VW Tiguan 2.0 TDI "First Impressions"

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...iguanred-2.jpg

First Impressions: VW Tiguan TDI Manual

Baby Touareg probably best sums up this latest offering from VW, the Tiguan. Only it’s a little more hip, slightly more stylish and a tad more sporty than it’s big brother. At first glance the Tiguan is smaller than you’d expect. It hints of a hot-hatch in high heels. But its deceptive miniaturization is immediately apparent once you climb inside the large cabin. With an abundance of head room, generous rear leg room and a cavernous boot the Tiguan makes fantastic use of its interior space.

The Tiguan is a very attractive little SUV. It wears the new ball-and-notch headlight design trickling down the VW range and the split bumpers, aggressive wheel arches and alien-eyed tail lights are testament to the new funkiness of this baby 4x4. Sure the Lift Club Mom’s are going to go mad for the new Tiguan, but it’s also going to appeal the grown-up boy-racers whose turbo-charged hatches are not big enough for two kiddie seats and a dog. Hey, I’m a GTI fan and I’d love to get my hands on one.

The inside of the Tiguan is typical VW, and that’s a good thing. Everything is where you’d expect it to be and the quality and feel of all the peripherals are the stuff you’d proud to have in your Bentley. VW have thrown in a few surprises to keep you on your toes. The first thing that jumps out at you is the obvious lack of a handbrake. Instead, it’s been replaced by a couple of switches. The Handbrake is now operated by an up-down switch to activate and deactivate the brake as well as an ‘Auto Hold’ switch which will prevent the Tiguan from rolling downhill when you take your foot off the brake. Another neat addition is the ‘Automatic Parking System’ which was first introduced in Lexus’s G-Series. When you need to parallel park the car, just pull up to the spot you want, flick it into reverse and the park distance control will scout out the available space and manoeuvre the car into the parking for you...hopefully.

Interior features are a choice of either cloth upholstery or a choice of two leathers. You can also choose to have the comfort package which adds the auto-dazzle rear mirror, dual-zone climate control, illuminated vanity mirrors, low-light headlamp sensor, coming/leaving home headlight settings and rain sensing wipers. Other optional features include the panoramic sunroof, electronic/heated front seats, airline tray tables behind front seats and storage units under the front seats.

The technology options include the fantastic RNS510 complete with hi-res, touch screen navigation system, MP3 player with built-in 30GB hard drive, SD Card reader and multimedia player, as well as rear-view camera. There is also the Dynaudio 300W premium audio system with an 8-channel amplifier and 8 up-rated speakers.

The only engine available at the moment is the 2.0 litre turbo diesel which churns out 103kW and a massive 320Nm of torque which shifts the 1650kg Tiguan from standstill to 100km/h in a respectable 10.5 seconds. Keep in mind that the entire Tiguan range rides on VW’s 4-Motion all-wheel drive system and therefore the power delivery from the engine is much more civilised and balanced but does hurt the 0 – 100km/h times. That being said, the Tiguan effortlessly pulls from 1500rpm in 6th gear to a comfortable motorway cruising speed with no drama and no apparent lag.

The party piece of this brilliant little SUV has to be the ride. Although the handling is very golf-like, it feels like the Tiguan drives around on a big, fluffy cloud absorbing whatever the road throws at it. The steering is perfectly weighted and the feedback from the road is terrific. The car we drove had the standard 16” alloy wheels fitted but there are also 18” and 19” optional alloys for those who want the sporty touch. Cornering would definitely improve with rubber that fat and I’d like to think that ride quality wouldn’t be compromised by the low-profile tyres. The interior noise is a lot lower than that of the golf and the relaxed seating position is deceptively high. All these senses combined give the feel that the car you’re driving is a lot bigger than it really is. And with consumption figures of 7.4 litres per 100km it gives you all of the advantages of a big SUV with none of the drawbacks.

Finally, the Tiguan may not have to stick with the ‘soft-roader’ reputation it’s creating as VW is offering an Off-Road Technology Package which will throw in a compass, Hill Descent Assist, Low tyre pressure indicator and Gear Pre-Selection (Automatic Models). ABS, EDL and accelerator pedal characteristics for enhanced control on loose gravel are also tweaked by the Off-Road package. And any Land Rover 110 owner will tell you that an off-roader with a short wheel-base and tight turning circle is a must have on rough and hilly terrain.

It’s not surprising then that there is already a 12 month waiting list on the Tiguan once the release batch is sold out with up to 18 months wait on the 125kW and 147kW 2.0 litre petrol turbo TSI’s which are due to be released in mid 2009 in Australia. And with a drive away price of $39,000.00 for a stock 2.0TDI it’s no surprise that you’d be unbelievably lucky to walk into a showroom tomorrow and get one...but you sure should try. Go for the Catalina Blue!


by Broady69


http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...anfront1-2.jpg http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...uanrear1-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...nsatnav1-2.jpg http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...anbrake1-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...ndesign1-2.jpg http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...design21-2.jpg
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...offroad1-2.jpg http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/foru...uanmain1-2.jpg