Tiguan Highline Rline - 18 month review

[FastMitch]

18 month review

Model: Tiguan Highline Rline (fully optioned except for sunroof)

Purchase and Delivery
Went in a negotiated a good price. Look for 11% - 12% off RRP. If you order in Nov for a Jan build that worked for me.
Was delivered on time and car looked great on pickup in the showroom.
At this price, it was the best 5 seat SUV for performance vs price that I tested.
Don't waste your time with any of the tyre insurances etc. the dealers will offer.

Comfort
Pros:
Seats positions are highly adjustable and comfort is great. As a 5 seater it is very spacious in the front and the back and was the best I saw at this price point.

Cons:
When you set the front drivers seats "all the way to the back", after you turn off the engine and come back and restart the engine the seat moves forward again about 2 inches. Which means you have to move it back 2 inches every time you get back into the car even though you set the memory. This is really annoying and I have never have this happen in any Japanese or Korean SUV previously owned. Will need to see if this is an issue when I next take it in.

Heating and Cooling
Pros:
Settings are easy and great to use with 3 zone climate control so the rear passengers can set their own temperature.

Cons:
Air-con temp works ok however it seems less cooler than my previous Japanese and Korean SUV that I have owned even on the coldest setting.

Drive and Handling
Pros:
For an SUV, car is great to drive and hugs the road and corners really well. Acceleration is great with a 0 - 100 of 6.5 secs which is Porsche Mecan territory but at half the price and better than my previous Korean turbo diesel SUV that had a 0 - 100 of 8 sec
Car is very quiet compared to my previous turbo diesel SUV and I will never be going back to a smelly diesel after this.
Visibility in all directions is the best you will get in an SUV as the shape and windows are large and very practical. I enjoy driving this as my daily vehicle.

Cons:
None to mention

Brakes
Pros:
They don't squeak.

Cons:
The brakes are dusty as cr@p and I expect they will wear much quicker than any Japanese/Korean SUV I have owned. People on this forum admit they wear quickly and are dusty because its brakes for a sporty car and the way to fix this problem is to replace the brakes to ceramic brakes as soon as you buy the car. WT ?? Anyone who tells you that you need to replace a part as soon as you buy a new vehicle then that part is faulty from the manufacturer however some here believe VW can do no wrong (even after Diesel Gate) so you can't really argue with their logic (or they repair VW's for a living). Previous golfs in the base model (not a sporty engine) had this same brake issue. Its a VW fault that has been around for years similar to their dodgy dual clutch gear boxes.
Can't wait to see if the brake pads chew through my brake discs before the 5 year warranty is up.
The front alloys will become completely 'black' with dust after 2 months however the rear less. I expect the front brakes must be a different compound to the rear.

Discovery Pro / Sat Nav
Pros:
Has a built in Hard Drive so you can copy music across to it. This is good as you don't need a USB stick taking up a USB slot just to play music.
Sat Nav works ok but could be improved.
You can download the Sat Nav updates for free and update the Sat Nav Maps yourself. Takes approx 30 mins for an update.

Cons:
I wouldn't waste money in the future for a function that displays the Sat Nav in the drivers cockpit 'unless' it displays Android Auto as Waze and Google Maps beats the VW built in Sat Nav by a factor of 100 to 1.
My previous Korean SUV has speed and red light cameras locations and notifications built in as standard. It would notify me a good 30 secs before reaching a red light camera. VW does not have this function.
Also missing is a speed notification when you go over the speed limit in the VW. Previous Korean SUV had this as standard and it was great to know when you were speeding over the limit.
Searching for businesses (Coles, Kmart, OfficeWorks, Shell, BP etc) was standard in my previous Korean SUV but is missing from the VW Sat Nav. Without Android Auto (Waze / Google Maps) you will not have this function in a Tiguan.
When Android Auto comes standard as 'wireless' and can work on large screens, I expect a lot of manufacturers may reduce including Sat Nav in their vehicles.

