2021 Volkswagen Tiguan Facelift Review

toretto · 14th December 2023, 16:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by HimalayanDoctor

I almost every time get 95 octane filled but at times due non availability(remote areas), I get it filled with the normal petrol (E10).

But the issue was not due to RON 95 or 91 but due impurities in the petrol filled at pithoragarh(Indian oil pump) for which SA advised to get the fuel tank cleaned.

Thanks.

Edit: Okay I get it. I got octane 91 filled this time just before the light lit up.

Thanks, but looks like the 2.0 TSI engine is very sensitive to fuel quality whether 91 or 95 octane.

toretto · 18th December 2023, 12:04

1) On Saturday had a chance to drive in the night and noticed a orange passenger airbag light above infotainment screen. Checked with the manual and identified that it is because passenger airbag is switched off. Switched it on after that, but shocking that they deliver the vehicle with passenger airbag off and I was driving like that for last two weeks !!

2) Drove on NICE road and compared to previous car - XUV500 felt that overall driving position was lower and car road presence was missing. But got adjusted to soon

3) The IQ light is also very good at night. Never felt was light was lesser or inadequate even in dark areas.

SilverSmoke · 29th December 2023, 09:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by toretto

1) On Saturday had a chance to drive in the night and noticed a orange passenger airbag light above infotainment screen. Checked with the manual and identified that it is because passenger airbag is switched off. Switched it on after that, but shocking that they deliver the vehicle with passenger airbag off and I was driving like that for last two weeks !!

Same stuff happened to me with Kodiaq. Was driving without it for about 45 days. Later turned it on.

Maky · 29th December 2023, 09:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by toretto

1) On Saturday had a chance to drive in the night and noticed a orange passenger airbag light above infotainment screen. Checked with the manual and identified that it is because passenger airbag is switched off. Switched it on after that, but shocking that they deliver the vehicle with passenger airbag off and I was driving like that for last two weeks !!

I think this is done to avoid any false airbag deployment during transport or so I was told.
Odd that an airbag would be active in a switched off car on a flatbed/truck don't you

On my end we noticed this during the first long drive(Karjat) 3 months ago and my friend was the one who pointed it out. We pulled over to side of the road, looked up manual, found the little keyhole between the door to enable it and went on our way.

Raz · 2nd January 2024, 18:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by HimalayanDoctor

I have had a few of them so far.
1. I hear a strange squeaking sound from the steering column whenever I am turning on hilly road at a speed of more than 20 kph and after driving for more than an hour.
2. Dsg overheated twice in zanskar while going from padum to gonbo rangjon, but to negate this I used the paddle shifters(the dsg goes into manual mode) this time.
3. Recently on a trip to Adi kailash I had EPC and faulty exhaust system warning light ( though the car had zero niggles while driving), for which I had to get my fuel tank cleaned after completing the trip.

Hi I also got this strange squeaking sound while turning on hilly roads. Have you been able to diagnose what is causing this noise. Have you been able to find a solution for the same ?

RJo_KRM · 2nd January 2024, 18:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by HimalayanDoctor

I have had a few of them so far.
1. I hear a strange squeaking sound from the steering column whenever I am turning on hilly road at a speed of more than 20 kph and after driving for more than an hour.
2. Dsg overheated twice in zanskar while going from padum to gonbo rangjon, but to negate this I used the paddle shifters(the dsg goes into manual mode) this time.
3. Recently on a trip to Adi kailash I had EPC and faulty exhaust system warning light ( though the car had zero niggles while driving), for which I had to get my fuel tank cleaned after completing the trip.

I too had the similar issue of a humming noise from the steering column when turning right after driving long distances, I first noticed it when I entered the city after a 250KMs highway drive. The hum and the mild vibration had vanished the next day only to return during the next long drive. I initially had thought that its from the brakes, however later when I checked the noise and the vibration was evident even while stationary and only on rotation of the steering to the right after a long drive.
So I took it to PPS motors' SC at Nagawara, The service manager informed that a software update was due for the steering and the issue should get resolved with that, they'd had done updates to other Tiguans with the similar issue. I got back the vehicle within a day's time.
Post the software update I've done long distance drives totaling to 1500KMS over the past 1 week and the noise isn't there anymore. I'm hoping that it wouldn't return : )
Another issue that I have is that one of the DRLs has become very dim & yellowish. It's getting replaced under the warranty. I'm yet to get the details of the replacement from the ASC.

HimalayanDoctor · 3rd January 2024, 08:43

Hi even I got this software update done on my Tiguan to fix the steering noise.
After the update I went on a trip to Himachal and this time the steering noise was not there. I felt really relieved inside.

nagarjun · 3rd January 2024, 17:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJo_KRM

So I took it to PPS motors' SC at Nagawara, The service manager informed that a software update was due for the steering and the issue should get resolved with that, they'd had done updates to other Tiguans with the similar issue. I got back the vehicle within a day's time.
Post the software update I've done long distance drives totaling to 1500KMS over the past 1 week and the noise isn't there anymore. I'm hoping that it wouldn't return : )

If you don't mind, can you please share the name of the service advisor who handled your case? I had faced a similar issue once when I was driving all day up and down the western ghats

Recently had my first service done at the same service center and the SA confirmed there are not firmware/software updates pending for the car. I wanted to see if they can do a check once again and thought quoting an earlier instance might make them to really check and not just give quick reply without a proper check.

RJo_KRM · 3rd January 2024, 18:22

The SM who handled my case was Vishwanath, I think he's the service head.

