[Nair.V8]

Fantastic review! Every minute detail was covered rather meticulously!!

If priced correctly (i.e. 25L~30L OTR) the Tiguan would have sold in good numbers. This is a lost opportunity for VW.
VW should have offered an alternate beige interior option as well, which many prefer over black especially for a luxury car.

IMO, the Kodiaq will be a far better choice over the Tiguan.

[nanu28]

Tiguan Highline is now costing 31Lacs ex show-room and BMW has a Diwali
Offer for the X1 sDrive for 31.2Lacs (Ex-showroom).

We had initially booked the Tiguan Highline on the 25.Aug for 29Lacs ex showroom. Which at the time was okay, but since VW could not keep their promise and sell us the vehicle at pre-cess price; We have gone ahead and booked the X1 instead in the offer.

Like everyone else's sentiments here. The Highline should have been NOT more than 27Lacs ex-showroom and Comfortline at 25Lacs. Right now, I don't see many buyers at this price.

[deetjohn]

Really like the Tiguan!

It is my kind of SUV - Compact, understated, good on the road and not bad off road if push comes to shove. Add the convenience of DSG and one can baby the Tiguan on no roads/ bad roads without damaging anything to reach that resort off the beaten track.

But then, it is easy to gloss over the shortcomings when you appreciate the vehicle as a machine and not anywhere close to buying it.

But if I was really looking to buying the Tiguan, what I don't like is the following:
1) The engine tuning - that's VW being a cheapskate. I don't want a tuner to add muscle to my horse, I prefer it to be strong from the factory. VW should have given it the same power rating as the new Passat (175 BHP/ 350 Nm).
2) The Comfortline at the current price with that gorgeous sunroof would have been lovely. The Highline is in dangerous territory with that pricing - especially with the post GST cess.
3) The X1 is the elephant in the room. The BMW is so much better on paper -
the reliability, service and resale value advantage is hard to miss. But the X1 I want is the xDrive (what's the point in picking up a BMW which cannot spin its rear wheels?) and that brings us back to square one.

VW has made it really hard for us! They have manufactured a very good car, but product planning has screwed it up for our market.

[84.monsoon]

I think VW will slowly come out with a variant strategy sooner or later like they have been doing on other cars like Jetta and Vento. They have consciously not launched a Trendline version of the Tiguan yet. Imagine a base Trendline with 2WD and a six speed Manual transmission and minus some bells and whistles. This could easily be launched at a 22 lac price point and may sell well, for the space, comfort and practicality the vehicle offers. Skoda could then bring in the Koraq in a similar base configuration for a sub 20 lac price point. Then they will be in the volumes game!

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

I think VW will slowly come out with a variant strategy sooner or later like they have been doing on other cars like Jetta and Vento. They have consciously not launched a Trendline version of the Tiguan yet. Imagine a base Trendline with 2WD and a six speed Manual transmission and minus some bells and whistles. This could easily be launched at a 22 lac price point and may sell well, for the space, comfort and practicality the vehicle offers. Skoda could then bring in the Koraq in a similar base configuration for a sub 20 lac price point. Then they will be in the volumes game!

Won't work. The 20L+ buyer is of two types: one who goes for the badge, and the other who goes for the product. The former will never look beyond the Crysta, Fortuner or X1. There goes the overwhelming majority of sales. For the second kind of buyer, who anyway contributes crumbs to volumes, he will never go for a bare bones 4*2 crossover who he knows is priced at lot more than what it is worth. These are the people who buy the Hexas and Endeavours and Superbs. A Tiguan Trendline at 22L ex showroom will not appeal to them, yours truly included. A 25-26L Highline certainly will though.

[mn2363]

Excellent review with great attention to detail.

Though VW has a competent product, they should have tweaked the rear suspension a bit. Particularly considering that this would be bought by self driving / small families. The two rear passengers won't like the ride quality on moonscape of a terrain we have for highways.

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Won't work. The 20L+ buyer is of two types: one who goes for the badge, and the other who goes for the product. The former will never look beyond the Crysta, Fortuner or X1. There goes the overwhelming majority of sales. For the second kind of buyer, who anyway contributes crumbs to volumes, he will never go for a bare bones 4*2 crossover who he knows is priced at lot more than what it is worth. These are the people who buy the Hexas and Endeavours and Superbs. A Tiguan Trendline at 22L ex showroom will not appeal to them, yours truly included. A 25-26L Highline certainly will though.

Being in the second category myself, Volkswagen has sort of made both Creta and Tuscon, particulary the diesel AT versions, look like bargain and vfm options.

I have excellent experience with Hyundai Sales/ Service so am partial to Hyundai over VW, Fiat (Compass) & Tata (Hexa), at least in my city/ state.

And as soon as Hyundai adds those excellent ventilated seats to Creta and Tuscon, it would be a no brainer.

[The Brutailer]

I personally liked it. It's classy. Capable and comfortable. BUT the first thing I look for in a car is engine as I think the engine makes the car. In that sense then, I'm dissatisfied.

If a person has a luxurious/sporty sedan like 5 series then this makes perfect sense to take to places which require high ground clearance. In serenity.

[snan]

Great review as usual ! Fantastic attention to detail. VW missed a chance with this - which probably will not displease anyone but also will not have anyone's heart racing. If priced lower, maybe my grand mother would have bought one

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by Aditya

The Volkswagen Tiguan is on sale in India at a price of between Rs. 26.56 - 29.83 lakhs (ex-Delhi).
What you'll like:..............

What you won't:
• Overpriced by a couple of lakhs! Heavy premium over the Hyundai Tucson
• Many will find the design too bland & understated. Lacks street cred
• Engine feels adequate, but isn't exciting. You'd expect more power at this price
• Stiff ride quality, especially on the back seat (our test car had the 18" rims)
• Despite this being a new wet clutch DSG, we have our finger's crossed on its reliability
• No cheaper MT or FWD variants
• VW's sub-par dealership & service experiences

This review has been jointly compiled with Jaggu. Thanks to him for the expert observations!

Thank you Aditya, Jaggu, for your usual 5-star review, which leaves little to conjecture and ticks most boxes in T-BHP's normal unbiased style!

I'm glad you mentioned the necessary bits in the "you wont like" observations. One can see - as I'm sure a good many other members too can - a gradual convergence (across brands, including our own home-grown ones) within the major segments, as far as features, standard equipment and - dare I say it! - even quality. The much vaunted tag-line of 'German engineering' has taken the battering of a life-time after the on-going emissions-gate scam and the recent Daimler Benz - Cama Motors washing of dirty linen in public. And so, despite that, to stick to their ridiculous pricing only confirms my belief that the Germans need to come down off their cloud9 high horse & mingle a bit more with the hoi polloi!

[freedom]

I was shotgun in a TSI Tiguan in US. Felt nothing special. So the price of 25+ is not justified.

And don't get me started on having heated seats in India! That feature will be useful in northern parts for only 20 days a year!! It's not even October and it was 34C on MPEW today afternoon. Who needs heated seats? VW seriously tear off heated seats and give us cooled seats, then we will talk.

[sj_koova]

Saw a Kodiaq in Paris today. It has far better road presence than Tiguan. Unlike Tiguan, Kodiaq seems to have proportional dimensions and SUV stance from front.

I see a lot of 2nd Gen Tiguans in Paris. It certainly is a successful product here.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by freedom

I was shotgun in a TSI Tiguan in US. Felt nothing special. So the price of 25+ is not justified.

Cabin luxury depends on the kind of features and embellishments/appointments in the car, and the US market typically has many stripped down/basic versions of most cars to appeal to a greater audience.

Was the cabin identical in all aspects to the Indian variant?

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Won't work. The 20L+ buyer is of two types: one who goes for the badge, and the other who goes for the product. The former will never look beyond the Crysta, Fortuner or X1. There goes the overwhelming majority of sales. For the second kind of buyer, who anyway contributes crumbs to volumes, he will never go for a bare bones 4*2 crossover who he knows is priced at lot more than what it is worth. These are the people who buy the Hexas and Endeavours and Superbs. A Tiguan Trendline at 22L ex showroom will not appeal to them, yours truly included. A 25-26L Highline certainly will though.

Well, the top end Jeep Compass with 4X2 is retailing close to 20 lakhs ex showroom. It is half a size smaller than the Tiguan and has an even smaller service network. It is also missing key features, like the cruise control etc. Yet, Jeep has garnered over 10,000 bookings and I believe this is the most popular variant. So with the right pricing, marketing and positioning, I do believe VW can do volumes.

[Elito11]

Mildly shocked at how bland/bad/boring this car looks. 'Classy' is not a word I would associate with it at all.

Weird-ish product and pricing with regards to Indian market

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by smartcat

These are classic symptoms of over-inflation, rather than bad suspension tuning

Suspected the same on day 1, though MID figures were only marginally more inspite of running on the highway. Still we took the car to first fuel station next day morning and corrected the pressure which was 1 PSI more on one side, MID confirmed the correction but the rear seat jarring ride remained the same. So no it was not the air pressure, which is one of the things we check first on our official test drives (schedule permitting).

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

So with the right pricing, marketing and positioning, I do believe VW can do volumes.

I kind of agree to this, India is a very unique market. Though premium, niche and brand goes to an extend to garner in volumes, where huge numbers / volume sale are concerned, then it is the On road cost Vs rest of the choices, that would decide after the initial few 100 bookings. Somehow manufacturers doesn't seem to get it, in this particular case VW was clear that they are not looking at this car for volumes and was quiet happy with few bookings they claimed to have got before the GST announcement.

Jeep on the other hand was clear they want to garner in numbers and give a mild shock to the market.