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Launched: Volkswagen Tiguan TDI

Wheels Magazine
November, 2007

Think the Tiguan is a neighbouring tribe to the Touareg? Think again. Having belatedly filled the compact SUV niche within its bourgeoning product portfolio, Volkswagen's naming cupboard was bare. So the company sponsored a competition in Germany to which it had 350,000 responses. As you can guess, Tiguan - a combination of tiger and iguana - was the winner. Before you laugh too hard, consider the runners-up: Nanu, Rockton, Samun and Namib.

Whatever you think of the name or where it came from, the Tiguan is a licence to print money for VW. It's spun off the Golf V platform, so development costs were minimised, and VW will be able to charge a premium over Golf.

At 4430mm in length, the Tiguan is 230mm longer than the Golf, but, at 1810mm, is just 50mm wider. The big difference, obviously, is in height - the 1670mm Tiguan towers 190mm over the Golf on which it's based.

Three spec levels and five engine choices are available internationally, but when the Tiguan eventually launches in Australia in the fourth quarter of next year we'll have the choice of two trim levels and three engines.

VW recognises that most buyers of SUVs, compact or otherwise, rarely use the full potential of their vehicles. As a result, Tiguan is offered with two variants (entry-level Trend&Fun and up-spec Sport&Style) that use a more stylish 18-degree frontal approach angle. For those who do want to play weekend warrior, the Track&Field Tiguan features a unique front bumper with a creek-crossing-friendly 28-degree approach angle. And it's this version that won't make it to Australia - at least initially.

Still, the two Oz-bound trim levels have huge showroom appeal with impressive standard equipment and build quality. The Trend&Fun gets 16-inch alloys, cloth trimmed seats, single-disc CD-player, semi-automatic climate control, electric windows, and heated and electric exterior mirrors. The Sport&Style ups the ante with 17-inch alloys, tinted glass, leather-trimmed steering wheel, and cloth and Alcantara-trimmed seats, with the option of full leather. You can also option a full-length sunroof (300 percent bigger than the sunroof on a Golf), which Volkswagen claims does not affect torsional rigidity.

All models get six airbags and ESP, while Tiguan achieved a five star Euro NCAP rating as we went to press.

Engine choices for Australian-bound Tiguans kick off with a direct-injection, turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol unit. With 125kW and 280Nm, the engine claims a combined fuel consumption figure of 9.1L/100km, but the economical choice is the 103kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four, which averages 7.2L/100km. The range topper will use the 147kW/280Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol four from the Golf GTI, which, in the heavier and taller Tiguan, drinks 9.1L/100km of PULP (up from 8.1L/100km in the GTI).

As final Australian specs are yet to be set, it's unclear whether all engines will be offered across both variants. Regardless of engine, all Tiguans use VW's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system coupled to six-speed manuals as standard, with the option of a six-speed DSG. VW Oz may take the diesel in DSG-only guise.

Overseas markets also get the choice of VW's excellent 110kW/240Nm 1.4-litre turbo- and supercharged petrol four and a heavier-hitting 125kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder.

Like the Golf, Tiguan uses a strut front end located by a lower A-arm, mounted in a single-piece aluminium subframe. The four-link rear is also similar to the Golf, but with off-road duties in mind, it's mounted in a high-strength steel subframe from the Touran MPV (the Golf uses an alloy rear subframe). The rear dampers are also specific to Tiguan and feature larger oil capacity to cope with the heat of some mild rock hopping.

Unfortunately, drive impressions from our time on the Tiguan's international launch in Budapest, Hungary, were minimal at best. As most of our time was spent in stop-start traffic, it's impossible to give a thorough dynamic assessment.

The muscular diesel we drove was mated to an optional six-speed DSG, which, like all such boxes we've sampled, was a bit snatchy in the heavy traffic.

On the one short stage where we were able to give the Tiguan its head, the electric-assisted steering was free of kickback and consistently weighted, but devoid of any true feel. For a tallish soft-roader, bodyroll is well suppressed and the brakes offer strong retardation and consistent pedal pressure.

Like much of the spec list, pricing is yet to be finalised for Australia, but expect the range to start at around $35,000, topping out in the high $40K bracket. Even at a premium of around $5-7K over the equivalent Golf, VW Australia should have no problems shifting its target of 600 Tiguans a month. It's well-built, looks good, has strong safety credentials and a long list of standard features.

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