Transmission
Pros:
Quick gear changes when you accelerate hard which makes it feel smooth, powerful and in control.

Cons:
Comes with a dual clutch gear box which for everyday driving around town (not the race track) the first gear is not good. First gear can be jerky but its random. When you hit the brakes then accelerate the car appears to sometimes search for the gear which doesn't happen in a torque converter.
A big issue is putting the car in reverse. Car takes a few seconds to engage the reverse gear (as opposed to almost instant for a torque converter) and even when you accelerate in reverse gear, the car can continue to 'roll' forward.

Tyres
Pros:
Seems ok.

Cons:
You won't be able to go to the snow on the 20 inch alloys as chains will not fit which is a shame. Never had an SUV that I couldn't take to the snow.
Additionally the ride is unnecessarily harsher then my previous SUV with 18 inch alloys.
Car only comes with a space saver which is a complete wank for an SUV. When you are 300km away from home and get a flat tyre you will understand how useless a space saver is.
On this forum others state the 20 inch tyres will only last 30,000 km because they are sporty tyres. Which track are we racing again ? I will need to wait and see how long mine last.

Boot
Pros:
Great boot size and I really like the auto boot opener. Can't really go back to an SUV that doesn't have an auto boot opener.

Cons:
None to mention

Reverse and 360 Camera
Pros:
None to mention

Cons:
Not good.
Reverse camera resolution is worse than my 7 year old Korean SUV. For a good quality screen on the Discovery Pro the reverse camera is a waste.
360 Camera has a fault since buying new where one of the side camera is out of alignment and also the rear camera.
Seems it was calibrated by muppets out of the factory with no VW quality control.
Booked this in to get fixed but disappointed it came out of the factory un-calibrated.

Glove Box
Pros:
Good size and is well constructed.

Cons:
Where has the key lock gone ?? What is VW saving $5 ??

Keyfob
Pros:
Buttons are functional and range is good.

Cons:
Really hate the flip out key that is triggered by a large button.
When its in your pocket the key pops out all the time which isn't good if you have a phone with a large screen in the same pocket. Would have been much better if it was a pull out key like in other makes.

Petrol
Pros:
None to mention.

Cons:
Uses 12L / 100km for suburban driving.
95 RON is a wank especially as it offers no real advantage over 91 RON except to cost 20 cents more and is not available at all Shell Petrol Stations. And no I don't use 91 RON, I always use 95 RON.

Servicing
Pros:
Servicing is fixed price for 5 years. Had the first service which was really just an oil change for $300.

Cons:
Unless you get the 5 Year Care plan, servicing costs are expensive and you don't get free road side assist.


Washing Car
Cons:
Side Mirrors have no option to remain open when you close the car door to wash the car. Which means you are constantly unlocking the car every few minutes during a routine car wash. Never seen this before in a car.
Front Windscreen wipers cannot be lifted more than 1 inch before they touch the bonnet. Never seen this before in a car.
20 inch RIM on the Rline look great but the tight angles are a pain to clean.


Overall
Very happy with the car to date especially if you focus on the driving experience and not the minor issues.




Next Review
Automated Parking
City Drive Assist (or what ever VW call it)
Stop / Start
Emergency Brake Assist (or what ever VW call it)
Automatic Cruise Control
Long distance driving

[shauno]

Nice detailed review overall.

Brake dust isn’t a “VW fault”, it’s a trade off for the braking performance of those particular pads. You can change to a lower dust pad as mentioned, but don’t blame the manufacturer for choosing a particular pad - it’s possible they stop the car faster than a similarly priced alternative, and therefore are safer. Either change the pads or wash the car

The wheel rim/tyre size issues you mention would be limited to the R-line 20’s I’d guess - if you want comfort, don’t get 20’s

[Lucas_R]

I would not be running anything less than 95ron in that car, but its your car, do as you please. The extra dollar or two it might cost per tank is much cheaper than potential issues that could arise from running the crap 91ron. Personally I only use 98.