HimalayanDoctor · 18th January 2024, 15:35

Hello everyone. Has anyone faced rear doors freezing during extreme winter conditions?
It gets extremely difficult to open them.
Does anyone has any solution for it?

keviv · 1st February 2024, 07:16

Hi all,

Default setting for AC switch in my Tiguan is outside air. Does anyone know how to make it inside air recirculation? Annoying to do this manually every time after car is turned on. Thanks.

adi_petrolhead · 2nd February 2024, 11:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by keviv

Hi all,

Default setting for AC switch in my Tiguan is outside air. Does anyone know how to make it inside air recirculation? Annoying to do this manually every time after car is turned on. Thanks.

Can be done with some coding, look up the instagram pages who do remote coding, they could help you. Its not recommended though. The reason it starts on "fresh air" setting is that you need oxygen in the cabin as you drive. If you keep it in "recirculation" mode, the CO2 will be more than O2 in the cabin after some driving, it can make the cabin stuffy, make you feel tired, drowsy. The car is equipped with an air quality sensor and the second it detects bad air, it automatically switches to recirculation mode letting the air filter through the cabin filter. The manual recommends using recirculation mode if the automatic switching on still lets in bad odours. Only in standstill traffic behind a heavily polluting truck or a rickshaw has prompted me to switch to recirculation mode, but once moving, I again deactivate it.

genghis_on_road · 9th February 2024, 17:10

I bought the VW Tiguan Allspace in March of 2021. Since then I have clocked over 30,000 km, driving in Bangalore city as well as road trips around Bangalore. I have thoroughly enjoyed driving this car but my experience has been marred by the persistent issues that I have faced from the first day itself.

Let me start with the driving experience of the car. This is the strongest point of the Tiguan for me.

Pick-up - The pick-up of the car is very good and after a negligible turbo lag, the car is very responsive. I mostly drive in the ‘Econ’ mode and it works well for everyday use. The car is more responsive in the ‘Normal’ and ‘Sports’ modes. I don’t use the ‘Sports’ mode in Bangalore traffic because then the ride can feel jerky. But when the roads are open, sports mode is good fun.

Braking – Braking is superb in this car. You will feel very safe driving at high speeds because the straight line braking is excellent.

Handling – I love the handling of the car. I have driven a lot in the Western ghats and the power steering always gives me confidence. The car hugs the curves nicely and is always very stable. The ground clearance has also been more than adequate so far.

Ride quality – I have found the ride quality to be quite good. It is a bit on the stiff side but very comfortable. A couple of back seat passengers have complimented me on the ride quality of the car. The cabin is very well insulated and noise levels are low.

Auto Hold – At this point, I would like to talk about a very under-rated feature of the car – the auto hold. While the vehicle is waiting at a signal, the driver can lift his foot off the brake pedal and the vehicle will stay in place. You don’t need to keep the brake pedal continuously pressed. You also don’t need to change the gear to ‘Parking’ when you stop at a light. You just bring the car to a halt and it stays like that till you press the accelerator. If you have the Auto start feature on as well, then the engine will also switch off while you wait. It will also come on the moment you press the accelerator or turn the steering.
This is a game-changing feature for city driving where you are constantly stopping and starting. It reduces your work significantly while driving in high traffic areas. Once you get used to this, it is very painful to drive a car without this feature. I would gladly give the sun-roof (and many other features) to get this feature in any car that I own.

Mileage – city – 8-10 kmpl, highway – 12-13 kmpl (mostly on Econ mode)

Interiors – The build quality of the interiors is very good. I have had no issues with anything in the last 3 years. There is ample storage in the front and back for bottles, cups, keys, phone and other things.

So far I have only raved about this car. But now let me come to some the challenges that I have faced.

The day the car was delivered to me, the battery died. Volkswagen changed the battery at no cost but it set the tone for what was to follow. The batteries in the keys also died in the first year and had to be replaced. The wipers also needed to be replaced after 2 years. All of these lead me to believe the car was stored for a long time before selling. They are however, all minor issues that could be sorted easily.

My larger issue has been with wrong warnings that flash regularly in the car when you turn it on or even while driving. When the warnings come, some of the dashboard icons light up and sometimes an emergency warnings is sounded. A voice says “This is an emergency. Please contact the nearest service station’. These disappear if you keep driving. But this happens regularly and is very annoying. I have had Volkswagen look at this multiple times but they have not been able to solve this issue.

A recent issue that happened is even more distressing. I had an accident and needed to get the front bumper and a few other parts replaced. These parts were not available and it took a month to get them from elsewhere. The company’s supply chain is terrible (at least for this model) and I can expect this delay for any replacement part for the Tiguan.

All of these issues are of course specific to my car. I am very curious to know from other Tiguan owners if they have faced similar issues.

There are a couple of other issues that are design issues, and not specific to my car.
The ADAS feature can be very annoying in heavy traffic as all the sensors keep beeping frequently. Imagine stopping at a red light in India. Inevitably a two-wheeler will stop right next to you and because it is too close, the ADAS alarms will go off. There should be a way to turn this off when you are in heavy traffic.

There is an auto-brake feature in the car which is a great safety feature. It will brake the car if it feels you are going to slam into something in the front. Sometimes the feature gets triggered when it should not (especially when the traffic in front is slowing down at a speed breaker). When this feature gets triggered, the brakes slam suddenly and the car stops or slows down dramatically. Firstly this is very disconcerting for the driver and secondly I fear one of these days it would cause a collision from the rear as the traffic behind me would not be expecting this hard brake.

Overall experience – I have loved driving this car and I look forward to our road trips on it. However, I feel the car is over-engineered for India. There are too many features, some are great, some are buggy in Indian conditions. I don’t think the technical competence required to handle this kind of a car is there in the VW India technicians. If you don’t have a problem, then this is a great car. When you do get a problem, both spare parts and technical competence seem to be in short supply.

nagarjun · 9th February 2024, 20:21

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