Tiguan treat

There's a big battle being fought to be the top dog in the compact SUV segment, one which is picking up the slack in the downturn of full-size vehicles of that type.



This is why in recent times there has been a plethora of new entrants, many from makers who haven't been in this particular end of the game, like Ford, Citroen, and Peugeot. This has made it more difficult for the traditional players in the segment, like Toyota with its RAV4 and Suzuki with its Grand Vitara.

Volkswagen was one of the earlier newcomers, picking up on its success with the large Touareg by bringing in a smaller version based on the Golf platform. The Tiguan has been a significant success for the brand, challenging successfully the RAV4's place as biggest seller in the segment across Europe.



It has the essential elements. The style proportions are very good in SUV terms, but in a non-aggressive design suited to the tenor of these times. Inside there is chunky seating, solid furniture and fittings, and accommodation front and rear which is more than ample for five occupants.



The surface of the dashboard and binnacle trim is soft touch but pleasingly solid to the tap. The primary instruments are familiar analogue dials with the centre information patch and lighting in the VW blue that makes for very easy reading at night.

The centre stack and its essentials are a move upwards for Volkswagen, especially the large touch-screen entertainment/communications system that also handles sat-nav when fitted. No less than eight air vents are fitted in the centre and at either ends of the dash, offering a very wide choice of heating/cooling options.

The steering wheel is chunky without being too big a handful, and the short leather-gaitered shifter very pleasant and precise to use.

The review car was the Town & Country specification, powered by a version of VW's dual-charged 1.4 petrol engines with an output of 150hp. In its various iterations, this is one of my favourite power units of the moment. And though the main seller in Tiguan here is the diesel one, it was a good opportunity to get the feel of the 1.4 in this application.

The car came with a number of high end features, including an electronically operated parking brake with a hill hold facility, and cruise control. The airconditioning was of the ordinary variety rather than full climate control.



Obviously it is a flexible car in terms of people/cargo usage, and the flipover arrangements of the rear seats are simply operated (I only mention it because it remains a matter of some mystery to me that the systems for this in some cars are still of the knuckle-scraping variety).

The Tiguan is a good drive whether on highway or twisty back road, on the latter showing very neutral handling and steering characteristics that made it an easy car to use on tricky cross-country journeys. Pleasant progress is also aided by the characteristics of the engine, which uses both turbocharging and supercharging to get high output from a small displacement. Maximum torque comes on at a mere 1,750rpm, thanks to this system, and the 0-100 km/h is doable in under 10 seconds.

Over a week of quite mixed driving, though a fair chunk of it going the distances, I got an average of 8.3 L/100km, which happened to be almost spot on to the official combined fuel consumption figure. In fairness, not wildly economic, but not over the top for the size of car either. It puts the official CO2 figure at 199 g/km.

That it is a VW and has the iconic respect which that brand enjoys right across its product range, means it will sell in respectable numbers and provide Volkswagen fans with a viable option in the mid-size sector.

Brian Byrne.