Volkswagen – the people's car. When the car company was founded in 1937, no one could have had any idea where it would go. Volkswagen Käfer/Brouk stood on the threshold of a long journey, at the end of which cars are no longer popular, but rather luxury. The former role of Volkswagen is now replaced by Dacia. However, after experience with the new Golf and Passat models, I must state that they still stick to their philosophy. Today, Volkswagen produces valuable universal cars for everyone. So let's see if the Tiguan is such an exemplary all-rounder.
FACELIFT ALÁ GOLF
The second generation of the compact SUV has been on the market since 2016 and underwent a facelift last year to help it keep pace with the digital age. The changes took place mainly in the interior, the exterior remained largely untouched. New is the radiator grille with headlights that seem to have fallen out of the eyes of those on the Golf. With LED Matrix technology, it also shines brilliantly. The rest has remained the same, some paint colors have changed, the design of the discs and that's all the weighting from the outside.
However, there is no need to constantly make changes, more conservative Volkswagen customers will certainly appreciate this. Even after five years on the market, the Tiguan has a modern, fresh feel, while remaining reasonably angular. Square cars are gradually decreasing, even the Jeep Wrangler is now quite round. Straight lines with sharp edges also create the impression of a larger car than the compact Tiguan really is. I must also highlight the rich chrome, together with the dark metallic Nightshade creates a solidly luxurious impression.
STARON'S DIGITAL
When you get behind the wheel, you get a feeling of a certain old-world luxury. Beautiful light cream interior, quality leather, softened plastics as far as the eye can see, excellent. The design and architecture of the dashboard remained unchanged. I have to say that, for example, against the Golf or ID electric cars , it looks a bit, let's say, traditional, but it is tradition and certainty that are the values we look for in Volkswagens. However, the simple design greatly benefits clarity. Unfortunately, the interior is rather austere in the lower versions with a black interior.
Most of the novelties on board are in digital format, in addition to the new steering wheel, the MIB3 infotainment system has taken up residence in the bowels of the dashboard. I would like to write that it worked flawlessly this time as well, as in the Passat , unfortunately it was not like that. I encountered frequent freezing, no sound playing, sometimes it forgot the Czech language after a restart, which was only fixed by another restart. It's a huge hassle, otherwise the system is quite fast, offers a lot of setting options, or excellent 3D navigation. A big plus is the separate air conditioning panel, which has unpopular touch buttons that some people can't stand, but I think it's just a matter of habit, with a little practice you can operate them even blindly.
The interior is pleasantly airy thanks to the color combination, which is of course thanks to the ample space in all directions. There is a lot of space in the front, and three adults can sit in the back without any difficulty, only the middle seat is a little narrower and the air conditioner outlet limits legroom. There are plenty of places for your head, so whoever wants can ride in a cowboy hat. I acknowledge many storage spaces for rear passengers as well.
The seats are traditionally perfect, as is customary with Volkswagen, although the tested car does not have the extra ErgoActive. Neither soft nor hard, side guides work, ideal for long journeys. Anyone who wants can put the seat down almost to the ground, like a true racer. The view from the car is absolutely perfect. The edges of the hood can be seen beautifully from a higher position, and the A-pillars aren't too thick either), so they don't obstruct the view. Weaving the Tiguan through the streets of Prague was a breeze.
COMFORTABLE AND SAFE
Before I took the Tiguan for the test, I wondered how it would drive. In my fantasies, there was a certain chassis that would not be very soft, but would be able to filter even bigger bumps. And that's exactly how it drives. Of course, it also depends on how you set up the adaptive chassis. In normal mode, everything is just right, it doesn't sway too much, even on 20-inch wheels, it absorbs shocks from the road decently, it's actually very comfortable. I believe smaller wheels would turn the Tiguan into a Cadillac. Comfort mode adds noticeable rocking, but the damping remains just as supple. Sport is almost useless here, it is most useful on the highway at speeds above 160 km/h, if you are really in a hurry. It should be noted that even at such speeds it is very stable and has exemplary soundproofing that you will not even realize how fast you are driving. I used normal mode most often, even in the city. I hope that someday in some car we will meet the "weird" driving mode, there is probably too much of that normality in the world.
With the multi-element rear and 4motion four-wheel drive, it's no problem to start cutting corners. The higher center of gravity does not reveal much about itself, the Tiguan is usually slightly understeer like any front wheel (the rear wheels are connected only when needed). It can be driven very quickly and safely. Just be careful, a certain chassis can make you overconfident in your own driving skills! Such a more aggressive driving is rather boring in the end, in order for "something to happen", you have to drive very sharply, when it starts to be dangerous… Better forget about it, SUVs are not for racing, enjoy the comfort.
Instead, go off-road. Just switch to off-road mode and you're good to go. I remember how at one time the Czech crew drove a Touareg to the equator. Quite possibly the Tiguan could do it too if it had different tires.
THE MOST POWERFUL TURBODIESEL
With the latest modernization, the Tiguan also came to the fore. It is now also available as a plugin-hybrid . However, we will deal with this again sometime next time. Under the hood of the tested piece is the proven four-cylinder 2.0 TDI in its most powerful version, which has exactly 200 horsepower. It is available exclusively with four-wheel drive and a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission. I must say that the combination is very successful. The previously available 40 hp stronger TDI, which we drove in the Passat , is unfortunately no longer available. Even so, it is one of the strongest "diesel" among mainstream brands.
Anyone who likes classic diesel clatter (but probably no one) will be disappointed. The drive unit is very well dampened, even at higher speeds it does not make excessive noise. When you listen, you know about him, but you have to try hard. Two hundred horses is certainly not a small herd, let alone for such a small car. The TDI has a powerful pull from low revs and it's more the torque that gets things moving.
In practice, this means that you only need to tickle the gas pedal and you will still go fast. Even thanks to two turbochargers, the onset of power is very gradual, quiet driving is no problem. However, in most cases (or always except in SPORT mode), the transmission tries to underspeed the engine, which has an unpleasant effect on the vibrations penetrating the interior. However, it's nothing terrible and the average user will probably not notice it. The seven gear stages are suitably graduated, and at 130 km/h it turns just under 2,000 revolutions. Switching to SPORT mode gives you a touch more power, the gas pedal reacts more sharply, but the most important thing is that the transmission shifts at higher revs. Nothing absolutely necessary in a family SUV, but sometimes it comes in handy. During the test, I managed to keep the consumption around 7.5 l/100 km, then it rose to eight in the city. A decent result for 200 hp and 400 Nm.
THE PEOPLE'S CAR WITH THE STAMP OF A PREMIUM
In its 84 years of existence, Volkswagen could not have strayed further from the idea of a people's car. Currently, it is "peeking" more into the premium segment, and I dare to say that it rightfully belongs there. It is not for nothing that the Volkswagen Tiguan is one of the best-selling SUVs in Europe, also in the Czech Republic. Neither the small Touareg nor the large Golf, to use an analogy, is the successor to the Touran , which is slowly dying out. The new Volkswagen Tiguan does not have it easy among its competitors, the class of compact SUVs is packed to bursting. However, it scores points with its generous interior space, powerful engines, but above all with its durability and reliability, characteristic of all Volkswagens.
Basic price: 705,900 CZK (1.5 TSI 6M)
Base price of the tested version: 1,086,900,-(2.0 TDI 7DSG 4Motion Elegance)
Price for the tested configuration with extras: 1,156,900 (2.0 TDI 7DSG 4Motion Elegance)
Photo: Jindřiška Lidická
