Wherever you are in the world four-wheel drive on a vehicle is useful for bad weather or off-road conditions in some parts and essential in others. The Volkswagen Tiguan as featured here has the brand’s reliable 4Motion All-Wheel drive and serves two purposes very well. It provides extra traction when necessary for safer driving and is also more than comfortable enough to serve as a family car for everyday use. On test, the Tiguan cannot be described as a true mud-plugger but for most users that won't matter. Two-wheel drive variants may also be available, depending upon region.
AWD
VW's 4Motion AWD is of the regular Haldex type designed to always send the drive to the axle with the better traction. The system is able to respond quickly to any road surface situation. In normal use, that is to say most of the time, the Tiguan feels like a regular front-wheel drive car as ninety percent of the engine's power is sent to the front wheels, with the balance going to the rear. This results in improved fuel efficiency over a system that shares the power equally to all four corners full-time but, conversely, is obviously less efficient than standard 2WD. The whole thing links with all the active safety systems like ABS and ESP.
Driving
On test we saw an average fuel economy of over 40 miles to the gallon from the 2.0L diesel engine and six-speed manual gearbox. Obviously this drops with around-the-town motoring but overall economy seemed fair enough. An automatic gearbox is also available.
The Tiguan handles very well, belying its size, thanks to the sports suspension set-up. The car feels stable at speed with minimal road noise and the steering is well weighted, positive and accurate. Winter tyres, if used, can make the ride feel more harsh but it is still good. Performance is brisk but not especially quick.
Out on the road the diesel engine was fine although the vehicles offered through our website are mostly variants of the gasoline engines on offer. Official fuel consumption figures are not that different and performance from the 1.4L or 2.0L petrol engines might well be preferable.
Interior
The interior is smart and of the usual high quality Volkswagen finish but we would preferred leather seats rather than the cloth supplied. The seats were comfortable and had plenty of adjustment for tall drivers.
The dashboard is built around a small but easily read central touchscreen. It is a Volkswagen so it is hard to find anything to complain about. Everything is clear, concise and easy to use. The infotainment / navigation screen (an option in some regions) is maybe a tad small on earlier versions compared to the very latest giant screens but remains perfectly legible and simple to use.
As a compact ‘crossover’ the Tiguan is really quite spacious. The back seats slide and recline individually while on some models the centre portion can be folded down to provide an armrest with a handy couple of drinks holders. Stowage space elsewhere on board is good with plenty of storage, including under the front seats. The boot (trunk) is large and well shaped and is easily accessed through the sensibly shaped tailgate. Some cars have space-saver spare wheels others have the new-fangled tyre kits.
The very well built Volkswagen Tiguan fits the bill as a safe and secure family car. AWD is an option but it really depends on circumstance. Explore all the options and the Tiguan makes for a good all-rounder. The Tiguan is one of a number of Volkswagen cars offered for sale by MHH; if this crossover is too big then smaller vehicles from the brand are available and buyers can be certain of that VW German quality throughout.
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