[abhishek46]

The Tiguan Highline costs a cool 38 Lakhs on-road, in Bangalore.

Agreed, it offers lots of gizmos and excellent build quality, for the price. However, 38 lakhs is still too much, considering that the 190HP version of the Tiguan costs around 33,000 GBP in UK/EU (roughly 8 Lakhs less than the low power version available here)

Secondly, it has to be noted that it's indirect competitors like the X1 (which has 190HP) & GLA are just a few lakhs away.
The brand pull of VW, is no where near, compared to BMW and Mercedes.

[Reinhard]

Smashing review. Blinding attention to detail. Rated full 5 stars that still feel insufficient. Thanks a lot Aditya & team.

I like this car. Not loud about its capabilities in looks. Very (too) understated but I like things that way. Don't want to give away capabilities in looks or fake them in looks.

This must be one of my most favourite dashboards. Very elegant, functional & practical. No comments about the pricing etc from me as anyway it falls in a category of which I don't even dare dream. Just a car to look at and admire the wonderful piece of engineering.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Love this car. Tad too expensive in my opinion. But inspite of the price, seems to be generating a good amount of interest

If you ask me, it'll create its own niche within the segment. For those who want a premium car without the premium badge (and there are a fair number of such customers).

However, the Tiguan has one massive headache coming up = the Skoda Kodiaq!

Expecting it to become a nice VFM pre-owned buy 2-3 years down the line.

Hahaha! Well said. A 'like new' piece for ~20 lakhs with extended warranty would be a dream buy.

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Secondly, it has to be noted that it's indirect competitors like the X1 (which has 190HP) & GLA are just a few lakhs away.

With discounts on the Mercedes & BMW, they are either at the same price...or the difference is too small to make a difference. I don't like the GLA-Class at all, but the X1 is a worthy competitor.

Originally Posted by Reinhard

elegant, functional & practical.

You, sir, have just described the car in 3 words when we took about 7,000 to do the same!

[driven646]

Great review with the superb attention to detail and quality one expects on this forum.

I might be one of the earliest Tiguan customers here, having taken delivery of the Vehicle July 24 - pre the recent GST hike.

Now having driven it for nearly 2000 KM's i wholeheartedly agree with all the observations made in this review.

I'm very happy with the Tiguan, i like the understated VW designs.

Most people here and even my friends ask why i didn't go for the BMW X1 considering the minimal price difference between the base X1 Expedition and the Tiguan Highline.

I did consider and test the BMW X1 too, but the Expedition version was just too basic and lacking in features in my opinion vs the Tiguan - not to mention the X1 is noticeably smaller in interior space as well.

Of course, the X1's engine's is far superior - but it lacks features like auto hold (a boon in the hills - so many times I've come to a halt while on a steep ascent, braked - taken my foot off - relaxed and then just had to tap the accelerator once the traffic has moved) no more of that pull the hand brake, build up revs and then move business.

I remember the BMW sales rep haughtily telling me to go for the X3 if i was so keen on the auto hold feature.

Don't think the Tiguan will set the sales charts on fire, but I'm sure there will be a few of us very happy customers for sure

Fingers crossed on the mechanical and after sales service front as the VW group sure does have a lot of negative service feedback - I've bought the extended warranty.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Tiguan has caught my attention due to one single reason - and that's the huge panoramic sunroof! It's way too appealing and really makes the car a very interesting package.

Everything else about it - is understated bordering on boring.

But it might get appreciated for this exact same reason, as compared to the flashy German brands it competes against!

[nakul0888]

I dont understand why this car had to be four wheel drive only. Its nowhere near capable of serious offroading like the fortuner or endeavor and I hardly think anyones going to be doing any offroad with it either. Should have made it front wheel drive. That would have given it less weight, more performance, more mileage and a lesser price.

I certainly dont see how this can command a premium of 10 lakhs over a Jeep compass

[hemanth.anand]

Detailed review as usual.
I don't know but it's a mixed emotion for me. Nothing great about it but a classy, understated SUV.
The panoramic roof, rich features (just the ORVM itself has so many technologies built into it), clean lines, everything goes well for it.
But, no scuff plates, no separate cornering lamps, lot of part sharing with Polo GT (which is 1/3rd the cost of this) is a sad thing.
With this car being built locally, it feels all the more expensive. But I read somewhere that VW would be localizing this further and hopefully they pass the benefit to future buyers.
And only one engine/GB combo option- beyond me!
That said, there will be sufficient number of people buying this for the brand and build quality this vehicle offers IMO.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by nakul0888

I certainly dont see how this can command a premium of 10 lakhs over a Jeep compass

Some extras like the Automatic Transmission, Superior Interior quality including some Gizmos, Huge Sunroof, Fancy Headlamps etc, do exist on the Tiguan.

