[sj_koova]

Originally Posted by nileshch

VW in Bangalore is organizing an 'adventure event' where they are calling upon prospective buyers to test drive the Tiguan in off road conditions. This event is being held this Friday/Saturday. While I won't be able to make it (I am travelling), anyone who is interested can reach out to VW Whitefield for more information.

Here is the invite I got:

I have the invitation but going to miss as I am out of station. Sales guy sounded very confident that the prospective buyers will fall for Tiguan after the off road drive. So he was insisting I should try to make it.
I would assume anyone with 4x4 Fortuner or Endeavor in their head will come back disappointed.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

The Comfortline is exactly midway between Tuscon GL AT and BMW X1 S20D Expedition. Upgrading from Tiguan to BMW is similar as Tuscon to Tiguan. I am not considering the discounts that are being offered on BMW. Come year end, I would not be surprised if you get your hands on X1 expedition at same price as Tiguan Comfortline.

The Base X1 is still a 4L more than the CL Tiguan, but you are right.

I seem to be getting BMW pricing wrong, esp after the GST price cut and it is indeed a lot more affordable. They're currently offering 2.5L off which means net difference is apprx. 2.5L OTR depending on taxes.

A no brainer is someone is willing to stretch their budget by 5L over the Tucson!

[84.monsoon]

Took a test drive today of the Tiguan highline. Here are my initial impressions:

1. The engine noise inside the car is virtually non-existent. While outside the car, it is fairly audible. The car definitely gets plenty of sound deadening materials.
2. The auto hold feature works very well. whenever you hard-brake, the car goes into auto hold and once you tap the accelerator, it releases seamlessly.
3. Launching the car from standing halt is seamless. There is no hesitation or lag and the car just rolls briskly with a little bit of throttle input.
4. Acceleration in normal mode is good but not in any way breath taking or overly exciting. Gear shifts are seamless. Overtaking slower highway vehicles should be a breeze and there is enough power for every conceivable need but acceleration is somehow not as satisfactory as an X1 or even the Octavia TSI.
5. The vehicle seems to go only up to 6th gear at around 80 kmph. The highest gear seems to be very long legged and probably will yield great fuel economy for highway cruising.
6. The paddle shifters work like a charm. Very tactile and reassuring and the vehicle responds instantly.
7. The driving position is very comfortable, the car is easy to get in and out of and the steering wheel does not come in the way of a tall person trying to enter and get seated.
8. I did not like the sport driving mode at all, the engine makes a lot of noise and holds on to high RPMs, but there is not enough corresponding acceleration. Spinning the tacho back and forth in normal mode and using the paddle shifters seems to be a lot more fun.
9. Visibility out front and to the sides is great, visibility towards the back is so-so, given the small rear view mirror and high back seat headrests.
10. Steering is super light at city speeds and the car feels so easy to operate and maneuver. I dd not notice if the steering wheel weighed up enough at higher speeds.
11. The car takes the rough patches ell, the suspension seems very well sorted and composed. Not much undulations in the cabin when going through potholes etc.

Overall, I felt the car was very refined, drove well and had enough power for every conceivable practical situation. It is not super-exciting to drive but can give you an engaging drive out on the highway. The sunroof is truly awesome in its area and this alone is worth the premium over the comfort line in my view.

The Sales Executive says the GST impact would be known in a month and expects it to be around 2.5 lakh reduction in on-road price for the highline (roughly Rs. 36 lacs on road Chennai post GST). It appears the company has not determined the exact impact but is willing to pass on the benefit for early delivery of the cars already invoiced. Even at this level, I think it is a tad over-priced - it would have been a slam dunk choice for me at 32 lacs on-road. I am holding on to my booking now till July 1 and see what transpires.

[vkaul1]

Originally Posted by swaroopanand_86

Just checkout the tiguan...

The GC of 150mm is based on the new certification of ARAI which requires the car to be fully loaded with 5 passengers and full tank of fuel.

....

Do we know when did this come into effect. If this is true, then shouldn't the other manufacturers (who may have released their vehicles prior to this ruling) be asked to restate the GC of their respective vehicles (atleast on their official brochures).

