REVIEW: Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 1.4 TSI R-Line
Pretoria - The vehicle options on Volkswagen South Africa’s website are almost endless, ranging from an entry-level Polo Vivo right through to the luxury Caravelle and Touareg, with a couple of bakkies and performance cars thrown in for good measure.
There’s virtually something to suit everyone’s tastes, including the SUV space which the company has covered with the T-Cross, Taigo, T-Roc, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace and the Touareg.
The Tiguan remains a popular choice, having overtaken the Golf as the company’s most popular vehicle worldwide.
With the world discarding its fondness for sedans and hatchbacks quicker than Eskom changes blackout stages, it’s not difficult to see why it’s such a popular option, providing a sophisticated, practical and attractive everyday vehicle, especially for families.
It helps that quality and giving owners peace of mind have always been VW’s hallmarks.
Which brings us to the seven-seater Tiguan Allspace 1.4 TSI R-Line variant on test here.
As an overall package that’s well put together, it handles impressively and provides all the tech you need.
Think of it as a long wheelbase model that’s 220mm longer than the standard version, allowing for more interior space, including the two extra rear seats.
They are fine for smaller people but for taller folk, I wouldn’t recommend a long journey.
Despite being longer, the clever people at VW have managed to keep the design eye-catching and you would have to be a real aficionado to pick up the subtle differences at first glance.
Standard on the R-Line model , which we drove, are 19-inch “Valencia” alloys, giving it a beefy look and stance.
Under the hood sits the company’s familiar 1.4-litre TSI turbo-charged petrol engine producing 110kW and 250Nm driving the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The Allspace interior and cockpit is a premium affair, with soft-touch surfaces, leather, aluminium inserts and white stitching to offset the black seats.
As with all premium VW products, the cockpit is digital, allowing you to set your views according to your liking.
For now, the Tiguan has touch sliders for volume (on the steering wheel) and climate control, which VW intends to ditch. At least you don’t have to go into the touch screen to fiddle with the air-conditioning settings but the sliders are less than ideal, especially while driving.
I keep forgetting to buy a USB port adaptor, considering that many new cars come fitted with only USB-C ports. That’s the case with the Tiguan and I often wonder why there isn’t one of each or a third port. How much can it cost in the greater scheme of things?
It’s a minor irritation though, considering the driving experience once you slide behind the wheel.
It feels solidly planted and although the 1.4-litre engine isn’t going to light up the wheels, it suits the Tiguan’s set-up well.
Fully loaded with four adults and overnight bags, it takes a while to get going, not irritatingly so though. Once up to speed, it cruises along effortlessly, with enough spare power on tap when passing other vehicles.
Over some twisty roads. it behaved well. There wasn’t unwelcome surprises or excessive SUV body roll. The suspension, chassis and tyres work in harmony to provide a decent driving experience.
Steering inputs are on the light side but more than adequate for a car of this nature.
After a week of combined driving weighted more to highway cruising, we averaged 7.6l/100km, which isn’t bad, but doing the daily home, work, home, school run would probably see it closer to the 9-10l l/100km mark.
The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 1.4 TSI R-Line is a welcome addition to the range and it’s easy to see why it’s a popular choice for an everyday car that does the job in style and comfort.
Priced at R797 300 (May 2022), it comes with a three-year/120 000km warranty, five- year/90 000km service plan and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty.
IOL Motoring