Agreed, a premium of of Rs 3-4 Lakh would have made sense.
Rs 10 Lakh premium over similarly sized (dimension, engine etc) Compass is excessive.

[behaln]

Excellent review guys. Great write up and details. I saw the car at Mumbai airport recently and had a long discussion with the executive regarding the weird pricing. I have not seen a single car on road so far. Although feature rich but IMHO pricing should have been a little considerate.

[Annibaddh]

Originally Posted by GTO

However, the Tiguan has one massive headache coming up = the Skoda Kodiaq!

So the leaked specs would suggest VW has (arm-twisted?) Skoda offering Kodiaq too with an under-powered engine. 148 BHP on a 7-seater Kodiaq (in all likelihood heavier than both Fortuner and Superb) is recipe for disaster, even as both the Superb and Fortuner churn out 174 horses.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Excellent car, but just too overpriced. It has everything - just the right size, decent engine and gearbox, 4x4 automatic, good space, big boot, all features, good to drive and top notch safety. And that massive sunroof is killer! Potentially the perfect car with the right amount of versatility - perfect for the daily grind and also for Bharat darshan for a family of 5.

Hexa is too big. Compass lacks cabin and boot space. Endy and Fortuner are quite expensive, rather utilitarian and again, huge. Had the Tiguan been priced 5-7L less, it would have been THE car to buy. Quite like what the CRV was 10 years back

[Rajain]

Hello

Wonderful review by the team.

Great attention to detail.

In a recent visit to San Francisco I had the opportunity to renting and driving this car from Berkeley to Yosemite national park and back. The car has lovely handling, smooth and clatter free ride, precise steering and that powerful engine in 4x4 to get you out of tough spots.

Above all, it has a small footprint and the finished product is a treat. The overall fit and finish is totally at par with the badge it wears.

At the price band, I don't think there will be many takers. It reaches the X1, / Q3. GLA and Freelander are further round the corner all of which have greater brand recall. The perception of a VW at that level may not draw many takers.

Well below the price range are other well accomplished vehicles - Fortuner, Pajero Sport, Crsyta, Tucson and even Jeep Compass have a lot going for them. Skoda Kodiaq is worthy competition too.

All in all - great detailing by our reviewers. Happy to answer any questions based on my short use of about 750 kms both within city and out station plus small off roading.

Cheers
Rajain

[sparky@home]

That was an excellent review. The car is unfortunately IMHO over priced, ofcourse it has that premium feel which is what a lot people will feel happy about. Also at that price, i too feel the engine should have been little more powered. Only time will tell how successfull this car will be.

[Chethan B G]

Excellent review with astonishing details! Thanks!

Last month, in Mysore, I had taken a test drive of Tiguan. I was impressed by the over-all quality and the package. Even though the cost is on the higher side, it feels justified. Just for statistics, VW charges 20L for a HL Tiguan and the rest we pay is all TAX!! Off-course it is the same with all cars, but still;

For me the biggest let-down was the engine tune. Should have been 180PS/400NM without a doubt for this price bracket. I feel that it is high-time we move-on to Adaptive cruise control for Indian roads. Auto engine start / stop system, would have been a welcome addition. And off-course, Adaptive suspension and Knee air-bag. Personally, for me, these things would have made the package extremely tempting. I would have exchanged my Jetta which is now 4 years old without thinking twice.

Fold-out tray in the second row is definitely bad for safety; But ergonomically too, it sticks out like a sour thumb. Not sure what VW engineers were thinking while designing!

Leather seats and GPS-Navigation (with Apple Car Play) will be sourly missed. Tail-gate Party trick is a simple waste of feature, in my opinion.


Is this a Sun-glass holder?

[itwasntme]

Also want to point out that buyers not hellbent on a SUV and a budget of 40L now have the Superb, Passat, Octavia vRS sedans to also consider!!

For the first 2, you get a hell of a lot more metal for the money. Hell, the Octy vRS looks dirt cheap.