The reason why your front wheels get more brake dust on them than the rear wheels is because the front brakes (which are larger and more powerful than the rear) do the vast majority of the braking therefore produce more dust and will wear out faster. And yes your pads and most likely disks will need replacing (at your cost as they are a wear item just like tyres and clutches etc) by around 50-60,000km. If you change over to a less aggressive pad like the ATE Ceramics or Akebono Euro Ceramic these will produce far less dust and are much less aggressive on your disks. The pads are not cheap (about 400-500 for the full set) but will save you money in the long term.

[Flipper Dog]

Discovery Pro / Sat Nav


Cons:
My previous Korean SUV has speed and red light cameras locations and notifications built in as standard. It would notify me a good 30 secs before reaching a red light camera. VW does not have this function.

]

Yes it does - STICKY: VW POI - 2019 Australian Speed & Red Light Camera
see post 40

[Hillbilly]

Only a very unwise person would run a Rline or any VW on 91 Octane HEre is what VW said when I asked them this

Hi Graham,

Thank you for your email.

Volkswagen only recommend the use of 98 or 95 as minimum. We do not recommend any other type of fuel to be used, including E10.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to send me an email or contact our Volkswagen Customer Experience team on 1800 607 822. You may receive a survey shortly. This survey relates to the service and experience I have delivered to you. It does not relate to the outcome of your enquiry, dealership, your vehicle or any other external party. Only my service to you.

I would appreciate you taking a couple of minutes to share your thoughts on my performance and help Volkswagen continually improve.

Kind regards,

Natasha
Customer Experience Ambassador
Volkswagen Group Australia
24 Muir Road
Chullora NSW 2190
Main: +61 1800 607 822



--------------- Original Message ---------------
From: [grahamh@iinet.net.au]
Sent: 21/12/2020 9:33 AM
To: hello@myvw.com.au
Action Required: Using E10 in a VW Golf

I wish to settle an argument on a forum regarding the use of E10 fuel in VW
vehicles. In this case a Golf.

I own a Polo, had a Passat diesel and now Have a Tiguan Rline 162 which
has on the fuel door 95 but also has E5 and E10 in circles beside the
octane rating.

I have been told by dealers NEVER use E10.

Which is correct as I take it that E10 is below the 95 Octane rating and
therefore shouldn't be used.???

In some areas both 95 and 100 octane with E10 is available.

Is this allowed to be used and if so in which models.

Hopefully a technician can answer this and give certainty to the answer.

This has been brought about by a reference on the linked site which says ALL
VW with fuel injection since 1986 can use E10

Page not found | Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries
petrol

[FastMitch]

I may have written it vague but I wasn't suggesting to use 91 RON in the Tiguan. I always use 95 RON.

What I was highlighting was that its a marketing gimmick to use 95 RON as it will give a higher KW output so the car can be advertised with those higher KW figures and VW too lazy to provide a ECU update so 91 RON can be used.

As we are not on a racetrack, the negligible KW increase is a waste of 20 cents a litre for every day driving and the higher running costs are a focus of the review.

As an added incentive to buyers, Mazda has re-engineered the MZR 2.5 litre engine to run on 91 RON fuel without altering power or torque figures. This equates to a 10 percent saving in running costs according to Mazda.
https://m.drive.com.au/amp/car-artic...da6-68322.html

What is that I hear you say, a Tuatara supercar on 91 RON, say it ain't so ...

On regular 91 RON petrol it churns out 1350hp (1007kW)
First production SSC Tuatara debuts, features 1750hp V8 | PerformanceDrive

None of this is really important once we all move to electric.

Yes it does - STICKY: VW POI - 2019 Australian Speed & Red Light Camera
see post 40

I started the thread you mentioned and can confirm after manually creating and installing the POI and using for a while, some cameras are missing and notification function is inaccurate or notifies 1 sec before arriving at the lights which is of no use.

Waze has "real-time" notifications of unmarked police vehicles along the road you are travelling as well as blockages, roadworks, etc
You cannot really compare the hacked POI version of the VW with Waze / Google Maps