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Just as you shouldn’t use a cheese grater to open a wine bottle or bowler to open your batting, you shouldn’t use a soft-roader to go offroading. So goes the theory anyway, which holds that the only adventuring such SUVs are capable of is climbing pavements.

But we wondered whether these vehicles are capable of getting their designer hiking boots a little dirty, and took two of Germany’s wannabe adventure vehicles – the BMW X1 and the VW Tiguan – for an adventure to Mozambique over our December break.

The Tiguan 2.0 TSI and X1 xDrive28i are cut from the same cloth and are close rivals in terms of size, while they are both powered by 2-litre turbo petrol engines and have all-wheel-drive running gear.

The Tiguan sells for R413 800 and comes with a three-year/120 000km warranty and five-year/60 000km service plan. The X1 retails for R474 500 with a five-year/100 000km warranty and maintenance plan supplying the peace of mind.

DESIGN AND PACKAGING

The X1 is essentially a 3 Series on stilts, pitched at customers who like a bit of extra traction and ride height, and a more “command” driving position, but in a smaller and more affordable package than an X3.

The Golf-based Tiguan follows a similar principle and targets buyers whose budgets – and offroading aspirations – don’t quite stretch into Touareg territory.

In terms of space and practicality the Tiguan wins this contest with its slightly roomier interior, larger boot, and rear seats that can be adjusted for backrest angle as well as legroom. The X1’s rear seats tilt for backrest angle only.

Both cars have comfy leather-lined cockpits well stocked with comforts and safety, with a raft of optional toys available, but rand-per-spec the Tiguan comes out ahead with better value for money.

One surprising omission in both cars is the lack of USB ports for music (they’re only optional), although they do have standard aux jacks for MP3 players. Both cars have a number of 12V sockets for powering electronic devices, while the VW has the additional bonus of a 230V power socket for two-prong plugs.

The Tiguan comes standard with an electrically-adjustable driver’s seat while this is an extra-cost option in the X1 (this is one box I’d definitely tick as the BMW’s manual seat adjusters – especially the height – are quite primitive).

A box I wouldn’t tick in the Tiguan is the optional panoramic sunroof fitted to our test car, which when closed has a flimsy cloth screen that doesn’t block out much sunlight.

We didn’t like the fact that the Beemer has no spare wheel. Though the tyres are runflats and there’s a puncture repair kit, more serious tyre damage in a remote part of Mozambique would have put a real dampener on the holiday. The Tiguan has a spare to keep you mobile, even if it’s one of those emergency biscuit-thin tyres.

PERFORMANCE/ECONOMY

As part of a recent mid-life makeover the Tiguan TSI inherited the Golf GTi’s high-spirited 155kW/280Nm turbo four-cylinder engine, mated to a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission. Though it can’t match a GTi for performance, the flagship Tiguan has a satisfyingly brisk spring in its step with a 9 second 0-100km/h time, combined with effortless cruising performance and a 207km/h top speed.

Gearshifts are slick and smooth but the Tiguan has one less gear than the eight-speed X1 which contributed to the VW being thirstier and averaging 10.3 litres per 100km versus the X1’s 9.5 litres.

In addition to its lower thirst the BMW also wins the drag-racing contest with its rapid 7.7 second 0-100km/h figure and 240km/h top speed. This is our first experience of BMW‘s new generation 180kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine and we’re pretty impressed with its lively overall response and economy – its only drawback being that it has a touch more turbo lag on pull-off than the Tiguan.

The Beemer has a slightly more plush ride with its higher-profile 17-inch wheels (the Tiguan wore 18s), but otherwise there’s little difference in terms of handling and driving dynamics. The Germans are experts at making cars dance nimbly through corners and these two are no exception; despite their raised ride heights there’s little sign of squishiness or body roll through fast turns.

OFFROAD

It was on a sandy track north of Vilanculos, whilst trying to push the beached X1 out of thick sand, sweating in the 35 degree heat and sauna-like humidity, that it occurred to me that perhaps bringing soft-roaders to the Mozambiquan wilds wasn’t one of our brightest ideas.

Especially when the Tiguan driven by our team mates promptly got its belly stuck on the same sandy mound a few minutes later.

But the experience taught us two things: firstly it takes a bit more ground clearance than these vehicles possess (and perhaps diff locks as well) to tackle well-travelled sand paths with their high middlemannetjies; and secondly, when you’re in Africa there’s usually a helpful Land Rover or Land Cruiser driver around to tow you out of a fix.

Thus assisted, we were soon on our way again – with our rescuers a little bemused to see us attempting such hardcore 4x4 territory with soft-roaders, but also impressed that we had even made it this far.

Just before getting stuck, the Tiguan and X1 had traversed a 25km stretch of beach without incident, their all-wheel drive systems proving up to the task on more hard-packed and level sand.

Called 4Motion by VW and xDrive in BMW-speak, both AWD systems work similarly by varying the amount of torque between the front and rear axles as driving conditions demand. They’re linked to the cars’ stability control systems to maximise grip both on and off the tar.

The X1 additionally has hill descent control, but both cars lack diff locks which would have given additional traction (but not necessarily prevented them from becoming stuck on the aforementioned middelmannetjies – it was their comparatively humble ride heights of under 200mm that proved their undoing).

We give the two vehicles equal scores in offroad ability, although the Tiguan (in 2-litre turbodiesel guise only) is available with a more offroad-focused Track&Field spec that has a superior approach angle. The petrol 2.0TSI tested here comes only in more road-based Sport&Style package.

SUMMARY

To quote one Mr Obama, yes they can. Apart from the brief hiccup of getting stuck in somewhat more extreme turf than they were designed for, our two intrepid German soft-roaders behaved impeccably over our 3000km Mozambique adventure.

Versatility is their calling card. Pack in the family, the luggage, and head for the horizon to adventures unknown; the expedition doesn’t need to be limited purely to a pavement climb.

As to which one we’d choose, hmm ... the ideal package would be the Tiguan with the BMW’s engine, but we’ll give the nod to the VW for its spare wheel and more affordable pricetag.

lPerformance testing conducted at Gauteng altitude using Racelogic Vbox. -Star Motoring