First impressions - one month on

[Sanman]

I've written down in no particular order a number of things that have struck me in the first few days of driving the Tiguan. Sometimes wrong. For those of you already with a Tiguan, it might evoke a "oh yeah, I saw that too" - and might actually help those whose has the Tig on the "to buy" list get a little more familiar with it. Add/comment as you will

1. Glovebox is big enough to fit a Melways - a first - but then the VW owners book will not fit. Maybe I can fit the 147-under-seat drawer.
2. Low beam Headlamp bulb has a little cover with the VW symbol on it. Cute.
3. Storage in doors can take large bottles, and even larger still. And centre console. I think it has enough cup holders to satisfy all.
4. There's an odd tie down strap under the passenger front seat (TDI103).
5. There's a power socket audio input jack in the console (nice) but no instructions - or lost in the zillions of interior variants shown in the manual.
(did anyone read about the petrol powered engine preheating system connected to the climate control??)
5. Boot light is atrocious - too low down. Will have to install one up high. I think I saw a Golf thread where someone has done this.
Highway driving dynamics are good, behaves like a well controlled FWD.
5. Brake pedal is overlyu sensitive and very high - hard to shift easily from accelerator to brake. Treacherous at high spead when you cover the brake midcorner, and bit annoying in daily use. Might see if its possible to lower it.
6. The brake lights come on immediately you touch it before the pads touch - which might trigger the auto transmission downshift, so I won't complain.
7. Tend to drive out of the headlamp range at 120km/h, but I hadn't up - adjusted the headlamps, so I'll have to recheck this before passing judgement. It would benefit from brighter high-beam bulbs, I'll have to find out what the brightest Halogen H7s are available that aren't just blue-bling.
8. I miss the fingertip control stalk for MFD from the basemodel Golfs. Its surprisingly easier to use than the steering-wheel mounted ones
9.Reverse lamps are just above the bumper. The inner white circular taillamps are actually a dummy.
Climatronic (automatic Climate Control) works very well - simple and intuitive.
10.The LED lamp next to the demister setting on the mirror adjust knob does not light up when the demister is on. Its a security lamp.
11.I should have bought floor mats (oem or aftermarket) before I took the kids to the beach.
12. The speedo massively underrreads. Next purchase: VAGcom tool to fix this.
13. no fold up table or even seat pockets on base model for a car aimed at kids.
14. cup holder in rear floor of console won't survive my 6 yo stepping on it
15. hard cheap plastics on the rear door trim (but not on front doors).
16. door fabric looks like it would be shabby very soon
17. door grip is frosted plastic, will chip and scuff with rings etc.
18. Tow bar is too expensive, waiting on Hayman Reece cheaper solution.
19. No LED tailights (this is a new model and other VS models have this feature), no halogen interior map lights
20. Cheap looking unpainted rear bumper
21. Whack your left foot to the left and you hear a flappy unsecured panel noise - sounds like poor build quality
22. Brilliant auto transmission. Smooth shift, downshifts just right.
23. TDI a dog when cold. I drive into traffic (down hill) from my driveway in the morning. When accelerating when cold, nothing happens. Panic look in rear view mirror. Putting it into "S" (starts in 1 not 2) helps a little
EDIT 24. 2000km on the clock now getting 6-6.5 l/100km in the peak traffic to and from work, impressive.
EDIT 25. Can't figure out How to reset the ø2 average fuel economy reading every time I fill up. It seems to only reset when the speedo reaches 9999km, which is not terribly useful.
EDIT 26: Kick your left foot to the left, the side of console kick panel makes a horrible loose flappy sound

[NZTiguan]

Just a couple of quickies:

The strap under the passenger's seat is for a fire-extinguisher or a first aid kit (different markets as required). I've fitted my first-aid kit under there and it's great to have it strapped in place.

The headlight adjustment (on the dash) only adjusts the low beams, not the high.

Cheers

[Arctra]

1. Glovebox is big enough to fit a Melways - a first - but then the VW owners book will not fit. Maybe I can fit the 147-under-seat drawer.

I am pretty disappointed at how small the glovebox is. I have the leather seats option which has a drawer under the passenger seat which I thought was for the manual, but surprisingly enough it doesn't fit. Seems the only place for the manual is in the glovebox or in the boot.

Highway driving dynamics are good, behaves like a well controlled FWD.
5. Brake pedal is overlyu sensitive and very high - hard to shift easily from accelerator to brake. Treacherous at high spead when you cover the brake midcorner, and bit annoying in daily use. Might see if its possible to lower it.

I agree with the highway dynamics. Having done almost 2000km's of highway driving now I can say with confidence that it's a pleasure to drive. The TDI in cruise control cruises up long uphills with ease, cabin noise is minimal (even with Bridgestone dual purpose tyres), and the ride comfort is great.

