ditch.
The Tiguan is very comfy, too. And I mean comfy. It almost glides like a hovercraft over bumped and bruised roads, which you can tell by my videos, because the camera hardly ever rattles. Only very hard joints in the road or big potholes come through and you hear them more, than you can feel them.
But in contrast to the Volvo, the Tiguan also offers excellent handling and great stability, even on wavy and bumpy backroads. Unlike in the Volvo you won't break into sweat, everytime another car comes towards you from the opposite direction on a narrow road.
The compromise VW found between comfort and roadability, is a masterpiece.
The Tiguan likes corners, feels nimble and planted in every situation you can encounter. It actually reminds me of the BMW X5, which has similar road behaviour but is not quite as comfortable.
Of course my Tiguan was equipped with the 4Motion AWD. You can also order it with FWD but nobody in their right mind should even consider that. In the current weather for example -- wet streets with lots of leaves on the road -- you cannot value AWD high enough.
So my bottom line is: Great multi purpose vehicle, with faults in details, which definitely could use or even needs a much more powerful engine.
Now for the pictures:
The design tries hard to cover the fact, that it's just a big, boxy car, and succeeds at least partially with that.
Much space inside. I would even fit perfectly in the back behind the driver's seat, if I was the driver
See the knob to adjust the backrest of the seat? It can be reached without leaving the car. Are you listening, Volvo???
The tailgate is heavy and needs some effort to close it. You need to use the whole hand. I was holding a crate of Coke in my left hand and the house keys in my right hand and was struggling to throw it down with only two fingers to use.
That A-pillar is huge. It effectively blocks your view, when you want to turn left.
The interior can almost be called funky for Volkswagen standards
I will post the videos later. Much later probably, because my upload speed sucks and this car review of mine is the first one ever, where I made all the vids in HD.
But you will be in for a treat, if you wait. Because for the first time I made an audio commentary
So if you wanna hear a bloke sounding stupid with a hard German accent, while trying to think of the right words in English, when concentrating on driving a car, wait for it :lol:
