[troika]

Thanks for the detailed review. From what I gather, the ride over potholes and broken surfaces is the only drawback. Am waiting to test drive the Tiguan myself as that is the only concern I have too. But haven’t been able to manage a test drive as the Chandigarh dealer hasn’t got a vehicle yet!
Will existing Tiguan owners share some feedback/suggestions as to how they improved the ride quality ( tyre size change or suspension mods etc)
Apart from the above, I am totally sold on this SUV. Hope to get delivery in Jan.

[Theyota]

Last year, I had to choose between this and the Passat. My work provides me a car. While I could not find anything wrong with this car, it was boring as hell after half a day of driving around a colleague's Tiguan L and I am not talking about cosmetics. So I chose the Passat and I have not regretted one bit. I put on 3-4000 km per month on my car and I have owned it for about 1.5 years.

[hashwin]

"Bone-jarring" is not something I would want to hear about a car priced at this level. Seems like the suspension makes this one to skip.

[sachin_cs]

Originally Posted by Aditya

The suspension feels too firm for Indian conditions. While owners who drive themselves might find the ride acceptable (it's better at the front), those sitting at the rear will definitely not be comfortable. They will complain. On the back seat, road imperfections come in easily at low speeds and on broken roads, it can get bone-jarring. Volkswagen should have softened it more for our kind of roads; we don't have blemish-free tarmac like Europe! You can also hear some suspension 'thuds' in the cabin. I must add that the poor ride quality is probably accentuated by the 18" rims and 235/55 profile tyres.

I have driven Kodiaq with same tyre profile on some not so perfect roads and I found the ride quality to be good, nothing to complain about and at the same time I was impressed with road manners for such a big siberian bear. Seems like Skoda gets the suspension tuning better than the VW counterparts.

[Timothy]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Driving the Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0L Turbo Petrol Automatic

The biggest change in the Tiguan is under the bonnet. The 2.0L TDI diesel engine has been replaced by a 2.0L TSI petrol engine, which produces 187 BHP @ 4,200 - 6,000 rpm and 320 Nm @ 1,500 - 4,100 rpm. It is mated to a 7-speed DSG transmission with a 4MOTION AWD system. The Tiguan ARAI fuel efficiency rating = 12.65 km/l:

Thanks for this comprehensive review, Aditya !! When the times comes to replace my Honda Civic in the not too distant future, this is one vehicle I would be considering seriously. It will complement the Skoda Octavia 1.8TSI L&K , which I bought last year.

The 1.8TSI returns excellent mileage if you are a relaxed driver, so I am quite sure the 2.0 litre TSI should not be too off, even though it may not match up to the drag coefficient of a sedan. I am not really too much of a fan of diesel, hence did not consider the earlier Tiguan model when I was buying the Octavia.
Thanks once agin for this excellent & practical review. Cheers !

[Ojas]

Test drove the Tiguan today.

Wanted to experience the ride quality and the audio system firsthand to decide if I wanted to buy or not. I had already made peace with misses like ventilated seats.

1. The ride was uncomfortable as expected. It was not bone-jarring though (at least for me). I did drive over really bad patches.
2. The audio system was average at best. Was prepared to compromise a bit, but still couldn't make peace with it.
3. I ended up not liking the boring interior design. It was not only uninteresting, but didn't feel premium enough.

There it goes from my shortlist. Will be checking out the Kodiaq.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by troika

Thanks for the detailed review. From what I gather, the ride over potholes and broken surfaces is the only drawback.

That, and the very bland styling which just merges with the crowd. Wish it had more charisma.

The suspension tune is too firm for our kind of roads. Bad / broken roads are very evident inside. It's not bumpy like a Thar or something, yet I would personally find it difficult to live with such a firm suspension (deal-breaker for me) on broken roads. On the other hand, the suspension tune gives it great poise at speed and makes the Tiguan 2.0 TSI a genuinely fun-to-drive crossover. Few other same-price crossovers / SUVs are fun to drive.

[KKapadia]

Precise and to the point review. Definitely priced 10-15% higher than market expectations, May be Vw doesn’t want to sell many of these. Expect discounts in a few months. Even then, if 4wd is not a requirement, why would someone buy this over a Superb? Similar price point, but superb has more space, comfort, better suspension, overall better interiors, better sound system, same engine, better NVH, heck even the GC is really good, may be it’s even quicker without the 4wd equipment. Always been keen to replace my jetta with another VW. But looks like the Tiguan isn’t the one.

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by Ojas

Test drove the Tiguan today.

Wanted to experience the ride quality and the audio system firsthand to decide if I wanted to buy or not. I had already made peace with misses like ventilated seats.

1. The ride was uncomfortable as expected. It was not bone-jarring though (at least for me). I did drive over really bad patches.
2. The audio system was average at best. Was prepared to compromise a bit, but still couldn't make peace with it.
3. I ended up not liking the boring interior design. It was not only uninteresting, but didn't feel premium enough.

There it goes from my shortlist. Will be checking out the Kodiaq.

Good riddance I would say. The Tiguan does not make sense at such a price point.
Apart from the shortcomings you pointed out already, I would add the pathetic looking alloys, below average quality leather to the list.

The Tiguan will only appeal to a very niche customer segment who are looking to buy a fun-to-drive crossover but don't want to stretch to the X1/Q3.

[Mafia]

The Taigun and T-Roc look really sharp and current in their design. The Tiguan seems to have taken a step backward in the aesthetics.

It looks so boring and bland, and not to mention the price!

[Aken]

Have an Allspace and while the suspension is typically Europian, I don’t find it bone-jarring. A lot depends on the tyre pressure and speed. At higher speeds, any undulations or imperfections are dismissed with aplomb and you hardly have to slow down. As you result you tend to maintain good composure and average speed on the highway. The car doesn’t like deep potholes and as mentioned in the forum, the suspension bottoms out soon. So need to slow down if the roads are really bad. The suspension tuning though lends a lot of stability and hence even a big car such as Allspace is really confidence inspiring and fun to drive on the open road. I haven’t driven either the old or the new Tiguan but on my Allspace (CBU), I don’t find the suspension tuning a deal breaker and would strongly recommend folks to take a test drive before determining if you will be okay or not, as a lot of this depends on individual preferences.

[agambhandari]

Test Drove the Tiguan 2.0 TSI today



Impressions are in comparison with cheaper cars and with BMW X1(I own a diesel one)

• Build is Typical German, hard to differentiate between this and a similarly priced Audi/BMW
• The interior design is typically bland but very functional
• Very wide cabin, I think marginally more than the X1
• Rear Seat Legroom is very good, at par with X1 But not a huge amount more than a Taigun(that's more of a complement for Taigun)
• Crisp and easy to use dials but missed the map display on it.
• Engine and Transmission combo is a dream, good amount of torque at all Revs and builds up even more as it revs up.
• Only because I have tried the same combo in the Superb as well, i felt the gearbox was held back a bit, proabably for safety/economy to keep the shifts smoother
• Steering typically VW, hardly any feel but very precise and good changes between the driving modes. Weighs up well in Sport mode
• Handling is impressive and you will easily forget that this is such a big car. Handles very much like a hatch. Only a few points behind X1
• Ride is decent but definitely stiffer than what most of the audience would be looking for. X1 definitely rides better (on 17s at least)
• Electric boot with the Foot operated Gesture opening. Nice to have

The SA claims there is a 3-4 month waiting Deliveries to start in January.

Definitely a very good option if you don't want a premium badge or Diesel.

Attaching a few Interior snaps from my drive

[showboat]

The tires are almost as much to fault as the suspension. I have a comfortline TDI and the main reason I bought it was it comes with 17" thicker tires. I religiously keep them at 33psi (lower is not recommended) and it's a much better experience then the 18s. You can still hear the bumps, but don't feel them anywhere as much. Also the highway composure is much smoother (except for crossing a join, that still wakes you up). The handling and ability to carry speeds for an SUV puts it at or better then the X1/Q3 segment. Get a remap done and it's got power to match.

When your buying a car at this price and the best recommendation is get smaller thicker tires .

[SR-71]

Got an opportunity to TD the Tiguan for 45+ minutes. Here is a short summary

The good

• Top notch ride quality in smooth tarmac when cruising at 120. Wife's exact words were, its gliding
• Butter smooth shifts and stonker of an engine
• Clean dashboard and layout
• Comfortable seats, but I suspect people on the heavier side might find the front seats a tad bit small
• Quiet cabin, I had the chance to hit high speeds in controlled closed loop road with very little traffic
• Feels sharp and planted when driving. It was more like a sedan

The bad

• I couldn't find a comfortable driving position over the entire driving period
• My left knee kept brushing with the transmission tunnel
• Average sound quality from speakers
• Average HU
• The ORVMS are a size smaller, I feel

The ugly

• Subpar dealership experience
• They should have given more creature comforts for this pricing, a lot more
• The car looks a tad smaller and plain jane in white

Quiet a few people have mentioned bone jarring drive quality. I wont go as far as bone jarring. On a smooth tarmac its really good in the back. On a gravely road, doing 35 lets a decent amount of vibration creep in but bone jarring is not the word I will use.

So will I buy this car ? Not sure, but I do not share the same enthusiasm I had before the test drive. I have TD'd the Superb thrice so far and I simply have fallen in love with it. On not finding the comfortable driving position, I typically position the steering wheel at its lowest so that I to hold the bottom part while resting my arms comfortably. This is really helpful in the long run. I simply could not find such a comfortable positioning in the Tiguan. The last time I had a similar experience was in the outgoing facelift XUV500 automatic. I will do one more TD to ensure I am not wrong. If anything is the is only deal breaker for me. For now this stays in the short list albeit below the Superb. So the wait and watch continues until the Kodiaq comes out next month.

Closing words, the experience in the last few days left me with the impression that VW is getting a more step motherly treatment compared to Skoda. At least I see a sea of difference in the dealership experience at Skoda and VW with the sales folks from the latter showing least bit of enthusiasm. This is so different from the experience I had with VW back in 2010 when I brought the Vento on launch.

[evil_grin]

Originally Posted by sachin_cs

Seems like Skoda gets the suspension tuning better than the VW counterparts.

It depends on the vehicles being compared. VW sedans had better ride quality than Skoda. E.g. Vento over Rapid or Jetta over Octavia