As for the brakes, I love them. Power assisted brakes are great IMO and once you get used to them they're fine. I am 6' 1" and have no trouble with the peddle height - I would have thought with longer legs I would have noticed that if it were a problem.

11.I should have bought floor mats (oem or aftermarket) before I took the kids to the beach.

Agreed - mats are a must. I got mine off eBay for $99 and they were a good investment IMO.

12. The speedo massively underrreads. Next purchase: VAGcom tool to fix this.

I've noticed this too. I tend to watch the speed on the GPS rather than the speedo. At just under 90km/h on the speedo I seem to actually be doing 80km/h, and at 120km/h on the speedo is actually 110km/h. Let me know how that VAGCOM reprogramming goes.

18. Tow bar is too expensive, waiting on Hayman Reece cheaper solution.

Agreed, I'm waiting too, though I'm not sure how much it's going to go down as there is a piece of electronics that needs to be plugged in that works with the vehicles ESP etc. I see you can enable towbar via VAGCOM, but am not sure whether that means you no longer need the factory loom plug.

22.Brilliant auto transmission. Smooth shift, downshifts just right.

This is my first auto, but I have to say I'm impressed with it. I have a fairly heavy foot too, and it's still smooth. From traffic lights I am able to pull away from others and put a large gap between myself and them withing the space of a few hundred meters. I love it!

Other things I've noticed:
1) The RNS510 satnav unit would really have been nice. If you are wanting it though, do yourself a favour and get it aftermarket off eBay. It''l cost you $1800 to $2000 rather than $3500 or whatever it is as an option addon. Installation seems to be a simple plug and play.
2) Sunroof is awesome! It makes the interior so much lighter and feels spacier than without it. This will mean you cannot get a non-VW aftermarket roof rack though as the roof racks need a fair amount of clearance to allow the sunroof to open and close.
3) There is a bit of a lag between putting your foot down and the engine pulling you away with the TDI. I don't know if this is a combo of the turbo lag and the auto box, but you can learn to compensate for it. It is a little disconcerting when you are trying to nip across a road with a vehicle coming towards you though.
4) As I've mentioned, I am 6' 1" and with my seat set up comfortably the steering seems quite far away. not uncomfortably so, but I find holding the 10 to 2 hand position for prolonged periods tiresome as my arms are straight. i tend to end up holding the wheel near the bottom with my hands resting on my knees/thigh for comfort.
5) The rear window is small and there is a very big blind spot behind you. If you have kids or pets, or have to worry about things behind your Tig before reversing, then you'll want a rear camera. I have ended up getting a cheap one off DealExtreme and have it always on so even when driving I can see in the blind spot behind me. It's especially comforting when scooters or low sports cars park very close to you at traffic lights etc as you can see exactly how close they are.
6) The boot is small. If storage space is important to you make sure you take a good hard look at this before you buy. I can live with it, but taking all the camping gear for a weekend away required very tight packing. On this front, what you might want to do is take the floor out, remove the styrofoam space saver holder and stand the space saver up on the side. This will give you a deeper boot with more space, albeit not quite as nice and clean looking.
7) Paddle shifts are not available for the Tiguan at the moment, and this is a real pity. I would love to leave it in tiptronic for my town and hilly driving so I can handle the up and down shifts myself easily. Maybe that's because I'm used to a manual though and like engine braking down hills rather than wearing my brake pads away.
8 ) The turning circle isn't great. I am comparing this to my Bora though, which isn't AWD. It is easy enough to compensate for though. If you will be doing lots of tight driving it's something to bear in mind.

If I think of anything more I'll be sure to post it, but this thread is a great idea for prospective buyers!

[NZTiguan]

I've noticed this too. I tend to watch the speed on the GPS rather than the speedo. At just under 90km/h on the speedo I seem to actually be doing 80km/h, and at 120km/h on the speedo is actually 110km/h. Let me know how that VAGCOM reprogramming goes.


Have checked my NZ one with my GPS and it's out by less than 1%, best I've ever had in a vehicle.



1) The RNS510 satnav unit would really have been nice. If you are wanting it though, do yourself a favour and get it aftermarket off eBay. It''l cost you $1800 to $2000 rather than $3500 or whatever it is as an option addon.

Only problem with aftermarket is it's VERY difficult to rig the rear camera.


3) There is a bit of a lag between putting your foot down and the engine pulling you away with the TDI. I don't know if this is a combo of the turbo lag and the auto box, but you can learn to compensate for it. It is a little disconcerting when you are trying to nip across a road with a vehicle coming towards you though.

Using "S" helps with this.



4) As I've mentioned, I am 6' 1" and with my seat set up comfortably the steering seems quite far away. not uncomfortably so, but I find holding the 10 to 2 hand position for prolonged periods tiresome as my arms are straight. i tend to end up holding the wheel near the bottom with my hands resting on my knees/thigh for comfort.

You do realise that the wheel is "reach" adjustable as well as "up-down" do you ?