[geotracks]

Although, I have not yet seen the VW Tiguan in a showroom, the specs on paper and those commenting in forums seem to speak highly of the quality, features offered and general fit & finish of the Tiguan. However, the INR 40L+- price tag is a tad too much for the highline variant. This really brings it in the realms of the luxury segment entry level German cars.

Many current / potential 7 seater owners go in for the top end variants of likes of XUVs, Innova Crysta, Fortner etc. as these provided 'more space' with creature comforts, for the cost paid as compared to the then available 3 big German (Audi, BMW, Mercedes) entry levels. Some of these could have been the category of customers who may not have had a need for a 7 seater, but purchased it at the time, as it was perceived more value for money. These could be the group of customers who may have had the buying power of an entry level luxury segment (5 seater), but still opted for ‘larger vehicles’ of Indian manufacturing as the 3 Germans’ entry level segment (CBUs or CKDs) initial & maintenance cost are fairly high.

Now, with more attractive & premier feel options coming up in the 5 seater SUVs category (Tuscon, Tiguan etc.) we could see a shift of potential customers in above mentioned categories, moving from the larger 7 seaters (who may not truly need a 7 seater) to these premium 5 seaters such as the Tiguan, Jeep etc. Those willing to stretch a bit more may even consider entry level luxury segments (Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes GLA etc.) post GST if the price differential is attractive enough.

The Tiguan may not sell in large numbers like the Creta, Duster, Ford EcoSport etc. (also 5 seaters), but if it is ‘accepted well’ in the Indian market, it could see decent numbers in sale charts competing with Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Mercedes GLA variants or for that matter even take away some share from luxury sedans such as Skoda Laura / Superb, Toyota Camry, VW Jetta etc. in case these sedan owners (current / prospective) wish to shift to a SUV which, is anyways the trend these days in the Indian market.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Hayek

It was not aimed specifically at you (there were several posts including yours in the same

vein), and I certainly respect your right to hold a different point of view. It's just that people often miss the fact that inflation in India was very high from 2011-2014, triggered a sharp fall in the INR, and triggered higher prices for most imports. And people often miss the tax increases that impacted ex showroom prices as well. Comparing prices across markets or across time needs to take these differences into account. Yes, despite this, barriers such as homologation rules mean that the law of one price does not apply to automobiles. Sorry to be going off topic but thought it important to clarify.

Inflation yes.
Falling rupee yes.
Inconsistent and arbitrary taxes yes.

But when I buy a brand new vehicle which is also available Internationally, I will always compare its pricing in India spec for spec, vis a vis Australia and UK prices.
It just makes me satisfied if I am buying at a comparable price, since I do not suffer from 'elephantiasis of the wallet'.

Now in the age of the rising rupee it is important that the pricing is right.

When I bought the India assembled SKD Yeti in 2011 at 19.5 lacs the GBP was ruling at about Rs 80 and the Yeti same spec was priced around 27000 GBP and AUD was at about Rs 55-56 and the Yeti same spec was priced around 43000 -45000 AUD. Certainly comparable and fair prices.

Today the GBP is low at 70 ish and AUD is around 48.

Even more reason why the pricing ought to be comparable.

But anyway Im not in the market for a Tiguan. Nor for a Compass right now until the Top Spec AT Diesel 4x4 or AT Petrol 4x4 Trailhawk versions come.

Im actually more looking forward to the Top Spec AT 4x4 Trailhawk Renegade.
Or if at all they consider launching the boxy square 4x4 Patriot. Those are really more my kind of Jeeps than the Compass is.

Else like I said, Im quite happy with my Yeti + Gypsy combination right now for the foreseeable future.

The only other car I really like is the GLA but the Active Edition AWD is way above my budget, clocking in at 50+ on road Bangalore.

Nothing else appeals. Except perhaps
One Day, a well kept Jeep Wrangler Unlimited from the used market and which is available at a fair price.

