re: 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan Facelift Review I am adding this car in my list of choices. The choices are still very limited for me.
I am in the market for upgrading to ~30L automatic monocoque SUV (top end variant) next year. Main priorities are good to drive and ride, performance (engine, gearbox, and braking), comfortable rear seating for 2 (family) with nice ambience, best NVH levels and length within 4.5 meters (compact to drive in city as well as parking at my apartment). Standard safety, which is my high priority, is a common factor in this segment and so, I won't cover it here.
My yearly driving is around 13K to 15K kms (80% highway + 20% city). So choice of diesel or petrol depends on the engine + gearbox combination and performance.
My current choices are X1 (pre-owned), Tucson, and new Tiguan. Here are my views without much comparison on features offered / missed. Compass (Diesel AT): It is ruled out (the feel in rear seating is not good enough due black interior with less space, niggles in 2021 model as per reviews, 2.0 engine + AT combination is not the best here to drive). C5 Aircross (Diesel AT): It is ruled out (new brand, after-sales experience and feedback are unknow). X1 (20d xLine): I have driven an X3 and 320d of my friends during occasional trips over the last few years and hence the feel of the interiors and drive of the X1 are not as good as them. I know it is not a good comparison, but in my budget, I am convinced to have a well maintained and low run X1 rather than putting 52 lakhs on a new one.
(+) Powerful and great 2.0 engine + AT combination and good to drive though front-wheel drive. The light color interior and panoramic sunroof are creating nice and airy ambiance at front and rear. NVH is decent not the best. Very good braking and car stops without any drama.
(-) Though the handling is good at high speeds, the steering is a little heavy at slow speeds for me. The runflat tyres make the ride feel slightly stiff when compared to tubeless tyres (I drove both pre-owned). Rear seat is decent and strictly for 2. Other bits: I didn’t like the old-style gear shifter, but liked the one in facelifted 2020 BS6 model (I think it is shift-by-wire like in the X3 / 320d). So far, I haven’t found a good one in the pre-owned market, but I'm searching. Tucson (Diesel AT HTrac):
Booked a test drive online last week and got the vehicle at my home after a one-day delay (they called and gave the the reason for the delay well in advance). Had a good experience with the flexible sales executive. Test drove both inside the city and a long stretch for around 2 hours with 4 onboard with me driving, and my wife and son are at rear.
(+) I liked the exterior more than the upcoming next-gen model. Back seat space and comfort are good (high rising window line towards the rear is not a problem for my family). Great ride at low speeds as well as high speeds - potholes are well masked to not reach the occupants. Very smooth and powerful engine + AT. Though black interior, it feels spacious in the rear and with the panoramic sunroof cover opened, the cabin feels airy. NVH levels are also good. Steering feel is decent enough and not lifeless like other Hyundai cars (I am driving an Elite i20 and my friend’s Verna). It is around 32 lakhs on-road Chennai after discounts - value for money car for sure.
(-) Outdated interior design and feel. Driving pleasure and feel is somehow low compared to the X1 and Tiguan. Brake pedal feel is not as assuring as the other 2 cars, though braking performance is good. Tiguan (DSG 4Motion):
Day before yesterday, I went in person to a nearby dealer (just 2 kms from home) after knowing that the Tiguan is available there through OLX! Yes, it is posted with update of current dealer. But the car was out for a test drive, and I was assigned a sales executive to schedule a test drive at my home. It was scheduled and done yesterday evening after a couple of calls and based on the availability of the car. Like Hyundai, the experience with the VW sales executive was good - very friendly and flexible. I got the test drive scheduled at 6 PM and by that time the sunlight was almost gone. So, it was like a night drive (full of traffic at city + long open road stretch). Planning to check again in the daytime later.
Following are my views on the Tiguan Test Drive with 4 onboard on the same route of the Tucson Test Drive.
(+) Very good ambience inside at night, nice dash layout, integration, lights, and digital instrument cluster. I am yet to feel the daytime ambience inside. I still feel X1 ambiance is best of the 3 in the daytime due to the light coloured interiors. Best rear seat space and comfort almost close to the Tucson, but the feel was better. The car felt composed when I drove at 3-digit speeds and did lane changes. It has good handling and drives like sedan in most conditions. It feels very easy and is a joy to drive in the city as well as on the highway compared to other cars. The car felt like a solid box without any heaviness or body roll while driving. Steering is smooth and easy all the time. It feels too light when in normal mode at slow speeds (I liked it), but becomes heavier on changing the modes. Well refined engine (2.0 TSI vs diesels) with smooth and fast gearbox (7-speed DQ381). Hardly noticed any shifting. S (sport) mode is the best driving mode in all the conditions. Nothing felt sluggish at initial pedal though I felt them in normal mode for some fraction of seconds (not tried echo mode). Here on diesel side, Tucson scores in refinement and smooth AT and X1 scores in performance. NVH levels are great. I heared very low tyre / road noise first only at around 70 and then, engine noise at 3-digit speeds. Wind noise is much more controlled compared to the Tucson at 3-digit speeds. If we play music system at a pleasant volume, we hear nothing from the outside. It felt heavy with stronger doors than the other 2 cars. The LED headlights are great and high beams provide good coverage. Braking performance as well as pedal feel are great. No jerk or shake on braking.
(-) Stiff suspension – Felt small and sharp potholes inside at slow speeds. Family felt the difference here between theTucson and Tiguan as the test drive route was the same for all the cars. After changing the drive mode to off-road, the impact of bad potholes was reduced slightly. At high speeds, it is comfortable. Overall, the ride is better in the Tucson compared to the X1 and Tiguan.
Touch intuitive controls are not easy to operate like the usual buttons or knobs in Tucson and X1. It will take time to adjust for sure. AC is good only at under 23C. If we keep it at 24C or above, we start feeling sultry inside. Note that it was evening time, without sunlight. Not sure how the performance of the AC will be during the sunny day time. We must check it next time. Others can check and update on this. Ventilated seats are big miss here. It's pricy for the segment as well as having only a petrol engine, though it is giving it a fun to drive nature. On-road Chennai price is close to 39 lakhs.
The dilemma continues…
Last edited by Aditya : 18th December 2021 at 19:55.
Reason: Edited for readabilty
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