5) The rear window is small and there is a very big blind spot behind you. If you have kids or pets, or have to worry about things behind your Tig before reversing, then you'll want a rear camera. I have ended up getting a cheap one off DealExtreme and have it always on so even when driving I can see in the blind spot behind me. It's especially comforting when scooters or low sports cars park very close to you at traffic lights etc as you can see exactly how close they are.

Can you let us know how you did the installation (wiring etc) please ?? as this is something I'd like to do too.

Hope you can see my answers in this !!!

Cheers

[Sanman]

Can you let us know how you did the installation (wiring etc) please ?? as this is something I'd like to do too

Derek, wait a few weeks, and I'll put up a thread on how to install the camera using the glass antenna for video and rear wiper for power, all available in the tailgate. Photos, prices, links. I've ordered all the adaptor bits, and am waiting for them to come in.

[STV4SYT]

All VAG cars under read by the same amount, 93 @ 100. Its tricky to change using VAG COM but if you have climatronic then you should be able to force it into diagnostics mode by pressing ^ and AC at the same time, then go to 19-0 and the right hand temp display is the accurate speed form the ECU.

Its annoying but now i just drive to the variance. 110 is exactly 103 which in vic is keeping the license safe.

[Arctra]

Derek, wait a few weeks, and I'll put up a thread on how to install the camera using the glass antenna for video and rear wiper for power, all available in the tailgate. Photos, prices, links. I've ordered all the adaptor bits, and am waiting for them to come in.

I'll be very interested in this too as the way I've done it is less than ideal. I have the wires running around edges and in grooves along the interior of the vehicle. Although it's functional, it's not pretty, so I'd rather be able to conceal it.

[tiguan_hunting]

Arctra,

Since you last send me the pictures of your genuine roof racks (and thanks for them again) I've been to a couple of places to try and install some after market brands. The Thule 755 which I think you tried on (in another post) did fit but the rear rack had to be set back quite a bit because of the clearance for the sunroof. However I have found that Prorack S16 with fitting K328 will fit the Tig with sunroof with plenty of clearance but it does look a lot more streamline and neat compared to the genuine VW racks. It sits much lower than the genuine ones but high enough for the sunroof to open and close with ample space. This Prorack ones are the Whispbar series which Prorack argues are the quitest roof racks available. The one thing that the Thule 755 has that Prorack doesn't is the ease of installing and removing them. With the Thule you can easily tighten the rack with your hands without any tools. This is incorporated with the locking key. But the Prorack is a 2 step process. First remove the the outer casing with the key provided. Then use an allan key to undo the racks. Retail price for them is $329. The other thing about this Prorack series is that you can take it with you and use it one other cars. All you have to do is to purchase a different fitting kit. Cost about $45 rather than buying a whole different set of racks.

I'm also interested in how you fitted your rear view camera. I've seen with the wireless ones you power the camera by connecting it to the rear brake light wiring. The power for the LCD basically comes off the cigaratte lighter but that means it's ugly. But I've been told by VW that connecting the camera to the rear brake light wiring could cause the electronics to throw up a fault. What has been your experience?

[Arctra]

Since you last send me the pictures of your genuine roof racks (and thanks for them again) I've been to a couple of places to try and install some after market brands. <snip>

Great info tiguan_hunting. Can i suggest you post that info in the Tiguan Roof rack thread so that anyone wanting to know about alternatives can see it there?

I'm also interested in how you fitted your rear view camera. I've seen with the wireless ones you power the camera by connecting it to the rear brake light wiring. The power for the LCD basically comes off the cigaratte lighter but that means it's ugly. But I've been told by VW that connecting the camera to the rear brake light wiring could cause the electronics to throw up a fault. What has been your experience?

Yeah, looks like it's going to be worthwhile starting a thread specifically on fitting reversing camera's. In my case, I have done a very quick and dirty install just to see whether it's worth doing something more permanent.

For the moment I have powered my camera from the boot 12V socket and the screen from the dashboard 12V socket. I have ugly wires running all over the show at present. I had a quick go at removing some of the boot lid inside panelling but chickened out using bad light and lack of time as an excuse . Was planning on having a serious go at it again this weekend, but if Sanman is doing the pioneering work and is going to publish a howto on it, then I think I'll wait a bit.

[Pullstarter]

7. Tend to drive out of the headlamp range at 120km/h, but I hadn't up - adjusted the headlamps, so I'll have to recheck this before passing judgement. It would benefit from brighter high-beam bulbs, I'll have to find out what the brightest Halogen H7s are available that aren't just blue-bling.

I have to say I was doing around 130kmh on the highway recently (oops ) and the headlamps on high beam were outstanding! At no point was I running out of light, even on low beam when there was oncoming traffic I had no problems. Maybe an HID kit would be a good up grade for you? They're quite cheap even for the better quality ones now.