[Behemoth]

Am in Shanghai and seeing plenty of Tiguans on the road here. The Tiguan has hardly any road presence or character here and looks like a larger Polo. VW has not really given the car any distinct character and it is just too plain jane in looks. Also saw the Jeep Compass here and that looks much better than the Tiguan, while being almost similar in size. If Jeep are able to price the Compass 20-24 lacs, it will be a better option than Tiguan and to me a much better design.

[reddevilgautam]

Some good videos of exteriors and interiors:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpp2xRBDBM4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J--U2vyS1gM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NxxD8S4WrE

[srishiva]

I have seen Tiguan abroad and what I really liked is the quality. But then good quallity in not so big vehicle with big price doesnt gel well together. We will be faced with such instances until Indian manufacturers up their quality levels and provide some good competition.

[sj_koova]

Originally Posted by srishiva

We will be faced with such instances until Indian manufacturers up their quality levels and provide some good competition.

TATA is making the attempt and the result is visible in HEXA. Long way to go but they are in the right direction.
I didn't feel the interior quality of Tiguan was so premium. There is absolutely no WoW factor that you will get in an Audi or Merc.
The USP of Tiguan will be "feature loaded crossover". It is able to tick pretty much all boxes even in ComfortLine and comparable to big Germans who put huge price tag for those features.

[shahbaz63]

Saw Volkswagen Adventure Camp in BKC- Mumbai (Behind Nifty50). One Tiguan was parked near gate which was completely mud splashed. (Silver color was looking brown).

[volkman10]

VW starts delivery of its Premium SUV- Tiguan.

The first Tiguan was delivered to a customer in Telangana.



Link

[swaroopanand_86]

I went for the VW Tiguan experience in Bangalore today organised by VW at Meco Kartopia on Baglur main road.

The experience was amazing. It had both a off road and on section to get to know the complete capabilities of the car. The track that was arranged actually did let me experience the complete capabilities of the car.

Firstly the car has a real world ground clereance of 191mm and approach angle of 24 degree and departure of 21 degree. There was dirt mound constructed to experience the same. Pits were dug to also experience wheel articulation capability of the car. The cars suspension on the off road track was supple and none of bumps intruded into the cabin and the cars off road capability totally surprised me. If fact the off road capability of the car is what made me fall in love with it.

On the on road section I got to experience the acceleration, braking and handling capability of the car. The acceleration is very linear and quick and the car builds speed amazingly. It did not feel like a slouch in spite of it being "only" 143bhp.

It handled superbly under hard braking as well and there was absolutely no drama from the car. And it corners like it's on rails and the handling of the car had a smile pasted on my face. You can carry a lot speed through corners and the body roll in corners was almost non existent.

This car handles like a hunkered down sedan on the road and is amazing to drive. Totally a drivers car. The steering gave excellent feed back and weighed up well through corners and was light and comfortable on the off road section.

I have fallen in love with this car and this is going to be my next car. Just waiting for GST to take the plunge.

Good experience organised by VW and especially the cars off road capability is what I got sold on.

[driven646]

Originally Posted by swaroopanand_86

I went for the VW Tiguan experience in Bangalore today organised by VW at Meco Kartopia on Baglur main road.

I have fallen in love with this car and this is going to be my next car. Just waiting for GST to take the plunge.

Good experience organised by VW and especially the cars off road capability is what I got sold on.

Nicely written.

I too am sold on the Tiguan and will a book a Silver Colored Highline version as soon as the post GST prices are determined.

It seems to be an exceptional vehicle and I can't wait to own it.

VW seems to be frequently getting poor reviews on post sales service, but I've had no bad experiences in my 5+ years owning a Passat and my Sister in Mumbai is very happy with her automatic Polo - so hopefully it should be ok.

We might book 2 Tiguan's as a cousin is still vacillating between going for a Superb or the Tiguan.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by swaroopanand_86

This car handles like a hunkered down sedan on the road and is amazing to drive. Totally a drivers car. The steering gave excellent feed back and weighed up well through corners and was light and comfortable on the off road section.

Exact words from my BIL. He was also there. Decent off road capability as well and very well equipped. The only let down is the bland front end. Hope the GST would bring some tempting figures. It's around 38L for the highline in Bangalore.